How To Ground Yourself Spiritually
Life throws us so many bullets that we find ourselves having to dodge. When you are in a state of frazzled energy, your mind, emotions, body, and spirit have a hard time functioning in alignment.
In order to get yourself back to the zero point, or complete alignment, you must ground your energy. According to MindBodyGreen, the act of grounding yourself "means that you're present in your body and connected and balanced no matter what's going on around you."
Related: 5 Truths About The Higher Self That Will Elevate Your Life
Many people have heard of the phrase "grounding yourself", but don't fully realize exactly how to do it. Grounding requires raising your vibration to a frequency where everything levels out, and you can be still and present in the now. This article will list some tips you can use to raise your vibration and ground your energy.
Just Breathe
As simple as it sounds, one way to ground yourself into the earth is to breathe. Start by taking a deep breath in through your nose, completely filling your lungs with air and inflating your belly. As you breathe in, allow the air to soothe any anxiety or nerves in your entire body. On your exhale, push all of the breath out through your mouth, pulling your stomach into your diaphragm. Imagine yourself letting any energetic toxins out through your lips.
I like to also breathe in and out of each chakra separately. This activates the chakras and gives each energetic spinning vortex a whirl. Repeat the process above whilst imagining the breath entering and leaving each chakra. This technique is best to do when you are in a high pressure environment and you need to isolate yourself for a moment to ground.
Practicing Pranayama exercises and poses are also a very effective way to channel your chi energy. Read up on pranayama exercises and poses, breathing techniques and sequences here at YogaJournal.com.
Hug A Tree Or Spend Time In Nature
I know it sounds like I'm about to lead a Barney and Friends singalong, but hugging a tree works wonders when it comes to grounding your energy. Trees are living beings that are literally rooted into Mother Earth. Since we are all a part of one collective energy force, hugging a tree immediately re-establishes your connection to earth. When you hug a tree, imagine the exchange of energy that is occurring. Allow that energy to enter your body as you send love and gratitude back to the tree.
In your mind's eye, visualize the respiration that is responsible for the carbon dioxide that leaves your body and is released into the tree. As you breathe in, visualize the oxygen that the tree is transferring to you.
If tree-hugging isn't your thing, laying in the grass while meditating is another way to connect to nature. You can also swim in a natural body of water, or bury your toes into the sand on the beach. As long as you're imagining an energetic connection to the earth in that present moment, you are grounding your energy.
Meditate Daily
Meditation is a wonderful way to ground your energy. Give yourself at least 20 to 30 minutes a day. This will only work if you are in a peaceful, uninterrupted environment. Close your eyes, take several deep breaths in and out, and imagine yourself climbing down a ladder, deep down into the core of the earth.
Once your body is in a calm state, and all of your muscles are completely relaxed, imagine a serene earthly paradise filled with waterfalls, greenery, mountains, crystal clear lakes, and peaceful animals. Feel a cool breeze, and hear the joyful sounds of nature.
Related: Get Your Whole Life: Amplify Your Meditation & Affirmation Rituals With Crystals
Once you are here, imagine a gold liquid light engorging your body from your root chakra all the way up to you crown chakra. You should feel heavy and divinely anchored. Now start to emit this golden liquid light through the bottom of your root chakra, as if a syringe is pressing the energy deeper into the earth through the bottom of your feet. As this golden light energy seeps into the earth, imagine a white beam of light shooting up through the top of your head, creating a passage way back up to the earth's surface.
Feel yourself ascending up into this opened passage, feeling lighter and lighter, as you peak the outermost part of the earth. Imagine yourself standing on your feet, back on the ground as you open your eyes.
You have now grounded yourself. There are plenty of guided meditations that you can use to ground your energy on YouTube if you need some assistance.
Dance, Sing, And Do Yoga
Dancing, singing, or exercising is a high vibrational, grounding technique. It doesn't matter if you don't dance or sing well, the whole point is to release creative energy through your upper and lower chakras.
Singing releases energy through your throat and heart chakra. That must be why they say "sing your heart out." Sometimes, just humming a song can do the trick. Singing in the shower, as you get dressed for your day, or on your way to your destination in the car can release and ground your energy. Try to sing uplifting and bright melodies rather than the dark or somber songs.
Related: Energize Your Mornings With These 5 Simple Yoga Poses
Dancing physically releases energy through your sacral and root chakra. So when you and the squad bust it open, twerking, you are actually grounding sacral and root chakra energy. Pelvic movements release sexual energy. Sometimes, you might want to dance to release pent-up pain, or emotions, so taking classes in modern dance, for instance, can help release and ground energy from the solar plexus and the heart chakra. If anything, put on some music, connect to your body, and just move freely in the privacy of your own home, whenever you need to ground.
Doing yoga for exercise is one way in which you can truly work with all of the chakras, and ground your body spiritually and energetically. Sign up for some yoga classes or follow along to some YouTube videos at home.
Balance, Tune, And Align Your Chakras
Last but not least, one of the best ways to ground your energy is to work with all seven of your chakras. Working with your chakras can include meditation, using crystals, visualizations, and affirmations.
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Featured image by Getty Images
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Fontaine Felisha Foxworth is a writer and creative entrepreneur from Brooklyn New York. She is currently on the West Coast working on creating a TV Pilot called "Finding Fontaine", that details the nomadic journey of her life so far. Keep up with her shenanigans @famoustaine on IG.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy