Grounding Practice: Finding Stability and Peace Through Meditation

Feeling overwhelmed, scattered, or disconnected from the present moment is a common experience in our fast-paced world. With this brief grounding practice meditation, you can access calm and stability, helping you reconnect with yourself and the world around you.

As someone who has experienced the profound benefits of grounding meditation, Sacha Stewart shares her expertise with this 5-minute meditation. Join Sacha Stewart as she leads you through a serene journey of grounding, helping you find balance and inner peace.

Inspiration behind the grounding practice meditation

Many people today feel ungrounded, a sentiment Sacha Stewart often encounters among her clients and students. With countless distractions pulling at our attention, it’s easy to become lost in our thoughts. Sacha designed this grounding practice “to allow people to feel they are grounded, calm, and stable again.”

A 5-minute grounding meditation to reconnect and center yourself

For more mindfulness and grounding practices, explore Insight Timer’s expansive collection of free guided meditations — perfect for meditators of every level!

Grounding practice step-by-step: 

Step 1: Find your position

Begin by standing with your feet about hip-width apart. If you prefer, you can do this practice seated, imagining your feet planted firmly on the ground. For the best experience, it’s recommended to have bare feet, as this helps you connect more deeply with the ground.

Step 2: Relax and breathe deeply

Close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so. Take three deep breaths, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. This helps you arrive in the present moment and start settling into the practice. Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm.

Step 3: Notice your body’s energy

Become aware of your body’s energy. Notice how you feel in this moment. This awareness is the first step towards grounding.

Sacha Stewart observes that:

“. . .in the beginning, you may have tension in your shoulders, a furrowed brow, and a tight posture.”

Step 4: Feel your feet on the ground

Get a sense of your feet on the ground. You might like to move them a bit, feeling where the soles connect to the floor or the earth below. Allow your body to sway slightly from side to side, back and forth, until you find a natural state of stillness and balance.

Step 5: Breathe into your feet

With an awareness of your body breathing, draw your breath all the way down to the very bottom of your feet. Notice your whole body breathing in this moment. Imagine you are a tree with roots growing out of the soles of your feet, connecting you to the earth.

By feeling your feet on the floor and taking a few deep breaths, you can calm your nervous system and regain your sense of balance amid daily activities.

Step 6: Establish the connection

Visualize your roots traveling down into the ground, reaching the earth’s core. Feel the earth’s naturally nurturing and nourishing energy supporting and grounding you. With each breath, strengthen this connection.

Develop your connective capacity with Energy Meditations.

Step 7: Invite nourishment from the earth

While you are grounded and feeling connected, invite the earth’s nourishing energy to travel up through the roots, into your feet, and all the way through your body to the crown of your head. Allow this energy to enrich every cell, muscle, and bone, building your inner strength and resilience.

Step 8: Embrace the stability

Like a tree with a strong trunk that stands firm in the wind, you can have a strong core that supports you no matter what circumstances arise. Breathe in the grounding energy for a few more breaths, feeling any differences within your body.

Step 9: Appreciate your body’s support

Take a moment to feel grateful for all your body does to support you. Remember that no matter what is going on around you, you always have the opportunity to return to this sense of groundedness and balance.

Step 10: Gradually return to movement

Gradually bring back some movement, wiggling your toes and fingers. When you’re ready, gently open your eyes.

This guided meditation script was adapted from Sacha Stewart’s grounding practice, which you can findhere.

Take a moment to reflect 

After completing the meditation, take a few moments to reflect on your experience. Journaling can help solidify your insights and track your progress over time.

Here are some questions that may help you reflect:

1. How did your body feel at the beginning of the meditation compared to the end?
2. What thoughts or emotions arose during the practice?
3. Did you notice any physical sensations, such as a sense of stability or warmth, while visualizing your roots?
4. How can you integrate this feeling of groundedness into your daily life?

Integrating grounding practices into daily life 

Integrating the principles of grounding into daily life can be simple. Sacha suggests using the technique for just a minute throughout the day to reset and find stability. This can be as easy as feeling one’s feet on the floor and taking deep diaphragmatic breaths. While a minute a day is a great start, it’s best to work up to several times a day for the most effectiveness.

Tips for beginners from Sacha Stewart

For beginners who may find it challenging to remain focused, remember that it is very normal for the mind to wander. Rather than viewing this as a failure, recognize it as an opportunity. 

“It’s good I’ve noticed my mind has wandered; now I can return to the present moment. This is the moment of choice for them.” 

Why Sacha Stewart loves meditating with Insight Timer

Sacha Stewart has been an Insight Timer user for eight years and incorporates it into her daily routine. She says, “I love the variety of meditations and that I can search for what I may need on any given day. I also have a huge amount of respect for the other teachers on the platform and the gifts they share. I am very grateful for Insight Timer, it has been a game changer for me in my life.”

Building on these themes of stability and balance, Sacha also offers a course on Insight Timer titled Build Confidence and Courage During Change, which provides tools to remain stable and balanced while navigating fear and new environments.

Explore the largest library of free guided meditations and find the perfect practice to suit your needs. Access a wide range of meditations to help you feel more balanced and centered in your everyday life.