Grounded

Welcome, and thank you for joining me for this grounded practice where we will look at the root chakra and the emotions that are associated, the feelings that are associated with that root chakra. So we'll look at what are the shadow emotions or what are the emotions that when the chakra is feeling balanced that feel a little bit more light and that ease, our postures will explore those qualities. So we'll welcome in the shadows, which could be in this case, fear, a feeling of insecurity or ungrounded energy, and we'll try to explore postures that are more grounding that are earth based that will help us feel calm, rooted and supported by the earth. So let's do that by starting in child's pose. So if you'll meet me there, take your time, can bring the big toes together, maybe take the knees a little bit wider.

And then start to walk your hands forward. And of all the postures, this one makes me feel the most grounded. So letting your forehead rest on something, maybe the earth. And then just take a moment to land. And let's allow a big full breath in together.

And then a grounding breath out, maybe side out the mouth, let something go as you relax into Whatever it is that's supporting you today. So noticing the parts of the body that feel connected and actually really notice the earth supporting those parts of the body. So the forehead, the shins, maybe the elbows, the palms of your hands. Just start to notice the quality of your breathing. Grounding a little bit more with every exhale.

Taking a moment to notice any emotions or feelings that you're showing up to your practice with. And welcoming whatever it is that's coming up for you, starting from that place, no need to be anywhere else. Welcoming at all. Allowing one more big full breath in here, feeling the expansion in your back body, and then exhale, give something to the earth. Let something go.

Beautiful. And then walk your hands forward a little bit more, tent your fingertips, and allow your elbows to lift up off the earth. And then start to crawl your hands over to the right side of your mat, and they might even come off the mat. So that you're reaching your left arm a little bit further than the right. You're feeling that stretch through the side body, through the rib cage, breathing into the sensation in the left side body. Good. And then bring it back through center and just take that same thing over to the left so you're reaching through the right arm, the right fingertips, breathing into the right side body in the rib cage.

Nice. And then come back through center and make your way up to a tabletop. We'll come to all fours. Take a moment to ground in your tabletop through the palms of your hands. Through your shins. Let your shoulders come over the wrist and let your hips come over your knees.

And then moving into some cat cows here as you inhale arch your spine, look up, and lengthen. As you exhale, press the earth away, navel to spine, and round, tuck your chin, feel the opening in your back body, and then do that a couple more times. So as you inhale arching, look up, and lengthen, Exhale, press the floor away rounding, tuck the tailbone. You might even shift back a little. Good. And then one more time, inhale arching, look up, and lengthen.

And as you exhale tuck the tailbone, press the earth away. Tuck your chin. Let it feel good. Good. And then neutralize your spine. So come to that place between cat cow and then reach your right leg out to the right. So sole of the right foot down to the earth.

And then same thing with cat cow here. We're just gonna start to get into the outer leg line as we move through some cat cow. So as you inhale, again, arch the spine, look up and lengthen, exhale navel to spine, tuck the chin and round. 2 more inhale brings you forward arching, exhale round, one more inhale with your breath, arching, and exhale rounding. Good. And then tuck your left toes so the toes are underneath and just start to shift your weight back a little bit.

So hips hips come toward that left heel, and then you're stretching into that right leg. Nice. And then come back through center. We'll bring the bring the right knee down. Step your left foot out to the left, and we'll do the same thing on the left side. So sole of the left foot down as you're ready in how arch the spine look up and lengthen. Excel navel to spine in round, good inhale arching, look up, lengthen feel the sensation in that left leg, exhale navel to spine.

Round the back. One more inhale come forward and exhale come back. Good. And the neutral spine tuck your right toes this time and just gently Any amount shift your weight back, hips toward that right heel, might even bow the head forward, press the earth away. Good. And then come back through center. Bring your left knee down, and we'll tuck our toes. And come into our first downward facing dog.

Beautiful. And as you come to downward facing dog, just invite in any movement that might feel good, maybe pedal it out through your feet, maybe sway your hips a little bit, side to side. And then notice the parts of the body that are really grounded through the earth here so that earth energy through the palms of your hands, the soles of your feet, let your sitting bones reach up to the sky. And then from here, lower your knees down to the earth, and then we'll bend the elbows, bring the chin and the chest down, and then glide your way through into a baby cobra. So press into the top of your feet peel the chest up. Think about lifting and lengthening as you come to cobra.

