Listen to the podcast:

Or, read the blog:
This is the first of three episodes in what I’m calling the Ground Yourself Series. To be  grounded is to be stable, secure, and mentally and emotionally balanced. Grounding practices are methods for achieving that state of balance. 
We’re going to explore three of them. Today, in Part 1, we’ll explore how to ground your sitting meditation posture. Next week, I’ll teach you a practice for connecting with the Earth, and the week after that, I’ll share a quick grounding practice that helps you manage stress and anxiety.
Grounding begins, not surprisingly, by establishing a solid physical connection between your body and the ground during meditation practice. Doing this allows you to sit stably, so you can become very still, quiet and focused, yet remain comfortable.
But grounding is more than just physical stability. It involves learning to sense your connection to the Earth so you can actually feel the Earth supporting you and lending you its strength. I know this sounds a little mystical, but it’s not. First of all, there’s an element of imagery involved in the practice. You imagine with all your senses the connection between your own body and the body of the Earth. With practice, you come to experience the Earth as an extension of your physical body. This imagery lead you to feel strong and supported, no matter what’s going on in your life.
As we explored in a previous episode, imagery is a powerful tool to help you generate feelings of safety and security. That episode featured a guided imagery exercise called Your Safe Place. If you missed it, you can check it out at https://www.mindful15.com/safeplace.
But, there’s more to grounding than just imagining a connection with the Earth. You are physically connected to the Earth. Your body is composed of Earth elements and decomposes back into the Earth after death. You can’t live without the support of the Earth. You and the Earth are highly interdependent. Grounding practice helps you recognize and more fully experience that connection in a way that promotes well-being and serenity.
I’ll have a lot more to say about connecting with the Earth next week. For now, let’s get back to talking about grounded meditation postures. In his book, The Posture of Meditation, Will Johnson explains that grounding and proper upright alignment allow you to relax into your meditation posture. Although relaxation isn’t the goal of sitting meditation, being relaxed makes it easier to become very focused and quiet. This, in turn, allows you to let go of distractions and to sit with whatever arises in the present moment. 
Grounding yourself doesn’t just make you more comfortable. It actually supports the meditative state. 
Here’s how to ground yourself:
You don’t need to be sitting on the bare ground to ground yourself. Even if you’re on the top floor of a high-rise building, the floor is supported by the structures of the building, which are supported by the Earth. So, you’re aiming to sit in a way that solidly, stably, and comfortably connects your body to the floor.
In my experience, getting grounded using a meditation bench is easiest. You kneel on the ground, place the bench behind your thighs and rest your butt on the bench. You will be naturally grounded, with your feet, calves, and knees resting firmly on the ground, all kept in good alignment by the bench itself. Benches aren’t for everyone, though. I know some people find them hard on the knees.

Sitting on a meditation bench, your feet, calves,