A few months ago, heck, even a few weeks ago, I thought news of the Coronavirus would blow over in the same way that so many attention-seeking stories do. Little did I realize that what I thought was the peak of the pandemic was only just the beginning.
Borders are closing, entire cities are shutting down, and global tension is on the rise. A screenwriter couldn’t have crafted a more cinematic experience. A great script for the movies, maybe, but certainly not the best for mental health.
For this meditation I wanted to focus on grounding, something to recenter us as this pandemonium threatens to overthrow any last semblance of normal life. While everything seems to be up in the air, we still have the ability to focus on our roots.
The podcast, again by Mindful in Minutes, began with tensing a group of muscles and then letting it go, clenching the fists very tightly and then releasing. At first it seemed strange to me, purposely making your body stiff and tight. How is that supposed to make anyone feel better?
As I began to focus on the release, that’s when I could feel the energy shift. It’s okay to carry tension as long as we remember to let it go. I tensed all of my muscles, fully accepting the stress, and then felt a huge release as I relaxed. It was very therapeutic and made me realize just how much heavier we can feel carrying negative energy around all day, both physically and mentally.
Another point of focus was grounding – thinking of the earth as supporting you, feeling stable and secure. I really focused on the sensation of the energy of the earth push up to meet me. We always think of it as an inanimate object, like a piece of plastic, when in reality she is alive and has a heartbeat..
We must not forget this energy. We can use it to feel more at peace, and to remember that earth is always rising to meet us, supporting us along the way.