Thoughts on Grounding and a Centered Self

By

Gayle Trenberth, Ph.D.

When I invented Yoga Sandals® in 1999, I thought that at the time I wanted a pedicure sandal, so I could go from a pedicure to an appointment without waiting.  I thought I had a “better idea,” and created the sandal.  Looking back, I now see that the years of being a psychotherapist practicing a mind/body type of therapy, had led me to invent not what I wanted, but what I needed.  I had invented a sandal that improves the sense of grounding, a core emotional stance we all need for a strong experience of a centered self.  I had spent years working on myself  and working with others to increase a centered, grounded self, and here I had unconsciously developed a tool to help me in that work!  A tool that works on the body’s stability and alignment, that helps the toes release and relax, and that creates a body sense of grounding, which affects the mind’s sense of grounding.  Incredible!

So what is grounding?

In an ideal world, our first ground is our mother’s body, where we experience safety and stability through connection.  Later, as we begin to crawl, then stand and walk, we find Mother Earth to be our ground, and our feet to be the energetic connection between ourselves and our world.  As a toddler, we find magic in the wobbly feet that can take us here and there, and then back to the grounding center of the parent.  Here we gather our stability for new adventures, and wander off again, for new explorations.   Eventually our legs and our feet can hold our own weight easily, and we begin to integrate the experience of stability and center into our sense of self.

In the not so ideal worlds of most childhoods, we founder at some stage of development.  A parent is too present, too invasive in loving and unloving ways, inhibiting our finding our own ground.  A parent is not present enough, withdrawn at those moments we need contact and external stabilization for our developing bodies and minds, and we cannot integrate any experience of grounding and centeredness.  It is not a parent’s fault, it is the confluence of their past, their current lives with our developing needs, which sometimes match, sometimes mismatch.

Inhibitions around a centered sense of self and a sense of grounding in this world are manifested in our bodies.  Notice how you are sitting, reading this article.  I can tell you, as I write, my shoulders are slumped forward (protecting my heart area), my feet are crossed, one foot in the air, one toe on the ground (not making much contact with the earth).  My psychological training tells me my mind/body is reflecting an uneasy relationship with connecting to this world of experience.  What happens if I throw my shoulders back, plant my feet firmly on the ground?  I take a deeper breath and feel more open (and yes, more vulnerable), and my feet feel enlivened and ready to move and interact (and yes, more vulnerable, but strangely, more capable). 

Try this exercise:

First, just stand and notice how you are standing.  Notice how you hold your head, if your shoulders are up or down and relaxed, notice your heart area and the sensation there, now notice how you are standing.  Are your feet on the ground in a balanced way, or is your weight forward or back?  Are your toes relaxed with a slight spread for your body’s balance, or do they seem to be gripping the ground?  Find some words to “image” how your body feels from the ground up through the top of your head, and how that image describes how you “stand” emotionally. 

Now, consciously change your stance.  Find a balanced way to stand, release the gripping toes, bend the knees slightly, open your chest by pulling your shoulders back and down, align your head using your neck to find a center.  Find some words to “image” how your body feels to you now, and how you “stand” emotionally in this moment.  You might experience some different feelings, and if so, just breathe with those feelings, letting yourself understand the meaning.

Try another exercise:

Standing, imagine you are a lovely, flexible, strong tree.  Your arms are branches, reaching into the world for connection.  Your legs are the trunk of the tree, and your toes the roots.  Breathe, and imagine the breath moving from the top of your head through the bottom of your feet into the earth.  With each breath, feel the sense of connection to the earth by moving the  intake of breath from the top of your head through and out your feet.  Repeat several times.  Notice the sense of aliveness and grounding that enters your mind/body.

If, like me, that sense of aliveness comes with uncomfortable feelings from your own early interactions with your environment, focus on the legs and the feet.  Tense and relax your feet, wiggle your toes around, then find that balanced weight position, slight spread of the toes, and see how your legs and hips follow.  A strong sense of being grounded will help you welcome vulnerability as an opportunity to adventure as you did as a child.

It takes constant attention and work to address a lifetime of habits developed since our childhood, and I don’t mind using aids that help me in that journey.  One aid for me has been Yoga Sandals®, which relaxes my toes, aligns the bones in my feet, supports my heel bone properly, and helps me to walk in a natural, balanced, flowing and grounded way.  My conscious invention has proved useful for pedicures, but my unconscious invention has become a major tool for a balanced, stable, centered body/self.   Work with these exercises, work with your feet, using your conscious mind and any tools your find that aid your feet and stability, and you will experience an improved sense of grounding and centeredness.

Gayle Trenberth, Ph.D. was a psychologist and trainer for over 30 years in the field of mind/body psychotherapy.  In 1999, she founded Beech Sandal Co.,LLC to distribute her invention, Yoga Sandals®.  Originally invented as a pedicure sandal, they became known in the medical, health and yoga communities as a sandal that supports balance and stability.  She retired from her psychological practice in 2007 to further research into the benefits of balance and stability on the mind/body, and the development of Yoga Sandals®.