By Kelly Claxton

On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. A pandemic is only declared when an infectious disease is significant and ongoing, spreading from person-to-person in multiple countries around the world at the same time.¹ What? Currently, there is no vaccine or treatment that can prevent COVID-19. Pardon me? We are living through a global pandemic. No!

Yes.

Two weeks ago we were advised not to gather in groups larger than 250 and as of yesterday that number has been updated to 2. Yes, 2. The government is telling us to not be in groups larger than yourself and one other person—is this real? Yes. COVID-19 is absolutely real and present, and it certainly does not discriminate when it comes to who it affects. With all of this unknown, it is only natural for fear, panic, frustration, and stress to creep into our lives, no matter what precautions we are taking.

There has been a lot of fast-moving information with respect to the novel coronavirus and as a result, it can be hard to keep track of what is valuable information without becoming completely overwhelmed. In addition, we cannot control whether our employment requires us at the frontlines for screening patients. We cannot control if we get laid off from our job. We cannot control if the individual in the grocery line is not keeping his distance, or whether the clerk handing you your receipt washed her hands.

What do we do when there is so much that we cannot control?

We get grounded.

What in the world is getting “grounded” and how do we do it? On a linguistic level, grounded is a verb (to ground through the feet) and an adjective (a grounded feeling). In “yoga terms” Kelsey Ravlich, a yoga teacher based in Calgary, Canada, explains that “being grounded is about refocusing our energy in a downward direction.” She says that “as humans, we spend many hours in our heads. We’re thinking, stressing, worrying, wondering, imagining, ultimately it means we’re directing our energy upwards.”

During a chaotic time like this, without even realizing, we put so much of our energy into worrying, rationalizing, judging, panicking and over thinking that we often lose touch and need to reconnect and ground ourselves. Grounding connects us to the present moment – the here and now. Grounding pulls us into the physical experience of right now, and in that process grounding creates a sense of ease in the mind – a calming effect. Grounding creates calm, reduces stress, and reminds us of what we can control by shifting our attention away from worrying and invites us to trust that we are and can always be supported. It is a reminder of our connection to the earth beneath our feet, that we are support and it reminds us that we have the power to choose how we think, how we feel, and what we let into our heads.

You can practice grounding poses at any time you feel yourself losing control, becoming frustrated, or when you notice your mind wandering into the never-ending dark place of the “what ifs.” Here are five examples of grounding poses:

Mountain Pose – This pose provides an opportunity for you to feel steady and unshakable, as you focus on rooting down deep into the earth, through the four corners of your feet, while at the same time, much like a mountain, standing tall and strong through your legs, core, chest and crown of your head. Use your inhales to focus on feeling the energy moving up from the earth through your body to the top of your head and your exhales to imagine the energy moving down through your entire body to the very core of the earth, stabilizing and grounding you.
Tree Pose – Tree pose gives you the change to ground down while presenting the opportunity to surrender. Trees are an amazing source of grounding inspiration as they are so deeply rooted and withstand so many storms, windy days, and constant wear and tear from the elements. Focus on your grounded leg having roots wrapped around it, growing down into the earth and each inhale allows you to sink heavier into that foot and each exhale provides the opportunity to surrender into the balancing aspect of the post.
Child’s pose – This pose gives your body the opportunity to renew and reset. With your forehead connected to the ground, a block, or a blanket, you bring your head “down from the clouds” and surrender your thoughts, fears, and feelings to the support you can receive from the earth beneath you. Long, deep, slow breaths in this posture create a feeling of safety as your entire body will begin to feel supported and grounded. The quietness that begins to happen on the inside as a result of this pose can be very soothing for your emotions and thoughts.
Legs up the wall – Legs up the wall is a great way to refresh when you are feeling stressed, drained, or anxious. When your back is fully supported by the ground and your legs are resting on the wall, you allow gravity to assist your blood back to your heart, so your heart physically does not have to pump as hard. This physical reaction, of your heart not pumping as hard, causes your body to immediately slow down your heart rate. Your physical body is directly connected to your mental body, so when your heart rate is slower, you calm down mentally. Try to focus simply on your breath in this pose and nothing else. Deep inhales that expand your rib cage and fill your belly and exhales that are slow and drawn out, which will further assist in slowing down your heart rate and will begin relaxing your entire body.
Easy Pose – Easy pose creates a calming feeling in both your body and your mind as it encourages a gentle, humbling atmosphere. Physically, this pose is easy, however, mentally this pose can be challenging. This pose provides your mind with the opportunity to run off with all of your worries, fears, and anxieties. To combat this, on each inhale, focus your attention on just noticing that you have worries and fears coming into your head, and on each exhale, simply let them go. After several deep, intentional breaths your mind will begin to clear and you can begin to focus on the calming, grounded feeling in your body.

Next time you notice yourself being to panic about not having control on what is going on, try any of these 5 poses for just 3-5 minutes, get grounded, and then continue on with your day holding a better sense of connection to what you can control — your connection with the earth.

May you be happy, healthy, safe and may you live with grace.

By Kelly Claxton

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