When we are grounded we can connect to what really matters to us.  We connect to our values and we are able to make decisions which matter.  Being Grounded is to be living in the present moment.   To feel grounded is to practice mindfulness.  If someone is grounded, it often means they have a presence of being emotionally and mentally stable. 

A person who is reasonable, responsible and sensible is said to be grounded.  In fact, a dictionary definition of “grounded” is to be well balanced and sensible.   Perhaps you have met someone who comes across as being unwaivered and is able to remain calm in the face of a crisis.  This is the definition of a well-grounded individual

Grounding is also known as Earthing.  And as it suggests being grounded is being connected to the ground you walk on.   Deep down grounding is that mind, body and soul connection to the Earth and nature.  
There are particular techniques that can be used to be grounded. 

Yoga and Being GroundedYoga is a perfect place to start to experience being grounded.   The practice of yoga can bring you to a place of connection.  When practiced with a mindful awareness, yoga is a profound form of being grounded in the sense of leaving you with a sense of emotional and mental wellbeing.  But further to that yoga asana’s leave you with a physical sense of grounding. 

It is the feeling of coming home to the body that brings you into being grounded.  In yoga you stop, feel your feet connected to the Earth.  You notice the sensations of the legs.  You feel into your fingertips and you sense an overall awareness of the cells within your body. 

At first when you practice yoga it is all about the physical aspect of being grounded.  Overtime you develop a greater sense of awareness.  An awareness that goes beyond the physical and into the emotional body.  This is the point that you start to feel the true meaning of being grounded in yoga. 

This is where being grounded becomes being.  This is the moment your practice moves to a new level.  It is this feeling that you can take into the ‘real’ world and you being to embody the dictionary definition of grounded.    
 
Shiatsu and Being GroundedUnlike yoga, shiatsu is performed by a qualified therapist.   In a treatment, your therapist will use techniques such as acupressure, stretching and joint mobilisation to leave you relaxed and grounded.   Gentle, therapeutic touch and movement will reconnect you to parts of your physical body that may be blocked energetically and help you release what is holding you back from being present.

Deeply rooted in Oriental Philosophy and Eastern Medicine, Shiatsu is a holistic treatment.   Your therapist will help get to the root cause of any symptoms you might have and aims to restore a sense of wellbeing and centeredness to mind, body and soul. 
  
Shiatsu is a physical treatment that gives you an opportunity to sense into your emotional being and your mental body.  Acknowledging how your thoughts and emotions keep you from being in the present moment supports healing.  In the healing you find a sense of being grounded. 

Other experiences of Being GroundedWalking barefoot, lying down on the Earth and touching the soil, plants and all the life offered in nature creates an experience of being grounded.   

Eating can even be a highly grounding experience if conducted with mindfulness. 

Anything that leaves you feeling centered and in the present moment is effective at giving you the experience of being grounded. 

The first level of being grounded is to come home to your body.  You can access this by physically doing something.  
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The next level of being grounded is accessing that deeper awareness of your being.  Acknowledging your emotions and being present can be a great healing moment.  Because at the heart of being grounded is simply just being.  Being with YOU right now.  

Pain can cause a cycle of musculoskeletal dysfunction while also being a symptom of the same dysfunction.  Even after an old injury has healed, pain and dysfunction may still be present.  This can be referred to as cellular memory.   Cellular memory is the idea that memories such as trauma, thoughts and even personality traits can be stored in the body.  Cellular memory is unconscious.  To heal you need to be conscious of what you are healing.
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Stretching techniques along with somatic mobilization and movement can be highly effective in releasing muscular tension, stress and pain that may be a result of cellular memory.    Subtle techniques can be just as effective as large obvious stretches like Muscle Energy Techniques (MET).  The key is having awareness.  This is one reason MET works well. 

MET is a form of soft tissue treatment that invites the client to actively use their muscles.  MET also involves joint mobilization that requires a combination of isometric and isotonic contractions to improve musculoskeletal function and reduce pain.  Practicing MET in a treatment session requires communication between therapist and client.  While gentle, the client must still participate in the stretch. 

Communicating with your therapist during the session is not only required during MET but also throughout your whole treatment.  If you are uncomfortable, I invite you to have awareness for that and communicate with your therapist.  It is important particularly for some more passive techniques.  It is easy to ‘check out’ in a session that you do not have to actively participate.  And while there is some benefits for just letting go without conscious thought, the results will happen quicker with your participation.  With static stretching you can see how remaining present can effect a release.

