Mindfulness as a method to feel grounded

During the spring season StepEurope has organized three different mindfulness events for anyone to join. According to the amount of participants, these kind of events are something that we need more of in our community. The hustle and bustle around us can sometimes really feel like too much. It can feel almost like the surrounding and outside events push us to our limits and we get a feeling of being stressed.

Mindfulness can simply be understood as being mindful. Different methods of being mindful or practice being mindful, like meditation. Being mindful could be explained as being conscious or aware of different things, like your own behavior and thoughts or happenings in your surroundings.

During the events the group have gathered together to be in the moment and calm down for an hour or two doing exercises consisting of stretching, mindful movement, guided meditations and writing tasks.

The events got their beginning from initiatives and interest of a volunteer. This is what StepEurope is all about. If you have an idea or passion about something and would like to share it with your community, get more experience and confidence in leading groups or organizing events, or something else, we are here to back you up!

Here is a mindfulness exercise with the purpose to ground yourself, that you can do right now, before you continue your day. Sit, stand or lay down on a steady ground. If you sit or stand, be mindful about your position. Ask yourself the following questions by looking for the answer in your body:

How much do you keep yourself up with muscle strength?

What is your position in relation to the straight horizontal line?

How much of your weight can you let loose for gravity?

Try to feel the gravity. Observe it, how does it keep you to the ground? Are you firmly or loosely at the ground beneath you?

Observe the gravity in areas around your neck, back and shoulders.

Finish by observing your breath, what happens to the feelings of gravity during in- and exhale?

How well are you connected to the ground beneath you? Do you feel like being a part of it or separate from it?

The exercise is translated from the book Keho ja mieli 2018 by Bodil Lindfors and K. Cecilia Waldekranz-Piselli.

Have a beautiful and grounded day!