The Power of Grounding and Why it's Crucial for Mind Body Connection

00:00 - 00:47 Speaker 1: Have you ever felt like you're floating through life, disconnected from your body and the world around you? You're just being pulled along in this endless sea of distractions and obligations. If so, you're definitely not alone. But what if I told you there is a way to anchor yourself amidst the chaos to find solace in the present moment and reclaim the connection to your inner wisdom, your inner compass and individual sense of self. Today we're diving deep into the transformative practice of grounding and we're going to explore how it can be this life raft you've been searching

00:47 - 01:50 Speaker 1: for in the vast ocean of the scattered mess of our modern day living. We're going to look at how grounding can actually provide a stable foundation from which we can navigate and balance stress, anxiousness, disconnection, overwhelm, burnout, physical and emotional pain, and more. Join me today as we uncover the profound benefits of grounding and of course learn practical techniques to integrate this powerful practice into our daily routines and lives. It's time to reclaim our sense of presence, purpose and mind-body connection in a world that often feels adrift. Today we're diving into the transformative power of grounding

01:51 - 02:34 Speaker 1: and why it's absolutely the key to unlocking a deeper, more meaningful connection with our body and of course our mind. And then over the next few weeks I'm going to share some grounding practices for you. I know how exciting that you do not want to miss out on. So be sure to subscribe to the podcast or jump over to our website and you can subscribe and receive our weekly updates. First, we're going to get clear on what grounding is so you know in what context we're talking about grounding in. Grounding is really coming into the body,

02:35 - 03:21 Speaker 1: feeling present in the body and being able to clearly identify sensations inside the body and sensations outside the body. Everyone has a different level of understanding when it comes to the interoceptive and proprioceptive system. Your interoceptive system is this system that helps you to identify when you're hungry. So, inner sensations, or even perhaps when you need to go the loop. And it also helps you to identify different feelings. So when you're anxious because of a situation or maybe become fearful, it could be when you're feeling happy, comfortable, and content. Now your proprioceptive system is this part

03:21 - 04:02 Speaker 1: of the physical structural body that helps you better understand where your body is in time and space as it relates to other things around us. So for example just say a tiger or some sort of robber or thief entered the room. Your body would feel that and be able to signal through your nervous system that it's time to hightail it out of there. Now this experience even happens sometimes with different people or situations. We just have this sense that something isn't right. The body gathers information from the outer world and then sends it to the inner

04:02 - 04:44 Speaker 1: world and gives you different feedback or feelings and sensations for you to take action. Fight, flight, flee, appease, whatever it is. So the proprioceptive system and the interoceptive system, They really plug into 1 another. They're like peanut butter and honey. I know Americans say peanut butter and jelly, but I love peanut butter and honey, right? They're like peanut butter and honey on a sandwich. They plug into 1 another and create connection. And through grounding, we're able to leverage that and better understand what the unconscious is communicating through the somatic body. So through your body, through feeling.

04:45 - 05:32 Speaker 1: So grounding could also be described as a state of being. It's kind of akin to anchoring oneself firmly in the present moment. It's about being rooted in this profound connection to the physical body and our surrounding environment. It's a state of deep presence and inner stability and really aligns us with the here and now. It's really the embodiment of the self and mindfulness in action. Now in this state of grounding, outer distractions can start to fade into the background and we can have this heightened awareness of sensations, emotions and thoughts as they arise in the present

05:32 - 06:16 Speaker 1: moment. Now, grounding allows us to feel rooted also in our authenticity, empowered by this sense of inner strength and resilience. And this can transcend the fluctuations of external circumstances. So it doesn't matter what's happening in the outer world. I always say it matters what's happening in the moment in your inner world. Grounding techniques can include things Grounding techniques can include things like focusing on the breath, engaging in specific physical movement, sensory awareness through mindfulness, or using objects to anchor our attention to our present reality. The goal of grounding techniques are to really bring this sense of

06:16 - 07:08 Speaker 1: stability, safety, and presence within. And this really helps us to regulate our emotions and maintain a connection with our bodily sensations. So why do we actually even need this? Well, we live in this world that often prioritizes the mind over the body. And so we find ourselves disconnected from this very vessel that houses our deepest wisdom and intuition. Now We need grounding because our modern life pulls us away from our present moment experiences leading to feelings of stress, disconnection, overwhelm and even anxiousness. In this scattered state, we become vulnerable to external pressures, allowing our emotions to

07:08 - 07:54 Speaker 1: be dictated by this chaotic world around us rather than finding this beautiful intrinsic balance and resilience within ourselves. So rather than shooting into our own inner compass and our own intuition to guide the way, we're going to go into why grounding and finding this body connection is crucial in curbing our under or over eating patterns and accessing our inner wisdom? The answer lies in this profound interplay between our physical sensations, emotions and behaviour. When we disconnect from our bodies, we lose touch with this rich kaleidoscope of sensations that guide us towards balance and nourishment. We disconnect

07:54 - 08:47 Speaker 1: from feelings of hunger and satiety so we can under or overfeed the body. Instead, we can also turn to food as a substitute for genuine physical and emotional nourishment, leading to those patterns of overeating or disordered eating, and using food to numb our physical sensations. We need to learn to tune in and understand our own sensations and bodily feedback systems. In essence, our bodies serve as this ultimate barometer of our internal landscape, providing this invaluable information and insight into our own true needs and desires. Now when we learn to listen to our bodies with curiosity and