And then as you press back, come through hands and knees, tuck your toes, and lift up and back for downward facing dog. Good. And we'll do that two more times as you inhale lower your knees, bend your elbows, bring the chin and the chest down, inhale glide through bhujangasana, baby cobra, draw the shoulders back, lift the heart. And exhale pressing back, hands and knees, tuck your toes, downward facing dog. Got one more with the breath, knees lower. Bring the chin and the chest down as you bend your elbows.

Inhale for cobra, and exhale, press back downward facing dog. Good. And now take a slow walk to the front of the mat walking your feet up towards your hands. As you get to the front of the mat, soften your knees a little bit. Let everything melt down over your legs. Forward fold.

Let the head hang heavy. Really shifting the weight toward the balls of your feet. You can bend your knees any amount. Just feel that nice fold. Good. And then one vertebra at a time. Start to roll up slowly.

Let the head be the last thing to arrive. And coming up to stand tadasana at the front of your mat. Maybe take some circles with your shoulders in one direction and then the other. And then just take a moment. To find stillness. So you might bring your hands to your heart or you could let your hands rest on either side of the body.

If it feels safe for you, take a moment to close your eyes. Just check-in. And then start to visualize roots beneath the soles of your feet. So you might even pick up your toes, spread the toes wide, and then place them back down on the earth, really feeling that grounded quality, beneath the soles of your feet and as if there were branches and roots reaching down into the soil, into the earth, soften your knees a bit, and then just invoking and calling in that grounded energy. And if you're feeling a little ungrounded today, that's okay too.

Welcomeing that. These poses can invite in the quality of the light emotions. Good. And we'll move into tree pose from here. So start to transfer your weight into your left foot. Option here to come up onto the ball of your right foot, find your drishti, that point of focus with your gaze. You might bring your foot to your left calf, or reach down. Find your right ankle.

Bring your foot to your inner upper thigh just above the knee. And then just take a moment to balance. Maybe sweep your arms up. You're doing that. Energize up through your fingertips.

If you're wobbling, it's okay. Your branches can move from side to side. Stay rooted in that grounded leg. Good. And then draw your right knee in towards your chest. Step your right foot down. And then bring this into a forward fold uttanasana.

So soften your knees as you fold over on an inhale lift halfway up, lengthen your spine, maybe hands on shins. Good. As you exhale, step your left foot all the way to the back of the mat. Let your left knee lower down. We'll come to Anjaniasana, low lunge, sweep your arms, forward and up. Take a moment to land in your lunge, and then interlace everything but your index fingers. So finding steeple Mudra.

And from here, lift up and tilt over to the right just a little bit. So we're getting back into that side body stretch. I breathe into the left side. And then on inhale, come back through center as you exhale, let your hands fall on either side of your front foot and come to half split, ardha Hanamasana, lift your right toes up off the earth, breathe into the back of your right leg. Couple full deep breaths.

You might spread your toes. Reach the heart forward. Nice. And then, re bend your right knee, tuck your back toes and lift the back knee up And then setting up for warrior 1, spin your back heel down. Once you have that grounded base, reach your arms forward and up coming into Vira Vedrasana 1, and take a moment to land coming toward 90 degrees in that front leg energize up through the fingertips. Beautiful. And then release your arms behind your back.

You can hold opposite elbows or find an interlace with your hands. Sink into that front knee a little deeper. And then on an inhale, start to look up, find a little bit of a backbend in the upper back, moving into humble warrior, fold over your front leg, reach the arms up, let the crown of your head just melt down. Beautiful. And then on an inhale.

Look forward. Come all the way back up warrior 1. As you exhale, let your hands come down to the earth. Step back to downward facing dog. Right foot meets the left. You're welcome to stay here, or, again, we'll lower the knees.

And then lowering the chin and the chest, hug your elbows in as you come down. Coming back into that low cobra, you might come up a little bit higher, but stay grounded in your hips and through the tops of your feet. Good. And then as you exhale, press back through hands and knees, downward facing dog. Let's take a grounding breath here, allowing a big full breath in through your nose. Maybe open up the mouth.

Let out a sounder a sigh. Good. And then as you walk to your hands, really feel the earth beneath the soles of your feet. So take a slow walk. Good feet to hands, forward fold, front of the mat, soften your knees a bit, and then just let everything melt down. I'm ringing the back of my hands to the ground.

I feel like that's such a nice release. For my wrists. Whatever forward fold feels good, just calming the nervous system. And in this first chakra, this root chakra practice, really inviting in that quality of calming of slowing everything down a little bit and rooting. Good. And then slow roll one vertebra at a time.

