G.R.O.U.N.D

Ground, Relax, Open, Untangle, Nurture, & Dissolve

At first, try this practice standing, with your hands at your sides. Spend at least one minute with each of the six instructions, before moving on to the next. Over time, you can enact all six instructions in a shorter time frame, as a practice that you do on the spot in daily life.

Earth Body

Ground: Allow attention to be drawn to your body’s natural earthiness and groundedness. If you are standing, let attention go toward your feet. If you are seated or lying down, let your attention go to wherever your body meets the earth. Be in your physical body.

Relax: Notice where tension is held in your body and release it. Invite a few slow, deep breaths into your belly, shoulders, arms, face—wherever you are holding tension. With every exhale, release.

Subtle Body

Open: Feel your posture lengthen, your shoulders relax, and your chest open. Starting with your heart area, feel your body and senses open up. Open your ears, nose, eyes, mouth, heart, and mind. Be in your subtle body.

Untangle: Scan your body and mind. What residue of feeling is present in your subtle body? What anxiety, sadness, loneliness, apathy, ruminations are present? Whatever you encounter in yourself, notice where it lives in your body. Make room for it with kindness. Befriend.

Body of Truth

Nurture: Allow your attention to move your eyes. Raise your gaze and widen your field of vision, keeping your gaze soft. Relax completely and let your mind expand outward infinitely. Be effortless. Nurture your relationship with awareness. Be in the body of truth.

Dissolve: Finally, relax all effort and let all practices just melt into space. Stop trying to do anything at all. Allow the separation between mind and body, mind and prāṇa, self and world dissolve. Dwell in the great oneness beyond description and beyond thought.

This practice of GROUND is simple but powerful. Play with the length of time you spend on each step. Sometimes take the practice onto your cushion (as a formal meditation practice) or use it to begin your yoga practice. Sometimes try it before sleep. Remember GROUND when you are experiencing stress or fear and need a way to move from your ruminating thoughts into your body’s natural wisdom field. GROUND will gradually lead you to embody wakefulness in your daily life.