S3NSE: Grounded

“Get yourself grounded and you can navigate even 

the stormests roads in peace.”

~ Steve Goodier

Remember when being grounded was no fun and a punishment.  You did something wrong and now you are stuck inside your room:  grounded.  The good news is grounded may be both literally and figuratively a very good thing.  Being grounded is usually considered to be mentally and emotionally stable, sensible or realistic.  These are very positive traits.  How can we ground ourselves to get the benefits of being grounded?

The easiest way to become grounded is to lie on the floor and scan yourself.  What parts of you feel heaviest on the floor?  Do some parts rest comfortably on the floor?  What parts feel lifted away from the floor?  This quick scan provides valuable  information about your current neuromuscular state.  The parts of you that sink comfortably into the floor are in a relaxed state.  Parts that are pressed into or lifted from the floor are holding or contracting.  The scan helps you learn where you are at ease and where you hold stress.  When you feel these parts change and sink into the floor comfortably, you relieve stress and are in a more relaxed state.

After a scan, you may want to explore how the ground provides important feedback about movement.  The 6-12 Pelvic Clock lesson is a good example:

Lie on your back, with your knees bent and feet standing on the floor comfortably apart.

Gently tilt your pelvis a little backwards and then come back to the starting position. As your tailbone moves a little towards and away from the floor, notice how your sacrum changes contact with the floor.   

What parts of you move towards the floor?  What parts move away from the floor?  When do you feel your lower back move towards the floor?  When does it move away from the floor?  What other parts do you feel moving towards or away from the floor?  

Now rescan your contact with the ground.  What has changed?  Do you feel more contact with the floor?  If you feel a dramatic change with the floor, you will probably notice a positive change in your standing posture, balance and stability.

This is just one little hack you can use to be grounded.  Join S3NSE Feldenkrais® lessons to learn many other ways of grounding yourself:  www.s3nse.org.  One never knows what’s coming down the road.  Being grounded will enable you to navigate it with ease and grace.