If you’ve looked at meditation, energy work, or spiritual practices before, chances are you’ve heard the terms “grounding, centering, and shielding.” These three skills are often used in these circles, but rarely defined – let alone given instructions on how to do them! In my opinion, grounding, centering and shielding are three essential tools that everyone should be able to use. How do I ground, center and protect myself?
Today I’ll show you not only what they are, but how to use them successfully. For all of these exercises, you want to be in a comfortable position. I prefer to lie down, but sitting or standing works too. I will give you one or two options to visualize all three, but energy work is a very individual experience. What works for one person may not be as effective for another, so I encourage you to use my suggestions as a starting point to discover what works best for you! The important thing is that what you do feels “right,” even if it isn’t exactly what someone else says you should do.
What is Grounding?
It’s easy to get caught up in everything that’s happening (or not) around us: our growing to-do list, the what-ifs of the future, and wistful daydreams. These fast-moving thoughts pull us further and further away from the here and now. Grounding is the process of reconnecting yourself with physical reality. It reminds us to live in the present moment and be aware of what is happening around us. If you find yourself feeling disconnected from the ‘real world’, grounding can help you shift your focus and be aware of the here and now.
Some people take the term “grounding” literally and believe that you should go outside and walk around barefoot or lie in the grass to connect with the earth and nature. While this is great and can certainly help the experience, it is not always practical or even possible. The steps I give you can be done anywhere, whether indoors or outdoors.
How to Ground
Start by closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths. Really focus on your breathing and be aware of each inhale and exhale. When you feel ready, begin to imagine roots growing out of your body and connecting you back to the earth. With each inhale, these roots grow stronger and deeper, drawing you further into the ground. As these roots grow, you should feel your body feeling heavy.
If you find yourself finding it difficult, it may help to imagine your mind or spirit being drawn back into your body. Previously it was floating among the clouds, but with every breath it is drawn closer to your physical body. Once you feel completely relaxed and that your mind and physical body are one, it is time to move on to centering.
What is Centering?
You go to work every day. You are in contact with customers all day long and do your best to go beyond helping them. You wear a winning smile and maintain an upbeat attitude as you interact with dozens of people during your shift. More than once you will have an upset customer who is grumpy with you and generally unpleasant. At the end of the day you are physically and mentally exhausted and you want nothing more than to sit in your pajamas in front of the TV with a snack. Sound familiar?
This also applies to me. That’s why centering is so important! Everything in the universe is made of energy, including you and me. As we walk through life, we give away bits of our energy and collect bits from others. If we don’t monitor this exchange of energy, we may find ourselves carrying the weight of others’ negativity while missing important pieces of our own soul!
Centering is the practice of returning the energy you have given away to your body, while repelling the energy you have collected from everyone else. This will restore balance to your soul and allow you to move through life more effectively.
How to Center
An important part of centering is knowing where your energy center is. Take a few deep breaths with your eyes closed. As you breathe in, imagine all the energy you left in the world coming back to you. This energy will fill you and restore a sense of fullness to your soul. In contrast, as you exhale, you want to imagine that you are blowing away the excess debris from everyone else. Any negative energy that has accumulated within you is neutralized and sent away, leaving you feeling light and free.
To guide this, you need some form of visualization to support the process. Personally, I imagine my energy center to be an empty cup surrounded by a pile of coffee grounds. With each inhalation, my cup is slowly filled with water (my energy) and the coffee grounds in it (the energy of others) are washed away.
Some other ideas are:
A puzzle with missing pieces. Each inhale adds pieces to the puzzle, while the exhale gives away pieces that don’t fit.
A garden where every inhale results in a blooming flower and every exhale clears away some weeds. You can play with these ideas and find what works best for you. The possibilities are endless!
What is Foreclosure?
The final step of this process is shielding. Shielding is protecting yourself from energetic attacks or drainage. Do you remember the work scenario we imagined earlier? If you had properly shielded yourself from your shift, you would not have experienced such a profound energy drain. By building an energetic shield around you, you effectively prevent energy that is not for your greatest or highest good from reaching you. The negativity of others will not have such a big impact on you. You won’t feel so much tension from the chaotic energy of everyday life.
Of the three, I find foreclosure the most difficult, but don’t let this discourage you! It gets easier with practice and it really makes a difference in my emotional and spiritual health.
How to Protect
I find it easiest to shield after centering, but it’s not necessary. If you don’t center beforehand, I recommend taking a few deep breaths to relax yourself and clear your mind. Start by closing your eyes and taking a moment to build up some energy. To do this, focus on your energy center and feel the energy pulsating within you. Take a few deep breaths when you feel you have mustered enough energy. As you inhale, imagine the air filling you with positive energy. You want to repeat this until you feel completely full of positive energy.
Then you need to focus this energy. Continue to breathe deeply, but now as you exhale you want to imagine your energy center opening up. Once you feel it is completely open, visualize the energy you have built up expanding beyond it. This is the positive energy that will ultimately form your shield. The first few times you shield, take the time to get to know the energy.
Identify as many characteristics as possible:
- What color is it?
- What is it made of? Light? Liquid? Something completely different?
- Is it hot or cold?
- How does it move?
- The stronger the visualization, the more effective your shield will be.
Let this energy surround you completely. Imagine it forming a protective sphere around you. Focus on the intention of the shield and only allow energies through that are for your greatest and highest good. This part may take a while, but it’s worth it. After all, the shield is only as strong as you make it!
When you are ready, it is important to shut down your energy center. If you skip this, your energy will continue to flow freely out of you, which you don’t want. I speak from experience about this! Personally, I imagine the energy I’ve generated shooting off me like a rocket, and then focus on closing my energy center until I can no longer feel the energy flowing.
With some practice you can determine what works best for you. I use these three skills almost every day and have noticed a huge improvement in my emotional and spiritual well-being as a result. It may seem like a lot at first, but remember, practice makes perfect!
If you do this more often, you will learn what works for you (and what doesn’t). This is also a great way to become more familiar with your energy and can help you learn to control it.
Good Luck!