Grounding
Grounding is one of the most straightforward and, also, the most Buddhist of the Yoga Style techniques. In it, you will push away anxious thoughts and feelings by tuning into your immediate surroundings. First, you’ll close your eyes and listen to every sound you can hear. Then you’ll feel everything you can feel in your body (meaning, slowly scan yourself from head to toe). Then you’ll look at every color you can see in the room. Skip any part of the exercise that you think will make you feel uncomfortable.
Some tips for each sensation:
For the sounds, try to mentally picture everything you hear, like a detective. You can also try to dissect the components of a complicated sound, such as an air conditioner or a white noise maker.
For the feelings, try focusing on wherever your body meets the floor or chair. Remember to skip over any part of your body that feels uncomfortable.
For colors, try matching the color of the first object you see. Or try finding every blue object or every green.
Grab a timer and try the following:
For two minutes, listen to every sound you can hear.
For two minutes, feel everything you can feel in your body.
For two minutes, look at every color you can see in your sourroundings.
OK. I tried it!
How do you feel? If one of the sensations made you feel calmer, that is probably a good technique for you. If one (or all) of the sensations made you feel more anxious or had no effect, then it probably wasn’t a good fit for you.
When should I use Grounding?
During the next week, I’d like you to try Grounding “on-the-fly”. Pick one of your senses and focus on it for about a minute whenever you start to feel anxious. Then try switching to an "American-style" distraction such as work, chores, exercise, or reading a book etc.