Static stretching has proven to increase range of motion and can enhance athletic performance (for those amongst us).  The therapist holds the position of a limb or body part in a particular to stretch the muscle. Static stretching is an effective stretch.  But it can also be detrimental to muscles if not performed with mindfulness.  It is important the client and therapist listen to the muscles being stretched and not over stretch them.  Not only could this cause physical damage but can impact on the emotional or trauma release the treatment may be trying to illicit.
 
Somatic movement is another effective method of healing where mindful awareness enhances your treatment.  It can be done with or without a therapist.  It may involve stretches.  Somatic movement is conscious mobilization of the body that focus on the internal world, within the muscles and joints and even deep within the energy body.

Mindful yoga is my first thought when I think of somatic movement.  Dance is another.  As a mind-body therapist I love using somatic movement in my treatment sessions.  Somatic Movement, MET, mobilization and stretching all bring awareness to sensation of the body.  In that awareness, active release of trauma and stress, physical and emotional may be released.  The key though is maintaining the awareness for what arises. 

Breathing is imperative to maintain that sense of presences.   It is natural to hold your breath in anticipation when you feel you are in a place of great discomfort.  Yet breathing can be a blessing to facilitate a release with ease or at the very least give you something to focus on.  Particularly if thoughts are painful (emotionally or physically).  Focusing on each inhalation and exhalation can enhance the outcome of your treatment. 

Next time you want to check out of your treatment because it got uncomfortable - take a breath, remain present and communicate with your therapist. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes the healing power of food.  This ancient method of healing using nutrition works on the classification of food according to Yin-Yang Theory.  Considerations for a complete analysis of all factors including the individual, patterns of disease, the environment, the season and even the combination of foods are taken into account when healing through food.
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An important factor when using whole food to support your health and wellbeing is the distance it has to travel and consequently its freshness.  Looking towards locally grown food makes sense for higher nutritional content.   In Australia we have the benefit of growing many Non-Indigenous food products but what about local Indigenous foods. 

“Bush tucker” has long been held in high-esteem for its healing properties by the Australian First Nations People.  Yet there is not much known about Aboriginal Food Medicine.  If according to TCM we should be looking more towards local for the best way to heal through foods, then it makes sense we should all be consuming more native foods. 

Personally I do not know much about “Bush Tucker” and I would not encourage you to go out foraging for your own Indigenous Plant Based food stuff.  I would however like to inspire you to look more to home for growing your own. 

I have been growing my own food since I was a young girl.  I have fond memories of my parents giving me my own ‘patch’ of ground where I grew my own radish, beans and tomatoes among other vegetables.   When I married my husband we started our own vegie patch growing pretty much the same sort of vegetables.  As time as gone on, we have planted fruit trees which we have both enjoyed plenty of abundance from.  More recently we have been trying to plant more of a native garden including our own crops of “bush tucker”.  

Our success in this area of gardening has been mixed but my husband recently very proudly pointed out the abundance of flowers on one of our finger limes.  This has sent me into research mode.  What am I going to do with this abundance of fruit, when and if we get to harvest them?  And then my Natural Therapist mind kicks in and I start to wonder the health benefits of this native food.

There is not much information available and I am still reconciling the information I have gathered with my TCM knowledge on whole foods.  But let me share some facts I have found about Australian Finger Lime.

• Finger Lime is a traditional food of the First Nations People of Australia
• Australian Finger Lime is grown in tropical and sub-tropical conditions and is classified as a microcitrus
• It is known as the ‘citrus caviar’ due to its round juicy vesicles that resemble caviar
• The bush is spikey (which I have learned the hard way – ouch!) and the flowers start as small pink little buds that bloom into cute little white petals (or pink in some species).
• The fruit grows in a long cylindrical ‘finger-like’ form
• The fruit is mostly used as garnish or flavouring in drinks and sauces
• The fruit comes in a wide array of colours depending on bush species (I look forward to seeing what colour we are growing)
• This fruit packs a punch being full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals
• Finger Lime have a citrus taste which can range in flavour from sour, acidic and / or bitter
• The whole fruit can be frozen and later thawed without loosing shape, texture or flavour
• According to the listed websites (below) Finger Lime has many health benefits including:
  • Immune Strengthening
  • Keeps you youthful
  • Lowers Blood Pressure
  • Keeps your teeth and gums healthy
  • Supports eye health
  • Lowers risk of iron-deficient anemia
  • Fruit is rich in folate which is needed during pre-conception and pregnancy
  • May lower risk of kidney stones

I am very excited about getting a taste of this fruit in a few months’ time and while I am still in the researching phase on its Yin and Yang properties, I hope that this article inspires you to invest in a Finger Lime bush or at the very least invites you to think differently about the healing nature of food.
 