Roll up, let your head be the last thing to arrive, and then just take a moment to land. I always find in forward folds when you come up too quickly, there can be a little sense of, dizziness So that quality of really grounding through the soles of your feet, taking a moment to find your stability. Good. And then we'll come back to Tripos. So this time, bring your weight into your right foot, really ground through the sole of your right foot. Either coming up onto your left toes, you can bring the sole of your foot to your calf, or maybe you reach down, find your left ankle, bring your foot to your inner upper thigh, and then maybe your hands stay at heart center.

Maybe they reach up, and you'll notice one side might feel quite different than the last, than the first side. It's all part of it. So we welcome in our here now experience We trust the process, and we just show up wherever we are. And if that means you fall out of tree a thousand times, then that's okay. Good. Practice and present start to draw your left knee in toward your chest. Step your left foot down, and then we'll take a dive forward into uttanasana on an inhale lift halfway, lengthen your spine.

Beautiful. And this time, step your right foot all the way to the back of the mat. Let your back knee lower. On an in house, sweep your arms, forward and up. We'll take that steeple Mudra. So interlacing everything but the index fingers, reach up through the fingertips, and then tilt up and over to your left a little bit.

Side body stretch. Good. Stacking that left knee over the ankle as you inhale come back through center, release your hands on either side of your front foot, and then shift back half split, Arta, Hanamasana, lifting toes up off the earth, reaching the heart forward, and then feel free to keep as much of a bend in that left knee as as it feels good for you. So just finding that sensation without force. Good. And then re bend your left knee, tuck your toes, spin the back heel down, setting up for warrior 1, really find that stability in that base first. You might even draw your hands to your hips.

Encouraging the left hip back, the right hip to roll forward. Good. And then once you have that stability, you can reach the arms up, soften through your shoulders, sink in a little bit deeper, And then release your hands behind your back, maybe taking the opposite thumb on top on an inhale, draw your shoulders away from the ears, maybe lean back a little, and then bowing forward, humble warrior, let the crown of your head melt down, reach the arms out. What my ear release here? Such a beautiful name for a posture, humble, devotional warrior. What would it mean to be devotional in your practice?

Good route to rise in how arms sweep up warrior 1 and exhale hands to the earth, step your left foot back for downward facing dog. Welcome to stay here or lower your knees. Chin and chest. Glide through for cobra. Bhujangasana.

Good. And then exhale. Press it back to downward facing dog. Good. Flow your right leg up and back. And then as you exhale, step your right foot through between your hands. This time, we'll set up for warrior 2.

So spinning the back heel down, let your left arm guide you up and open to face, the side of your mat and just maybe coming in and out of that shape a few times until you find that rooted connection with the earth. And as I'm taking my gaze out at all these trees is orchard, just really nice visualizing of what would it mean to root like a tree to really find that connection with the soil, that stability, that safety, that comes along with balancing our root chakra, soften your shoulders, few more full deep breaths, a little bit of a longer hold, energize through your fingertips, Good. And then flip your friend palm as you inhale, tilt back for reverse warrior, reach your right arm up and over. Good. And then circle hands down to the ground and step back. This time, we'll come to plank pose top of a push up. Now you're welcome to lower your knees chin and chest as we have been, or maybe you keep your knees lifted. Plug the elbows in lower all the way or halfway down. I'm going to stay with COBRA.

Bhujangasana, staying connected and low. Good. And then exhale back. Downward facing, lift your hips. Open back. Allow a big breath in.

And a long, maybe lion's breath, stick out the tongue, let something go. Good. And then sweep your left leg up. Exhale to step through. Setting up for warrior 2, let your right arm guide you up and open. And just take a moment. Again, you might come in and out of those shape a few times.

And when you find that stability, when you find that shape, your own intuitive alignment, take a moment to pause. You might even Close your eyes for a few breaths sink in a little deeper as you yield into the support of the earth beneath you. And then just notice notice what comes up for you. You come back to the rhythm of your breath, the inhale, and the exhale. Good. One more breath in.

Root down a little bit more as you exhale, flip your front palm, and tilt back reverse warrior, reach up and over through your left fingertips, and then circle hands to the ground. Step back, plank pose, welcome to lower your knees, or lower down. Coming up into cobra, draw the shoulders away from the ears, heart lifts, lengthening. Good. And then as you exhale, we'll press back downward facing dog. And let's take about 3 to 5 grounded breaths.

