Have you ever heard a person described as "down to earth" or "stable"? Some people seem to have the stability and inner peace that allows them to stay calm and not lose control. There are various ways to get to this condition, and this is one of them. "Stability and Concentration" is a visualization and meditation exercise that you can use to focus on the present and learn to feel more complete and conscious. Try it whenever you feel stressed, worried or nervous. The image of the tree evokes feelings of stability and connection in many people. It may take some practice, but if you work hard you may find that this exercise helps you live in the present.
Steps
Step 1. To begin, sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground
Choose a quiet place with no distractions. When you are more practical you can do the exercise anywhere.
Step 2. Pay attention to your breathing
Contract your stomach, tighten your muscles and breathe by expanding your chest. How do you feel? People often say "anxious", "tense", "panicked". Chest breathing is not deep breathing, and it is often an unconscious reaction to stress and problems.
Step 3. Relax your stomach and let your breath fill your abdomen as well
Imagine it flows up to your toes as your stomach expands. Do you start to feel differently? Some people find this type of deep breathing unnatural. To learn how to do this, place a hand on your stomach, and breathe so that your stomach pushes your hand away. Exercise regularly so that it becomes easy and natural.
Step 4. Close your eyes
Imagine the breath pushing down through the base of your spine and through your feet, like a tree pushing its roots down. Imagine those roots penetrate the floor and reach the ground below. Imagine that they can feel the properties of the soil, of what grows in it, and how healthy it is. Pass through the water in the ground, down to the rock base, and into the center. If you still feel tension or fear, let it come out through your "roots". Some people imagine that there is a fire in the center of the Earth into which they throw negative feelings, which thus disappear.
Step 5. Imagine you can take some of that fire
Feel it as the living and creative energy of the Earth, and carry it through the rock and the water and the ground. Run it through your legs and feet, like the roots of a tree, absorb and carry water and nutrients.
Step 6. Bring the fire back up the spine and imagine that it grows like a tree trunk and reaches into the sky
Bring some of that fire to your heart, and anywhere in your body that needs extra healing or energy. As you imagine the growth and energy flowing through you, straighten up and open your body as you focus again on your breathing.
Step 7. Direct the energy up through the arms and out of the hands, through the neck and throat and out of the top of the head
Visualize branches of energy reaching up to the sky, and let them spread around you and return down to touch the earth, creating a protective filter around you. Take a moment to look at this protective net and notice if there are any spots you need to repair or reinforce. Send energy in that direction.
Step 8. Imagine the energy of the sun shining on your leaves and branches
Breath deeply; breathe in that energy. Breathe it through your leaves and branches, to your heart, stomach and hands. Absorb it, feed on it like a tree feeds on sunlight.
Step 9. Open your eyes
Look around you. How do you feel? Relaxed? Revitalized? More alert?
Step 10. Imagine your feet have sticky roots
Let them sink into the ground and come off when you start moving. Take a few steps. Feel connected to the ground. Feel the imaginary roots that first attach themselves to the ground, then detach from it.
Step 11. Extend your arms to the side as you walk, as much as possible, until you can see your hands if you look straight ahead
Now move your thumbs back and forth and slowly bring your arms forward until you can barely see the thumbs with your peripheral vision. Notice how wide your peripheral vision can be. Activate that peripheral vision as you walk, breathing deeply, feeling solid and stable. Realize that you can be fully aware of what is happening around you.
Step 12. Go still
When you breathe, try to feel in which part of your body this stable place is, and touch it. Can you find a symbolic image of this state of solidity? Can you indicate it with a word or a phrase? When you use these three things together - touch, image, and sentence - I create an anchor that helps you stabilize yourself quickly in any situation.
Advice
- Remember: the more you practice, the more automatic this method will be. If you exercise even just a few minutes each day, not only will you have more energy in daily life, but you will be able to find your balance quickly when you find yourself in a stressful situation.
- Notice if you look people you meet on the street in the eye. Breathe, stay focused, keep your level of consciousness high, but look every person you meet in the eye. How does it make you feel to be so alert in a situation?
- If the stability and concentration exercises don't seem to work, you may be trying too hard, or you've already achieved your goal but haven't realized it. If this happens, do something else for a while and try again later. Like all others, becoming stable and focused is also a skill that becomes easier with practice, so practice often.
