Embodiment & Grounding Practice

Create a pocket of serenity when you feel stress and overwhelm.

DO THIS WHEN You’re overwhelmed emotionally, your thoughts are racing, or you’re in physical pain.

INTENTION Reconnect to your environment and body thus calming and resetting your nervous system.

Find a comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed for 5-10 minutes.
Do a baseline. On a scale of 1 to 7, 1 = Complete calm and 7 = Complete overwhelm, where are you right now? No judgment here. Just observe and note where you are.
Notice and name 2-3 things you see in your surroundings.
Close your eyes. Notice and name 1-3 sounds.
Notice how the air feels. How your clothing feels against your skin.
Feel the weight of your hips; the ground beneath your feet. Feel how the earth comes up to support you.
Quietly notice any places in your body that feel tense or painful. Again, no judgment here. Just notice. Similarly, notice places in your body which feel good.

8. Say this silently or out loud:

I am safe. I am healthy. I am happy. And all things come with ease.

(See printed card for Hebrew prayer)

Reverse the process: bring your awareness to your hips, the feel of air and your clothes, naming a few sounds, and naming a few objects you see.
Take a baseline using the scale of 1 to 7. Has there been a shift? What do you notice now?
Thank yourself for your willingness to pause and regroup.

TIPS

It isn’t easy to pause when you’re feeling upset, when your thoughts are racing, or when you’re in physical pain. Usually we want to go with the intense feelings and act out.
What matters most is doing the steps the best you can. You don’t need to do this perfectly to benefit. Just do it.
If your baseline is a 5 or higher and you have time, go through the practice again.

Kindness and peace to you!

Embodiment & grounding practice courtesy of LarisaNoonan.com.

Download a pocket-size, printable version: Embodiment-and-Grounding-Card-Digital.pdf

Pocket of Serenity