Maybe find stillness. You're welcome to lower your knees. You could take a child's pose here. Or what would it mean to find some stillness in your down dog? Let this be your resting pose.

What might you let go of? Just a bit more as you start to let your heels disappear behind your toes, spin your biceps forward, and your triceps back. Beautiful. And then meet me seated at the front of the mat. So you can come high up onto your toes, knee is bent. Welcome to hop your feet forward. Maybe cross at the ankles and then make your way into a seated position.

We'll bring the legs out in front of us. Sit up tall on your sitting bones. So setting up for Janushar Sauceana, start to bend your left knee and bring the sole of your left foot to your inner upper right thigh. Good. And then take a moment to settle in here so that right leg is straight in front of you, reflecting through the right foot on an inhale, reach your arms up. And then as you exhale fold over your front leg any amount, letting the hands fall wherever they fall.

Maybe close your eyes to go inward. Find your breath. Notice sensation, and notice the change of energy, the quality of movement to stillness, to held postures. And what comes up for you then? Maybe it's thoughts. Maybe it's those emotions or feelings.

And when we talk about the shadow and the light in our practice, It's not that one is right or one is wrong. We welcome whatever is rising for us. And then we root into the qualities of what we may want to cultivate within the shapes. We're gonna push away emotions. We allow.

We sit. We recognize, and then they change form. Good on an inhale. Just take your time and slowly come up. Take a moment at the top.

Notice how that feels. And then we'll switch sides. So we're reaching your left leg forward. Bring your right foot to the inner upper left thigh. So there's a bit of a hip opener happening in this right side and then obviously a pretty big hamstring stretch in the left.

Set up nice and tall. On an inhale reach your arms up, lengthen your spine, and then just taking your time to fold over that front leg. And just noticing that the second side probably feels a little different. It certainly does for me. And then again, just noticing, observing, coming back to anchoring to just this breath, just this inhale.

And Justice Exhound. Take 2 or 3 more full. Conscious breaths. Beautiful. And then on your next breath in, slowly come up. Reach both legs out in front of you.

Take a moment to sit up nice and tall, wiggle in, feel your sitting bones rooted down on the earth. So that base of the spine is that location. And then as you root down through the sitting bones in how arms sweep up. And then as you exhale soften into Pashimotanasana forward fold, and again, just letting your hands fall wherever they fall, bowing in towards self. Feeling that opening in the back of your legs and the entire back body, really. All these forward folds are really calming for our nervous system.

Just signaling to the body that you are safe. You are secure. In this moment all is well. A couple more breaths. Beautiful. And then as you inhale slowly come on up and make your way to a comfortable cross leg seated position, you're welcome to lie down.

If you prefer to take this quick guided meditation, in Shavasana, the shape of Shavasana, feel free to lie down on your mat. Otherwise, you can find any comfortable seat and just take a moment to land and really feel the earth holding you, supporting you. Find some length in your spine. Notice what's making contact with the earth. Allow yourself to feel held.

And as you scan through your body, take a moment to recognize what's present for you in this moment. Specifically if there are any feelings or emotions that are coming up for you. And perhaps It's the emotion of fear. Could be a feeling of ungrounded energy, or maybe you're feeling really grounded and secure and safe where you are. Beautiful.

No judgment. All are welcome, but become the witness and recognize what might be present for you. Allowing that to be just as it is. No need to push it away or wish it was something different. Allow.

And then investigate where that emotion or that feeling or perhaps it's a sensation. Where does that live in your body? Is there a particular area that you're feeling that? Investigate what might be behind the emotion. And then in that role of the nonjudgmental witness of all that's occurring Can you offer yourself some kindness, some nurturing, some compassion?

That this too, this too belongs. And just give yourself the gift of presents as you sit with this. Just a few more moments. When in doubt, when you find that maybe you've traveled somewhere else, which is the nature of our mind, is to think. Maybe you anchor it back.

To what's beneath you, to that feeling of grounded support. Maybe you anchor back to just this breath. Just this in hand. Justice Excel. Allowing just a few more breaths here, a few more moments.

Whoever you are seated or lying down, please feel free to stay there as long as you'd like. Otherwise, taking your time to make your way back to a comfortable seated position. You might roll to one side or just simply roll up to seated. Take your time to feel your sitting bones grounded on the earth, and thank you so much for sharing this grounding practice with me. Hope you're feeling a little bit more secure, safe, and grounded.

Namaste.