The Quiet Room · Grounding · 3 min
Feet on the Pavement
A standing grounding exercise for bus stops and queues. Feel the ground hold you, from your heels up.
How it works
The pavement has held up everyone who’s ever waited at that bus stop. It can hold you for three minutes.
Steps
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Unlock your knees.
- Notice your heels. Press them down very slightly, then let go.
- Notice the balls of your feet. Rock forward a tiny bit, then back to the middle.
- Notice your toes inside your shoes. Spread them if you can.
- Imagine the ground pushing up gently through your feet, into your legs, all the way to your shoulders. Let your shoulders drop.
- Say to yourself, silently: I’m here. This is the ground. It’s holding me.
- When the bus comes, get on. You’ve had three minutes that were yours.
A gentle note: If standing still isn’t comfortable, do this sitting, with your feet flat on the floor.
You’ll never see where most of your ripples land. Drop one anyway.
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