“Staying In” is not Beginner’s Practice

When we are interacting with the world, relating with people, solving problems, planning, "getting things done", our awareness and energy is Up and Out. Up in our head, and leaned Out into the world. It's easy to get disconnected from our heart, from the body, from the ground. Our nervous system gets revved up, we get caught up in the energetic momentum, and we lose presence-awareness.

Grounding and Relaxation brings us In and Down. Come IN to your body. Sink awareness deeply into the complete body. The bones, muscles, cells, organs, systems, fluids. Deep. Full. And let awareness sink down into the lower part of the body. Feel the force of gravity and the weight of the body. Feel the contact of your body to your seat. Your feet on the ground. Let the earth/ground hold you, support you.

The cognitive mind, the do-er, the fixer, the solver, can't settle down if the body is not relaxed and grounded. Neither peace nor depth can arise without being grounded and relaxed. We encourage the mind to be quiet by coming more fully into our body.

Grounding and Relaxation is not a beginner's practice. It is the beginning, middle and the end of practice. Give yourself to it. Trust that more presence, more clarity, more understanding will arise from this as a base.