May is Mental Health Awareness Month and I will be publishing content that focuses on mental health topics. To read past posts, click on the Mental Health tab under the Dimensions of Wellness Menu.
If you have taken a yoga or Pilates class, you’ve surely heard the term grounding. There is also a movement afoot to walk outside barefoot on the regular. (Puns abound in that sentence!) If you are unsure what grounding really is and how it can be useful, I am here to help.
Grounding, in the broadest sense, refers to any practice that helps anchor you in the present moment, usually through some sort of change in sensory perception. Sensory perception refers to how our body communicates what it feels to our brain. Sensation usually means that some sort of physical feeling exists. The classic example is putting your hand on a hot stove burner. Your brain doesn’t actually realize that the burner is hot until the sensory receptors in your hand tell it. That’s sensation in a nutshell.
Physical Grounding
Grounding, or earthing as it is also commonly called, is the practice of walking outside barefoot. This gets into the metaphysical and how this reconnects us electrically with the planet. Whether you ascribe to that or not, there is research to indicate that walking barefoot might have positive impacts on our immune and circulatory systems.
Current pediatric recommendations include allowing babies barefoot time. Especially those learning to walk. Why? Because sensory input from the feet is important in learning to balance and move effectively. By allowing babies to “feel” their feet on the ground, important communication pathways to the brain and central nervous system are opened up.
When the term grounding is used in a yoga or Pilates class, it refers to a similar phenomenon. The idea is that the exerciser should be using their feet (or hip bones if in a seated posture) to connect with the floor in a way that improves balance, stability, and control.
I often use the cueing of growing roots in Tree Pose. As you exhale, imagine that the breath leaves out through the bottom of the foot and burrows into the ground allowing your tree to grow roots. Sounds silly, but I can usually see visual proof that my students are more stable after the cue.
The point is that by actively focusing on the sensations of the foot and using the body to create new ones, we can feel more stable. This is why there is so much fuss about barefoot shoes. The argument is that feet are healthier when they can move naturally. Don’t believe me? Try doing some squats in a super cushioned shoe vs barefoot or in a shoe with a flat bottom (like Converse Chuck Taylors). I can guarantee you’ll feel more stable in the Chucks.
Mental/Emotional Grounding
Grounding is also a mental health technique. Although my previous discussion has focused on feet, that isn’t necessary here, but the purpose is the same. Create a different sensory experience for the body to anchor someone to the present.
Have you ever been in a stressful situation or completely overwhelmed and told yourself to take a few deep breaths? That’s grounding. The act of deep breathing requires thought and control, which creates a certain sensory environment. The new sensation triggers an autonomic nervous system response to relax. Which in turn, allows us to be more present.
A common technique used for those with anxiety and panic attacks is called anchoring. As soon as physical symptoms are noticed (racing heart, sweating, twitching, inability to still the body, etc.), the individual stops. Then they bring their focus to their environment and note five things they can see, four they can hear, three they can touch, two they can smell, and one they can taste. This exercise uses the five senses to remind the individual where they are in the present.
Grounding refers to any technique where the senses are used to tie you to the present. These are super useful in everyday life as they can help us stay calm and resilient during stressful situations. Regardless of which method you prefer, using this type of biofeedback has been proven to have positive physical and mental health benefits.
