Badassery Magazine October 2017 Issue 17 | Page 33

W
e all know too well
how hectic life can get.
Without even con-
sciously realizing it, we find
ourselves being pulled by the
current and we don’t know how
to press ‘Pause’. On top of major
life events we may be dealing
with, each day brings forth its
own set of planned or spon-
taneous situations. While we
cannot always control the outer
experiences going on, we cer-
tainly can control our responses
to them. I am an empath, which
means that I am extra suscepti-
ble to stress and absorbing the
energy in my environment. One
of the greatest tools I’ve utilized
to help keep me centered, stur-
dy, and focused is grounding.
Grounding is the practice of
bringing our body, mind, and
spirit back in alignment and
rooted firmly into the Earth. It
can be done in a number of ways,
but here are some of my favorite
practices:
1) Visualization: White Light
This is a simple visualization
meditation that only takes a few
minutes. It is recommended to
be seated upright. You close your
eyes and imagine a white light
pouring from above into the very
top (crown) of your head. The
light then pours down your body,
through your spine, down your
tail bone and into the earth. It is
important to imagine the light
pushing through the earth and
then sprouting roots. The roots
curl around the soil so they are
firmly planted. You can add
variations to this and imagine it
however you’d like. The whole
visualization takes me only 5
minutes and I do it every morn-
ing when I wake up, to gently
bring me back into this realm.
2) Moving Breath with Your Arms
This practice is a simple breath-
ing exercises paired with a few
movements. You should also be
sitting for this exercise. You start
out with your hands out at shoul-
der height. As you breathe,
bring your arms up above your
head. Have your hands come
together (praying hands) as you
complete your in-breath. Then,
with your hands in prayer posi-
tion straight abov e your head,
breathe out as you bring them
straight down to your chest.
When you have fully exhaled,
keep your hands by your heart
for a moment. Definitely do not
rush this exercise. Repeat the
process 2-3 more times. Even at
a slow pace, this also takes only 5
minutes.
3) Cold Water on Body
This next activity might seem a
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