08:47 - 09:35 Speaker 1: compassion, we unlock this wealth, absolute wealth of inner wisdom that guides us towards optimal health and wellbeing. Rene Descartes famously proclaimed, I think, therefore I am. But it is through our embodied experiences that we truly come to know ourselves. I actually have full goosebumps right now. So it's really powerful. I'm just going to say it again and just sink into the words. It's that feeling body that allows our thinking self to know that we are part of this world. We are a human having an experience in this world. Now, The journey towards body connection isn't always

09:35 - 10:23 Speaker 1: an easy 1, especially for those who have experienced chronic pain or tension, trauma, overwhelmed stress or anxiousness, or any type of emotional or physical or spiritual pain. For many of us trying to reconnect with our bodies, it can evoke feelings of fear, shame, vulnerability, and bring up anxiousness in itself. It really requires this delicate balance of patience, self-compassion and gentle exploration. It's really about working in our window of tolerance. Many of you know, as well as mindful eating, I also teach and share somatic healing, so connecting to the body. I'm a kinesiologist. I teach yoga, meditation,

10:23 - 11:04 Speaker 1: and breath work. And so a lot of what I'm teaching is learning to connect to ourselves and allow our bodies to bring up the wisdom so we can therefore become whole again. So quite often when we have traumatic events or just shit that happens in our life that are really uncomfortable, we almost splinter a part of ourselves away from the whole. And this is sometimes why we can feel so disconnected and scattered. And we just feel like we're going through the motions every day, rather than operating from this place of wholeness and oneness. Now, when we

11:04 - 11:49 Speaker 1: do this work, and it can get uncomfortable. So it's always important to really explore sensations within our own comfort space, within our own window of tolerance. Now let's look at grounding when it comes to mindful eating. Mindful eating is really all about being present and engaged with the experience of eating, paying attention to taste and texture, aromas. That's just 1 tiny part actually of mindful eating. But we also look at fullness and hunger cues. Now, if we're disconnected to that, we have no idea the feedback our body's sending us. And so then we can't act accordingly.

11:49 - 12:34 Speaker 1: And what quite often happens is we're ruled by these outer world guidelines such as, okay, eat 90 grams of chicken rather than eat the amount of chicken that your body needs today, or you're only allowed to have this many pieces of wholemeal bread, or whatever it is. So we become ruled by these outer world measurements rather than connecting to our body's inner wisdom. So mindful eating is really an embodiment practice. Mindful eating involves being attuned to emotional cues that might influence our eating behaviors. Now we've gone through some of these in our past podcast episodes, but

12:34 - 13:16 Speaker 1: we know that they can be stress, boredom, anxiousness, any emotion can be a cue to eat. Grounded techniques means, you know, we can start to unravel and what would be the best word? We can really unravel and shoot into our true needs. So we just don't have a cue and start eating. We go, we kind of tune in and ask, what am I feeling or what do I really need right now? So it can bring attention back to the present moment and what we truly need as this beautiful, amazing human being. The next 1 is that

13:16 - 14:00 Speaker 1: grounding also helps us to reduce distraction and can really help minimize this external stimuli that can interfere with our beautiful eating experience. By staying grounded in the present moment, we can fully engage with the sensory aspect of eating. And of course, we know this leads to more satisfaction, more meal satisfaction, and we can enjoy food rather than have some tug-of-war or love-hate Relationship with food. Learning the art of grounding really allows us to learn the language of our body. Cultivating a body connection through grounding is not merely a means to curb overeating. It's actually this profound

14:00 - 14:45 Speaker 1: journey of self-discovery and empowerment. By embracing our embodied selves with openness and compassion, we reclaim our innate wisdom, our vitality, which all leads to this more balanced and fulfilling existence. As we reconnect with our bodies we tap into this timeless wisdom that resides within us all, guiding us towards a life of wholeness and authenticity. Oh, I've got goosebumps again. This is why grounding is such a beautiful and necessary practice for anybody who has any goal to do with basically anything. I was just gonna say to do with their mind or body, but really our body's feedback

14:45 - 15:22 Speaker 1: is our inner compass. Over the next few weeks, I'm actually going to share some grounding practices. So our next 2 podcast episodes, yep, you got it. I'm sharing some grounding practices. So make sure you stay tuned. If you found today's discussion valuable, feel free to share it with someone who you might think will benefit from it. Even just share it on a social media page. Of course, jump on over to our social pages and like and share and comment. I'd love to know how this information every week sits with you and whether you're finding it useful.

15:23 - 16:03 Speaker 1: Of course, you'll also find the links that I mentioned today in today's show notes. You can just look below or go to everydayinspiration.co forward slash podcast and you'll find all the links to all the show notes there. Also please consider subscribing to our podcast and leave a review. If you'd like to find out more about mindful eating, then grab my free training, What's Mindful Eating and How Can It Help Me? Your commitment to your wellbeing is a powerful force and I'm here to help you every step of the way. So until next time, take a nourishing

16:03 - 16:22 Speaker 1: breath, savour the journey and embrace the opportunity to live with everyday inspiration. From my heart to yours, thank you for listening and I look forward to sharing over the next 2 weeks some grounding practices with you. Alright beautiful, bye for now.

Thank you. You