IF YOU ARE NOT QUITE HERE all the time or others are telling you that you need to be grounded, this will be a great attunement for you, coming down to and connecting to ground level. In this day and age so many of us are working in the ethers and dream state and multi-dimensionally to work with our planet, the planet's grid, our highest purpose for ourselves and the all. But, at the same time we have chosen to be in these physical bodies and have work to do in this plane as well. Guess what? We do have the ability to do both, to find that balance and learn how to come down to ground level.

We are going to start with a commitment to being more present in the physical body. That commitment starts with working with our root chakra. The root chakra, or the base chakra is the chakra that grounds us and allows us to connect to the earth energies and empowers our very being. The color of this chakra is red. Usually the spiritual lessons in the root chakra are related to material world lessons, and very often if there is a block in the root chakra in the physical it will show up as lower back pain, sciatica, varicose veins, rectal tumors, depression, or immune-related disorders. Emotional issues in this area are usually related to survival, self-esteem, social order, and security.

Let's begin by giving ourselves a deep breath in and we are going to bring this breath through the bottom of our feet. Just bring that breath from the bottom of your feet and allow it to carry through your legs all the way to the base of your spine. Good. Now you can release that breath. Again bring in that breath from the bottom of your feet to the root chakra and release the breath. As you do that, does the energy at the base of your spine feel like it's open and moving? Or do you feel like it's blocked? You might be experiencing some sensations in your lower back area or in your legs. If so, we are going to work with releasing those blocks by giving you seven different ways to ground yourself.

The first technique we are going to use is through a guided visualization. Just take a mental note first of how you are feeling in the root chakra area right now. If it feels blocked, feels like the energy is stagnant, or open. As you go along, you can really become cognizant of how grounding in the root chakra will allow you to release blocks in this area. Just visualize yourself bringing the breath in from the bottom of your feet. You might want to take your shoes and socks off. Visualize now that your feet are gently grounding into the earth. You can feel them connecting in the mud or dirt below your feet. Just bring that feeling in, that feeling of earth supporting you, being held on solid foundation. Breathe that in and release that into the root chakra. Good. Bring your attention to your feet. You might feel a pulsating down in the foot area. Just visualize yourself gently creating a doorway at the bottom of your feet, or a vortex, where you can visualize the roots of a tree entering through the bottom of your feet and beginning to move through your calves, up to your knee area, up to the middle of your thigh, and these roots begin to ground you in to the nurturing and support you have from Mother Earth as you know feel it move and connect to the base of your spine. You can feel this energy move from the base of your feet all the way up to your ankles, calves, knees, thighs, buttocks area, and the base of your spine. Just allow yourself to connect with this nurturing Mother Earth energy grounding you into the physical.

Great! This is just a wonderful way to ground in with the visualization. Even better yet, if you are in an area where you are exposed to a lot of nature, really going out there and feeling your feet in the grass or in the mud or connecting with the tree itself, either leaning your back against it and letting your root chakra really connect with that tree energy. Or, you can also hug a tree and this will ground you as well.

The next way we are going to work with grounding is sending a tone to our root chakra by sending sound and energy through our base, or root chakra and allow ourselves to release any blocks that are there and also ground ourselves. We are going to be sending the vowel sound of "U" to the root chakra. You can put your hand on the base of your spine so you can connect to where you are sending that energy to, and send that area the lowest tone you possibly can using the sound of the vowel "U." You'll feel the energy begin to vibrate and that's when you know that you have hit the tone that is basically synchronizing with the root chakra. We are going to tone three times the vowel sound of "U."

Good. Give yourself a breath in and release that breath through the base of your spine. Toning is just really a wonderful way to clear blocks in the root chakra area and also ground us using those low, earthy tones that we have within us.

There are so many different ways we can ground ourselves and to activate this grounding through our different senses. The next way we will do this is through the color red. As we focus our intention on the color of a juicy red apple located at the based of our spine, it really helps us to bring our ethereal body back down to earth and move into alignment with our physical bodies, especially when we find ourselves being spacey and really going out there. A very simple and beautiful way to connect is to visualize an image of a bright red apple, or anything the color red. It could be a bright red ball at the base of your spine. Connect with that now for a few moments.

Wonderful! It's amazing how simple connecting with color, toning, and visualizations can be but really how they create that transformation of environment where we are able to bring in that grounding in the physical.

The next way we are going to do this bringing in the grounding is by dancing rhythm or movement. Just allow yourself to connect with the music and just gently move and sway. Create your own dance. You are probably alone. This is your time. There is no one is watching you. Connect with the beautiful low tones in the music. Just move your hands. Gently get up and begin to move your feet and find your rhythm. Find your rhythm with the earth. The music you are listening to is composed at a tempo that's consistent with your heart at a relaxed state, so it very much connects with the pulse that connects you to the earth.

For the next couple of minutes, just find your rhythm. Feel yourself connected to the earth in the movement of your feet, and that connection as well with your hands, your arms, your hips. There is no right and wrong. It's all beautiful. So give yourself a couple of minutes to ground in with movement and rhythm.

Great! By now I am sure you are experiencing the differences in ways that you can ground. Dancing and movement is a wonderful way to do it. If you are on your own and doing this, a lot of times faster music is great. Anything that carries a lot of base or low frequencies works on grounding you.

