Calvary Hospital 2nd Annual Grief Awareness Month

Root Grounding Meditation

Calvary provides one of the New York metropolitan area’s most comprehensive bereavement support programs for adults, children and teens. Calvary’s bereavement services are available to anyone who has experienced a significant death in their lives. A connection to Calvary is not required.

Yvette Ramirez, a chaplain at Calvary Hospital, leads a grief support group in Spanish for those who have experienced the death of a spouse. This support group is available remotely via zoom for 20 participants. Yvette leads her group members through several grounding meditations, one being a ‘rooting,’ guided meditation that she uses to start each session.

We sat down recently with Yvette to talk about her group, her experience, and to learn more about her grief support practice.

Q: What is a Root Grounding Meditation? Why do you use it for grief counseling?

Yvette: I like to incorporate a Root Grounding Meditation at the beginning of each session because it allows the members to be more aware of themselves and their bodies.

I like this meditation and practice it consistently with my groups as I find it helps reduce stress and anxiety. I have found it also helps people come into a sense of control over themselves and the space they occupy within their current physical and emotional environment.

Root grounding is a practice, and like any practice, we can all become better at it over time. I have found that root grounding helps people get into the current moment, become more mindful, and present.

I feel these meditations can help you learn to control your inner gaze. When necessary, this type of practice allows a person to get back into the current moment and away from flashbacks or unwanted memories. Negative or challenging emotions surrounding one’s loss may make it more difficult to cope with the grief.

Root Grounding Meditations are designed to revitalize your body and mind in ways that are beneficial to grief healing.

Q: What is the process for a grounding meditation?

Yvette: When conducting guided Root Grounding Meditation, I start by asking each person to visualize themselves sitting on a strong, well-rooted tree trunk (e.g., like a mighty Oak, a flexible-graceful Weeping Willow or a towering Redwood.)

The initial steps for the root grounding meditation are simple and can be performed effectively by anyone, anywhere:

• Make time for yourself. Start with 5 or even 10 minutes (you can set a timer if you’re doing this by yourself).
• Start by standing up and closing your eyes
• Picture yourself sitting on top of a strong tree trunk
• Go inward (clear your thoughts) some people picture themselves in nature, for others focusing on the tree trunk alone is more helpful. (Find what works for you)
• Take some nice deep breaths
• Focus on the energy in your body; imagine that it is flowing down your back into the earth
• Picture the tree as an extension of your body, extending through your feet
• Continue to imagine the tree trunk traveling down through Earth until your trunk finally reaches the center of the Earth
• While you are breathing, let any negative feelings escape your body. Leave any feelings of pain, frustration, anger, or bitterness in the center of the Earth
• Push your energy upward. Imagine Earth’s energy flowing back up through your trunk

We believe a tree visualization can be helpful for those in spousal grief support because of its centering focus. Trees are also a symbol of growth and renewal.

I explain to my group that death is the first season because the initial grief period is the mourning season. To start, this meditation practice, many grieving individuals will picture a tree standing bare in winter.

As time passes many begin to imagine their tree traveling through the changing seasons as they travel through, and with, their grief.

Q: What are the emotional benefits of a grounding meditation for grief?

Yvette: The benefits of grounded meditation for grief include reducing anxiety, an increase in emotional and mental clarity, increased emotional feelings of peacefulness and calm, heightened awareness, and a sense of deeper connection.

I encourage our bereavement group participants to practice grounding meditation daily I believe it will help them see that there is a path to an enriched life.

Through this meditation two participants bonded by practicing this meditation. I encourage group members to connect with each other when we are not in session because it’s critical to have a community for support.

Q: Is Root Grounding something you can do when you feel overwhelmed with grief?

Yvette: I hear this statement from group members quite often, “I feel stress”. If the person experiencing grief feels stressed all the time and is still feeling anxious, this will be a good tool for them to add to their personal toolset.

There is no quick fix for grief. Grief is a process but there are things you can do to help manage your grief.

Bereavement Resources

Grief is a multifaceted response to loss and everyone has their own way of moving through it.

Calvary Hospital’s Bereavement Team has put together a selection of resources on the topic of grief. Be gentle with yourself.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911.