You can do this exercise anytime you want to feel more grounded and confident.
You can do it seated in a chair,
Or standing with your feet hip-width apart,
Or you can lie down on your back with your knees up.
Whichever position you choose,
Make sure that the whole of each foot is in contact with the floor.
Close your eyes and notice how your body feels.
Scan yourself from your head down to your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your arms,
Your back,
Your pelvis,
Your legs,
And your feet.
Notice the position of your body,
Your muscles,
Your bones.
Notice any aches and pains or areas of tension.
There is no right or wrong,
No need to judge what you notice about yourself today.
Simply note what is.
And bring your attention to your breath.
Take a deep cleansing breath in and out.
Feel the air coming through your nostrils,
Down into your belly,
And then out through your mouth,
Imagining that each out-breath takes a layer of tension with it.
Breathe a few more times,
In through your nose and out through your mouth.
Picture a spot about two inches below your belly button and about two inches inside and imagine your breath dropping into this spot.
Allow the breath to flow into this spot and out again at whatever rate feels natural to you right now in this moment.
Let your body do what comes most naturally.
Feel space between your back teeth,
Jaw released.
Notice your shoulders.
Allow them to release back and down.
Allow your breath and your body to settle and begin to feel the ground under your feet.
Picture yourself in a forest.
The trees are lush and green.
The air is warm and you can feel the dappled sunlight through the trees as it reaches your skin.
You can hear the gentle sounds of the forest,
The breeze through the branches,
The birds,
The gentle bubbling of a nearby stream.
You can smell the scent of fragrant leaves and rich earth.
You are surrounded by beauty and color and tranquility.
Picture yourself looking around this beautiful space.
What do you see?
What do you hear?
What do you smell?
Imagine the temperature of the air on your face,
The color and the movement of the trees and the feeling of the forest floor under your feet.
Feel the firmness of the earth under you.
Feel the contact that your feet make with the ground.
Feel your heels and the balls of your feet planted.
Spread your toes and feel each one making contact with the floor beneath you.
Picture the footprint you make in the earth deep and firm.
And now imagine that you are rooted deep into the ground,
That beneath your feet extends a beautiful root system just like the trees around you,
Connecting you firmly to the earth beneath you,
Reaching down toward the center of the earth,
Spreading solidly out and down.
These roots balance you,
Hold you safe.
They ground you and bring you strength and nourishing energy from deep within the earth.
Explore this root system in your mind.
Visualize its depth and breadth.
See how it connects you to the earth beneath you.
Feel its strength,
Its solidity supporting you and keeping you strong.
Just like a tree draws nutrients up through its roots into its trunk and its branches,
So you draw energy up through your roots into your feet,
Your legs,
To the base of your spine,
Up your back,
Branching into your veins,
Your organs,
Your muscles,
Up to your head,
Down your arms.
Allow the energy to flow through your body,
Filling it with strength and confidence and warmth.
Imagine your feet spreading on the floor,
Rooted,
Solid,
Firm.
Feel the strength and health and life in your body as you stand firm.
You can sway as you're blown by the wind,
You can bend,
But you do not break.
Allow yourself to be in this moment,
Rooted,
Grounded,
Full of life.
When you are ready,
You can leave the image of the forest to bring yourself back to the presence of the tangible space around you.
Listen to the sounds in the room,
Feel the air on your skin and in your lungs.
The image of the space you are in has come back to the present,
But your feet are still rooted,
Still grounded.
Your body is still strong,
Upright,
Full of life.
You can bend,
But you do not break.
