Stress and anxiety throw us off center, especially when the memories of past events, called triggers, get activated. Triggers cause the lizard brain to kick into fight-flight mode. The function of fight-flight is to protect us, but it can it can feel terribly uncomfortable.
In early recovery, trauma responses like these can be overwhelming and leave you feeling powerless. When you lose your center, your prana (energy) rises up towards the head. To bring yourself into balance, its helpful to usher the energy down. This is called grounding.
Here are some tools for grounding that will help you take some of your power back. Do these three grounding practices in order. 1. Belly breathing. Lie down on the floor (earth energy is grounding), bend your knees and gently place one hand on your heart center and one on your low belly. With your eyes closed or gaze soft, take 10 slow deep breaths in and out of your belly.
2. Bhu mudra. Seated on the earth, extend your index and middle fingers into a v shape (like peace fingers), curl your other two fingers in and rest your thumb on them. Reach your arms straight down by your sides and connect your peace fingers to the earth. With each inhale imagine drawing the earth's grounding energy up through your fingers. Do this for 10 slow breath cycles.
3. Forward bend. Sit in a chair or stand up and bend forward. Let your head hang heavy like a bowling ball. Another 10 slow breath cycles.
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