Another simple and powerful way to ground yourself is by doing a physical exercise called squats. When you do a squat, it's pretty simple. You are really just bending your knees and just allowing yourself to sink a little bit, I would say about four or five inches. Just bend those knees and allow yourself to sink, with your feet rooted in the ground at about the same length apart as your shoulders are. As you do this you feel the weight of your body connecting with Mother Earth.

Take a breath in and release a sound, "ahhhhh." Good. Now spread your feet apart so they are about shoulder length and just gently bend your knees and go down about six inches until you feel that you are putting pressure on your thigh area. That's where you are going to feel it, your thighs and your calves. When you feel like you've connected with Mother Earth and those feet are solidly planted, come back up, take a deep breath in, and release that breath. Let it move through the root chakra. Do four of these on your own. Bending, squatting, and then bringing a breath through to clear any energy you would like to release in the root chakra area.

Good. Some of you might really feel that energy now moving in your legs and really feeling that weight and also feeling supported by the earth, feeling more grounded. Squats are just a simple and fast way to connect with that earth energy and really bring us back down in the physical.

Another alternate to the squats, if you are with someone else or with a partner, you can gently have them put a little bit of pressure on both of your shoulders, just press down on them, again so you can feel that weight on the bottom of your feet. This is great if you have been doing a lot of spiritually based work, out in the ethers, to have someone with you that can work with you to do that is really helpful.

Another way to ground and a very, very powerful and important way to ground is by being here and now in the present moment. For the next couple of minutes, I am going to give you this time to be alone and go inwardly and to really create the space of not letting your focus shift to future or past events, just being present in the moment. Be in a place of gratitude for being right here and right now. Allow yourself to connect with your breath and your heartbeat for the next couple of minutes. If you find yourself drifting to the past or to the future, let that thought go, release it without judgment, you can honor the thought later. Gently come back to your heartbeat and focusing on the root chakra.

Great. And really connecting to that moment, to your breath, your heartbeat, to your connection to the earth, your connection to be in the here and now in this moment. Another wonderful way to ground is by being observant of the food we bring into our body. There are certain foods that assist in grounding us. It makes sense that food that comes from the ground tends to ground us. If you are finding yourself spacing out there or being lightheaded, good food to connect with us to bring into the physical are potatoes, carrots, turnips, really anything that's from the ground that you feel will nourish you.

As you prepare the food, always make sure to bless it, to thank you for sharing its energy, and make the meal sacred with intention and love. Thank the earth for providing it to you and for assisting you in your grounding process. So even thinking about those foods, those potatoes and carrots, you can already feel that connection and grounding coming in.

I would just like to review the seven ways we used to ground ourselves:

• The first one was a visualization using the roots of a tree to bring into our body that groundedness, as well as providing nature to do that also by actually putting your feet in the mud or grass or putting your spine on a tree as well.
   
• The second way we grounded was through toning, through toning the letter "U" to our root chakra in our lowest frequency possible.
   
• The third way we connected and grounded was by the use of color, visualizing a juicy red apple or any color red that really grounds us into the physical.
   
• The fourth way was by using rhythm, movement, and dance, finding our rhythm and connectedness through our legs, through our body to the vibration of the earth.
   
• The fifth way was through a physical exercise called the squat where we actually put weight on our feet by bending our knees. We did this at shoulder length, spreading our feet apart, and then we took a breath in and released it, clearing any lower vibrational energies through our root chakra. Another way to do this is also through having a partner put pressure on our shoulders gently to connect your feet with the earth.
   
• The sixth way was through really being present in the moment, connecting with your breath, connecting with the heartbeat, not shifting into past or future events, and honoring yourself by being in the here and now.
   
• The seventh way was by bringing in foods that come from the ground such as potatoes, turnips, carrots, and many others.

I know that one of these will work for you, and that is really all you need is just one of them to assist in the grounding process. I gave you seven so that you can see which one resonates with you. Remember also, a lot of times the ones that seem the most difficult are the best ones to work with because it shows you that there is a block in that area, so I'll leave that up to you in your journey which one you use to ground.

It has truly been my pleasure coming down to ground level with you!

Namaste.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grammy Awarding Winning Producer, Barry Goldstein is a translator of Sacred Sound and inspirational Song. His passion is sharing music, or has he calls it "The Universal Language of Love" with the world. His music is being used globally as well as individually in Hospitals, Hospices, Wellness centers and individual practices and creates the space for healing to occur.

Barry's musical experience spans many styles and genres from winning a Grammy with Les Paul for Best Rock Instrumental in 2005, to providing ambient music for Shirley Maclaine's latest DVD on UFOs. He has opened up and shared space with New York Times Best Selling Authors Wayne Dyer and James Van Praagh as well as touching the audiences of Marianne Williamson, Neale Donald Walsh and has created music for Dannion Brinkley. Barry has also composed for NBC, ABC, Fox and Lifetime Networks as well as being an award-winning composer for film. He has produced music for EMI, Polygram, Atlantic, BMG and many other Major Record Labels.

Mr. Goldstein also hosts a radio show called H.E.A.R on the World Puja Network and has written articles for Mystic Pop and PlanetLightworker Magazines. He facilitates workshops worldwide on Sound healing and our soul's journey. He performs concerts internationally touching people with "Music from the Heart."