Why We Ground

One of the age old questions that I am frequently asked about in my classes is "why do we ground before doing energy work?" For many this topic is a no brainer but for those of us, me included, who seem to have to learn from experience, it is an important to understand how it works when working with energy. If you do a internet search you will find that the spiritual teachers agree that grounding is vital to energy work. Some will even warn you that if you are in a class and not being grounded then you are in a situation that is unhealthy for your well being.

Those people who are natural in astral projections or moving outside of the realm of the physical body are not limited to always being grounded as that is their natural state. But when you move energy inside the cellular structure or release old energy patterns that block the flow of the chakras and subtle bodies, grounding is key in bringing balance to the whole system. You see, we are energy beings in a physical body. We experience both of these sides as our human experience in the physical plane therefore we must remember who we are as a whole.

I first learned about being grounded when I was sixteen and spent that summer visiting my dad in Taos, NM. At that time he was painting, lecturing, and running an art gallery. When I arrived, my father was already busy with the tourist season, and not knowing what to  do with my time I became bored. Because of this I would follow him around like a shadow talking about my day non stop. Tired of tripping over me, my dad enrolled me in a Tai Chi class in the park. I went only because he dropped me off and insisted it would do me some good to get some fresh air.

Eventually I started to enjoy the class and began to learn a few things. Our master teacher explained how the earth is like a huge battery under our feet in which we could tap into energy whenever we needed to. He taught us how to plant our feet firmly into the ground, holding on to our stance, while pulling the energy up through the bottom of our feet into our chakras and subtle bodies. This exercise created heat within the core while moving the energy in our bodies and anchoring us into the physical form. From there, our thoughts were clearer and our movements were in line with the flow of the energy currents in and around us.

It was years later, when I started to work as an energy practitioner, that I was reminded once again to stay grounded or the effects of the energy work would be less effective. If, for any reason, I skipped this one step I would become extremely tired and light headed during and after the sessions.  If  I plugged into the energy of the earth before starting an energy session I was well able to hold the channel of the natural flow of energy moving through me as a conductor. As long as I stayed out of my own way I could work with clients and not feel drained or sick.

In classes, I like to use the analogy of a tree as an example to remember to ground before working with energy. When we look at the branches on the tree they reach out and spread into the sky. If you took that same tree and looked at it upside down you would see the same spread in the roots system connected into the ground. Which brings to mind a saying... "As above, so below and as below, so above". Like an electrical current, it is important to be connected both in the ethereal and the physical, to move the energy. And what better way to stay connected than by planting your feet into the earth.

Photographs by Ana