grounding

I think I know something about what it means to be grounded when my feet are actually touching the ground. It is about my connection to the earth and my relationship with gravity. Sometimes I am aware that it includes a sensation of weight and stability, but with an inherent quality of ease. Sometimes it speaks to me of calm simplicity. When I have a heightened awareness of the present moment I sense my ground, and then often notice that I am centered and balanced as well. I might feel that I am breathing in through the soles of my feet. It’s an experience of aliveness. These are some aspects of what it means to me to be grounded, at least while standing on the earth, walking on the streets of New York or on the aikido mat.

However, this connection to the earth is not something which can be "achieved." It comes most often when we stop doing and trying and just notice “what is.” It's a quality of awareness, not an act of will. At least one aikido Sensei has told us that we don’t have to try to be grounded -- we already are naturally grounded. We just need to allow ourselves that luxury -- by getting out of our own way. Alexander Technique shows us that being grounded is part of our natural coordination; young children and animals don’t have to work on their grounding -- they experience it directly, without interference from habitual tension patterns.

So, sometimes my training and awareness allow me to suspend my effort or "doing" for a while and experience my connection to the earth, my "being." But put me on a horse . . . and then what happens? It certainly brings me into a new relationship to the earth! And now my connection must be “wireless” so to speak. This connection is an energetic one, and even after years of practice and study of various martial and healing arts, this new energetic relationship is elusive. However, I am beginning to understand that I’m going to have to allow it to develop, through the use of the Centered Riding images and through diligent yet delicate repetition.

Sally Swift created many powerful images as part of her pedagogy. One is of a giant fir tree which, as you sit on the horse, rises majestically up through the center of your body and at the same time grows roots extending deep down into the earth. Another visualization allows your legs to extend all the way down to reach the ground from your seat on the horse, where you imagine bare feet with toes wiggling in the mud!

At the Centered Riding Symposium in Vermont earlier this month, Peggy Brown, a Level IV Centered Riding instructor, gave a vivid demonstration of the power of the imagery of centering and projecting intent. She said (while talking about Centered Driving) “I can project my center 3 feet in front of me {pause}; or I can project my center 10 feet in front of me {pause}; or I can project it to the back of the room {pause}; or into the parking lot outside the hotel” etc. -- and each time you felt her do what she said, and had no doubt whatsoever that she certainly could project her center (energy and intent) -- wherever she wanted! That demonstration assures me that I may also, eventually, learn to use this "thought power" which unites body and mind to create an energetic bridge, to complete the circuit from my seat on the horse, down to the earth -- to the ground.

Definitions, Terms & Food for Thought

Ground (Science: physics) a conducting connection with the earth, whereby the earth is made part of an electric circuit.

A ground is a direct electrical connection to the earth, a connection to a particular point in an electrical or electronic circuit, or an indirect connection that operates as the result of capacitance between wireless equipment and the earth or a large mass of conductive material.

Electrical grounding is important because it provides a reference voltage level (called zero potential or ground potential) against which all other voltages in a system are established and measured. An effective electrical ground connection also minimizes the susceptibility of equipment to interference . . . eliminates electrostatic buildup that can damage system components . . . In effect, an electrical ground drains away any unwanted buildup of electrical charge. When a point is connected to a good ground, that point tends to stay at a constant voltage, regardless of what happens elsewhere in the circuit or system. The earth, which forms the ultimate ground, has the ability to absorb or dissipate an unlimited amount of electrical charge.

Wireless is a term used to describe telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves (rather than some form of wire) carry the signal over part or all of the communication path.