Why I hold your feet at the end of a Reiki Treatment

At the end of a Reiki or Tingley Method treatment you will feel me holding your feet. This may also be accompanied by a gentle pulling from your calves or ankles to the feet.

This is part of grounding you. What do I mean by grounding?

When I am grounding you I am working to bring you fully into the present moment on 4 levels

1. Physically

2. Mentally

3. Emotionally

4. Spirtitually

When we are fully present on these 4 levels we have a strong connection to who we are and we feel at ease in our body. We also feel focussed, stable, confident and sure of ourselves. We feel more able to cope with whatever life throws at us.

It is very common for people to arrive for a treatment with one or more of these 4 bodies out of alignment. Life can be really hard. We may find that to cope with difficult situations we remove ourselves or distance ourselves from what is happening or the feelings we have about what is happening.

For example, after an argument with a family member you find yourself running the argument through your mind and thinking of different things you could have said. In this situation you have distanced yourself from what you were feeling physically (stress, raised cortisol, raised adrenaline, tense muscles) and emotionally (anger, hurt, shock) and remained in your mental body (reasoning, imagining, worrying, planning).

In cases where people have experienced something traumatic it is not uncommon to find that they don't want to be in their body at all. They may view their mind and body as very separate and feel little or no connection to faith and hope. They may be resistant to grounding because operating from an ungrounded state has become the norm for them or because they are afraid they will have to re-experience the trauma. In these situations I used grounding as carefully and compassionately as possible, asking that it supports the client's highest good.

There are times when people need grounding because of too much of a good thing. Maybe they have a deep attachment to their spiritual side and are "away with the fairies". In this situation grounding can make them feel weighted down and heavy. However, the minute they are aligned and grounded through all 4 bodies they find life begins to feel easier and they are able to "go with the flow". They feel more connected to others when they have "their feet firmly on the ground".

If you are feeling a bit spacey/dreamy at the end of a treatment I will recommend that you sit for a moment with both feet firmly on the ground. This is Earthing. This is how you discharge any access energy from your system.

Can you ground and earth yourself?

Absolutely. Here are some super quick ways to do both.

• To earth yourself is to find a lovely bit of grass and walk around barefoot for about 10 minutes (if you can manage it - don't get too cold or damp!)
  

• Sleeping on the ground (think camping) is incredibly good earthing and people who love camping swear they have their best nights' sleep when they sleep on the ground.
  

• Walking in nature is incredibly grounding and healing. The green and blue colours of nature in themselves have huge calming and restorative qualities and the rhythm of walking helps bring us into the present moment.
  

• Massaging your feet will help as bringing your awareness to your feet draws your energy down towards the ground and our primary contact with it. If you are not in a situation where you can massage your feet you can always imagine drawing a line around your foot in your mind. Really imagine drawing around the heel, the arch, the toes and back to the heel again.
  

• Breathe. There are even apps now that help with yoga breathing techniques to bring you into the present moment.
  

• Dance. Put on your favourite track and dance with wild abandon.

What are your favourite ways to feel Grounded or Earthed? Do you have a favourite grounding technique? Are there times when you find grounding easier? I'd love to know.