Easy Meditation for Moms Series: #1 getting grounded

 Meditating has become one of the easiest ways for me to be the best mom I can be. The benefits are immediate and obvious.

On days when I meditate, I am more grounded, present, and inspired with my son. I come up with more fun ideas of things to do together. I problem-solve more easily. We laugh more and play more. He is more loving and cuddly with me.

If I skip my meditation for a day or two, all of that goodness seems to escape me. I get snappy, bored, impatient. Problems seem to confound me. Lucas acts up and refuses hugs.

You get the picture.

In this brief series, I'm going to share some examples of what of my meditation practice looks like. I use a variety of imagery for my meditations, mainly focused on the chakras, or energy centers in the body. Just sitting in silence and trying not to think doesn't work at all for me.

I've broken down the posts into four small steps: Grounding, Running Energy, Chakra Focus, and Protection. Practice each step until it becomes quick and easy for you to call up the imagery, before adding on the next step. Today we'll start with grounding.

Grounding

1. Light a white candle and sit comfortably. Imagine the back crown of your head being pulled up toward the sky, while the rest of your body sinks into the earth, stretching out your spine. This gets you into a good position to sit for a bit.
   
   
2. Take some deep breaths in through the nose, imagining filling your belly with air. Then exhale through the mouth, contracting your stomach and emptying your lungs of all air before taking in another breath. Do this a few times, feeling your body relax with each exhalation.
   
   
3. Imagine a big ball of molten gold energy in your pelvic area. (For me, it's about the size of a large grapefruit.) Feel the warmth of that golden energy.
   
   
4. Imagine sending a ray of golden light from that ball down through your tailbone, into the floor, and down into the earth. This is your grounding cord. With each breath, send that cord of light deeper and deeper until it's reached the core of the earth. Imagine that grounding cord tethering you to the center of the earth. With each exhalation, imagine gathering in any slack and cinching the cord tightly. Feel yourself securely attached to the earth. Feel your energy flowing down into the earth.

Your energy is now focused and grounded. You'll feel heavier, more secure, less scattered.

This is always the first step in my meditation, and if I only have a little bit of time, this is what I do. You can practice using this imagery any time your energy feels dispersed or you feel like you need a bit more patience.

Let me know if this is helpful for you!

Next up, I'll describe what I mean by "running energy."