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References
Health Benefits of Finger Lime, Health Benefit Times ND

https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/finger-lime/
 
Finger Lime, Australian SuperFoods, January 2015
https://austsuperfoods.com.au/finger-lime/
 
Finger Lime, Fruits Info, 2020
https://www.fruitsinfo.com/finger-lime.php
 
Finger Lime, Australian Native Food and Botanticals, ND
https://anfab.org.au/main.asp?_=Finger%20Lime

If you are low on energy or feeling pain anywhere in your body moving could be the panacea you need.  Movement is Medicine and in Oriental Medicine this can be explained through the association of Spring and the organ of the Liver.
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In previous articles I have highlighted the connection between Spring and Ki Stagnation.  Winter tends to be the season that perpetuates feelings of turning inwards, rest and subsequently lack of movement.  I mean who really wants to outside exercising in the cold air when the days are shorter.  And in fact I encourage feelings of introspection during the cooler months – it’s the perfect opportunity to connect with that energy.  But now it is warming up it is time to remind you of the benefits of getting moving for the health of your body.
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Spring is the time to create new habits and to start getting outside more.  Beside the fact the days are glorious, the flowers are in bloom and beauty of nature is in your face, the association of Spring with the Liver Organ gives us a new perspective of moving the body. 

From an Oriental perspective it is viewed that an organ system has connection to our emotions.  When these emotions are suppressed, in excess or even lacking disease may form.  Liver Stagnation means the flow of energy (Ki) is not moving freely.  Symptoms include headaches, menstrual dysfunction, muscular pain and eye disorders to name a few.  Emotions can contribute to and / or exacerbate these symptoms. 

Oriental Medicine has a way of treating the symptoms through the mind-body connection and while working with the emotions alone can support healing, it appears to be a little more complicated for symptoms connected with the Liver.  Addressing dietary, environmental and lifestyle factors are also considered with Liver Ki Stagnation.

Our body is designed to move.  Moving can help address some of the lifestyle factors contributing to Liver Ki Stagnation.  As can getting outside more.  Introducing activities like going for walks in the park or strolls on the beach can lower stress levels by not only boosting stress-reducing hormones but by also removing you from high-stress environments.   

Perhaps if you find yourself experiencing pain in your body while you are working its time to take a much-needed break and enjoy a quick walk outside.   Otherwise schedule physical activities for during your downtime to get moving.  Ideally outside.  Although just moving your body may well be enough for you.

Dancing in the living room, spending time at the gym or increasing your heart rate on a treadmill are ways you can get yourself moving this Spring if you cannot find time moving outside.  Otherwise jump on your bike and cycle on some of the pathways provided in your local area, head to a state forest or National Park for a walk-in nature or sign up with your local park run group and get moving outside.  Its Spring - the perfect time to start moving.   You won’t regret it. 

It might be difficult some days if your pain is excess or your energy is low.  But moving really will help improve your energy and support decreasing pain particularly if it has its roots in Liver Ki Stagnation.  Even Western Medicine is supporting moving more. 

When you move your body undergoes many physiological processes including:

• Moves Fluid and Blood around the body
• Strengthens your muscles, connective tissue and cardio vascular function
• Improves balance, stability and coordination
• Improve lung function and endurance
• Promotes brain plasticity, improve your mind capacity and memory function
• Boosts mood and decreases stress through hormonal production
•  Helps clear out accumulated waste products in the body
• Retrieves stored energy (from fat cells) and uses it up

Moving the body has profound affects on us physically as well as emotionally.  Many people report having better quality of life when they start moving more.  Research shows people who move more feel better about themselves.  And a 2018 report demonstrates spending time outside has significant health benefits.   Combining the two – moving more outside, may be your cure for mind, body and soul health.  
 
Even if you do have challenges or limitations mindful movement is highly beneficial from both a Western and Eastern health perspective.  So maybe its time for you to consider one or both of these perspectives and start moving your body this Spring.