The Beginners Guide to a Calm State

Grounding yourself.

I’ll be honest, I was never the type to meditate. Infact I can vividly recall how I would exhale and walk away any time someone would mention meditation at work, my mind immediately switched off believing meditation was neither achievable, useful or something I was comfortable with.

Then I started my EAL journey, whats the first bloody topic we have to cover? Grounding…a fancy word for meditation! Not quite but similar.

So here I was peering from each eye hoping no one would notice to see if I were the only ‘non believer’ in the room. Turns out I wasnt but not far off, it took me a while before I realised that I was just uncomfortable and a little naïve.

So heres my ‘non meditation’ tips on finding a calm state. Find a space, outside please do yourself a favour and go outside. Could be on your balcony, your front yard, a park, maybe you have a paddock or there is some bushland near by. You dont have to sit you can stand, find yourself a comfortable position, humor me and close your eyes for a few minutes and take a deep out breath. Dont focus on the inbreath we want to focus on the exhale, feel everything your body is releasing or maybe holding onto, give yourself the time to notice whats happening when you offer yourself these outbreaths. Now shift your focus to your feet, or your seat bones if your sitting, notice how it feels beneath you, it might feel hard, it might feel light, maybe some pressure, it doesnt actually matter what you feel to be brutally honest just feel it, notice it. Remember your still taking outbreaths!

I want you to accept that you do not have to do anything in your life to feel the stability of the earth beneath your feet, bum or chair, its always there for you and you can always rely on it being there. Now slowly shift your focus to your senses. What can you hear, birds or traffic, maybe leaves in the breeze, what about your sense of smell, touch, can you feel the breeze on your skin, your clothing, maybe a cat rubbing against your leg or your hair to the side of your face. Notice what your feeling. What about taste, have you had a coffee, maybe a tea or a cold glass of juice. If your eyes were closed gently open them, what can you see? What grabs your attention? What offers you peace, tranquility or possibly calmness or freedom.

This Calm State process is something I have grown fond of. I feel comfortable doing it now, the first few times were bumpy and I felt absolutely ridiculous, but not anymore. The photo above is Minstrel and I spending some time in our respective calm states together. You can offer yourself this moment no matter where you are, find time to give yourself a moment of calmness and grounding.