GROUNDING

How To Breathe-A Book By Ashley Neese

“The Grounding Breath has become a practice that I teach all of my clients at the beginning of our time together. It’s foundational. We cannot heal and thrive if we cannot first inhabit our bodies. I have a history of sexual violence and trauma, and this Grounding Breath has been an essential piece of my healing journey. Those experiences, like many traumas so many of us experience, took me far out of my body. The Grounding Breath was the tool that I created to bring me back to my body and gain confidence in body. That helped me worry less about my future, feel less the future, feel less sad about the past, and open up to the reality of the here and now.”

I remember a time before moving back to Iowa when I was essentially homeless, I was temporarily living in a carriage house that my church provided me while waiting for an apartment to become available. I had just left my mentally abusive husband, and I was at a point in my life where fear was taking over. I had no idea what the next day was going to bring. Sure I had my faith, but I was still doubting everything. At this time in my life I knew nothing about the Grounding Breath, I sure could have used it. I had lost everything. This practice combine with my faith and support of friends, would have been an added benefit to eased that moment in my life. I find myself using this Breath now in my life as an added benefit to my mental heath recovery & awareness. ~Lisa Bartels, Administrative Assistant, PRS, WRAP Level 1 Facilitator, A.S.I.S.T

Seated on a Chair, Feet on the Floor, Five to Ten Minutes

• Take a moment to settle into your chair with your feet flat on the floor.
• Set your practice intention.
• Inhale and exhale gently through your nose for five cycles.
• Next, bring your awareness to the soles of your feet.
• With a slow inhale, imagine drawing up energy from the earth into the soles of your feet, up to your knees and back toward your hips.
• On the exhale, imagine the energy flowing from your hips to your knees, then back down through the soles of your feet to the earth.
• Continue to sync the energy revolutions with your breath for five minutes.
• Let go of the revolutions and allow your breath to settle into a passive state.
• Sit for one more minute.
• Close your practice.
• Journal.

To learn more about recovery tools, WRAP, or groups visit our Wellness Center virtually or in person.