Grounding Exercises

“I can’t seem to get into the right headspace lately…”

I’m sure you can relate to this statement, or have been able to before, whether it applies (or has applied) to you or your play partner(s).

I think this is a far more common issue that you might know! And trust me, it’s totally okay and totally normal for this to happen - regardless of what your role in the scene is. And if you think about it, it makes sense for this to happen:

• We have so much adulting to do every day
• We have worries and fears and anxieties
• We have depression and/or other mental health problems
• We have ADHD and sometimes really struggle to focus
• and so many other possible reasons…

See? It’s okay, and you’re not alone. This never ever means that you can’t still enjoy your play time though.

But how? GROUNDING!

I use grounding exercises almost religiously with the majority of my sessions and before and during filming. It’s a simple strategy that makes a difference. Grounding is a practice that helps you pull away from the thousand things in your mind and life, from anything negative and distracting. Grounding helps you become present - in your body, and in your now.

Okay cool, so now what? Now we look at a few ways to ground ourselves.

Breathe deeply

Yep, simple, I know. Sit down, or stand up, with your eyes closed. Wherever you are, feel where your body connects with the earth. Find your bum, or find your feet. Relax your facial muscles, your shoulders, your belly. Soften up. Now, take a deep breath for me. Breathe out slowly. Another one in, deeper this time, fill those lungs. Now let go completely, feel your body soften as you exhale. Last one in, all the way in, until your lungs feel like they’re going to explode. Hold it… now slowly let go, all the way, til there’s nothing left.

Connect with earth

Take a seat, be comfortable. Close your eyes, relax your body. Let your tongue fall away from the roof of your mouth, un-furrow your eyebrows. Let your shoulders hang down, have a soft, round buddha belly. Focus on where you’re connected to the earth. Feel the gravity pulling you down, into the earth, and the earth, in turn, wholly supporting you. I want you to imagine an energy flowing from your forehead all the way down your body, into the earth, sprouting from you like roots - this energy can be any colour you want. Imagine a second colour of energy, coming from the earth and spreading up into you all the way to your head. Imagine this flow for a bit, letting the earth nourish and replenish you.

Find your center

Stand up, feed about hip distance apart, knees slightly bent. Take off your shoes if you want. Slowly start swaying in a circle with your body, not too much so you don’t fall over. Feels playful right? Continue the circles, get a feel for where your perfect centre of balance would be. Gently make your swaying circles smaller, and smaller, and smaller… until you end up in that sweet centre spot, knees slightly bent.

Feel your body

Sit or stand, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re comfortable. Take inventory of everything you feel from your head to your toes. Feel the hair on your head, the warmth of it, the tickles in your neck. Feel the weight of your clothing on you, take note of its texture. Feel your torso move with your breathe, feel your heart beat in your chest. Feel your body generating its own warmth, and feel the air around you on your skin. Feel the floor against your feet, legs, bum. Feel everything, and just take note of it. Say hi to it, acknowledge what your body is experiencing.

Connect mind, heart, body

Take a seat, be comfortable. Close your eyes, relax what you don’t need. Place one hand on your forehead and one on your heart, connecting mind and heart. Take three deep and slow breaths for me. One… two… three… Good. Move your hand from your forehead to your tummy, connecting heart and body. Relax everything you don’t need, and breathe again. One… two… three, deeper, go on… hold it… slowly let go… Very good.

You can mix and match these any way you want. You can do these at any point, whether it’s when you wake up, stepping away from a meeting, or at the start or in the middle of a play scene. It doesn’t matter - do it when you need it.

I recommend always doing it at the start and end of a play scene. It’s an amazing way to ground and connect with your play parter, to come to each other and set the intention for the scene. It’s just as amazing to reconnect and come back into your body at the end of the scene, to float back to earth and enjoy the moment with them.

So, try this. Whether you want to use it every now and then or want to incorporate it into your daily habits or play rituals. Go for it, and tell me about your experience with it.