Welcome back.

In this practice you incorporate a sense of physical groundedness and stability to deepen the restfulness of your stillness.

Groundedness and Stability

Attuning to your body’s groundedness and stability fosters restfulness during the stillness practice. It anchors attention in the present, calms your thoughts, and focuses your mind on the experience of your resting body, softened muscles, and rhythmic breath. This sense of stable grounding reduces the mind’s fundamental concern for balance, contributing to a feeling of physical safety, supporting rest.

Embodiment

Cultivating a sense of physical groundedness and stability is part of ‘embodiment’, a core skill developed throughout the 51BLUE journey.

Developing a sense of ’embodiment’ includes the consistent sensing of your physical existence and presence, recognizing your body’s separateness and autonomy, and containing all physical and mental experiences within your still and resting body.

In a modern world that constantly demands our attention, and external stimuli such as social media, news feeds, and intense marketing are overwhelming, our sense of self, embodiment, and presence can be significantly diminished.

In the digital era, multimedia, and screen-based interactions constantly reinforce visual and auditory sensing. This leads to the neglect of kinesthetic sensing, which is rooted in body and self-awareness. Such awareness is essential for physical and mental stillness and rest.

The phenomenon of disembodiment and body dissociation, exacerbated by excessive thinking and visualizing, commonly result in chronic and dominant Sympathetic Mobilization. This is experienced as restlessness, elevated stress, concentration difficulties, and insomnia among other consequences.

This practice redirects your attention back to yourself. By focusing on your body—its substance, weight, and the contact it makes with the ground—you reinforce your sense of physical existence, groundedness, and stability, which is essential for practicing restful stillness.

PROGESS CHECKLIST

• Can I sense the points of contact where my body meets the surfaces it rests on or leans against?
• Can I sense the weight of my body as it applies pressure on the surfaces it rests on?
• Can I sense that my body is not empty or hollow, but tangible and full?
• Can I sense my physical groundedness and stability?