Grounding and Clearing the Energy Around You

In New York City, where there is so much energy and people, it is easy to get a little off-balance from time to time. Along with the inconsistent temperatures combined with allergies that seem to come with the change of the season, it can seem difficult to sometimes keep your mind as clear. Especially, when this affects our breathing, and also makes our heads feel a little congested. The weather being a little unstable as well, can shift energies around us too. However, even on top of that, if you are like me, you have a natural inclination to also be a little bit of an "emotional sponge." Being open, and compassionate, and vulnerable can be great things and often a wonderful sign of a courageous and loving human heart, but many of us are also susceptible to being drained or taking on the energies of others around us.

Here are some ways to assess if you are taking on some energies that could be affecting you:
-After commuting do you often feel like you are exhausted, upset, slightly melancholy for no particular reason?
-After phone calls with particular friends, do you feel agitated, frustrated, or tired just by having conversation?
-When strolling down the street in a pretty decent mood, just by passing a particular area or stranger(s), do you suddenly feel unhappy?

These are just simple ways of checking, and certainly if these situations sound familiar to you, you could benefit by taking the time to do some simple things to help you ground and clear your energy chakras. Certainly, some may think, "Oh, you just need a thicker skin" or "Perhaps, you need anti-depressants." However, if you are usually pretty even-keeled, and generally a compassionate and caring person, who sometimes for no reason feels certain feelings that seem to not be in alignment with your natural disposition, I would urge you to first try to do some grounding and meditation to see if that helps a little.

Some things I like to do to clear away energies from people and things around me are the following:
-Sea Salt Baths: You can purchase natural sea salt in most grocery stores for around $2.00. I use the generic brand at Whole Foods. If you prefer, you can also purchase fragranced bath salts, however, I enjoy the purity of the regular stuff. It has been used in healing and clearing psychic energies, so its great to just gently rub a handful on your feet and shoulders in the shower. It works also as an exfoliant, however, be gentle if the grains are coarse. Or simply dissolve in a bath and soak for a while.

-White Sage and Incense: White Sage has been traditionally used by Native Americans to clear spaces of negative energies. It is used at beginnings of rituals and ceremonies. They can be purchased primarily in small bundles and you just gently light it and let the smoke spread and flow around you. I like to take it and start from my feet and focus on clearing each chakra finishing at the crown of my head. It can usually be purchased at most candle and incense places and new age stores for about $5.00 to $12.00.

-Meditation: Sometimes, just finding a quiet moment to sit and relax can immediately clear any negative energies that you may have seemed to inadvertently pick up. You can focus on clearing each energy center starting from the root chakra to your third eye and visualizing each color being cleared and becoming brightened. Also, before even stepping out of bed, some like to visualize being covered and protected by white light, which sets up a mental and spiritual protection throughout the day.

These are just simple suggestions, for those who need the extra grounding from time to time. Certainly, a strong meditation and spiritual practice along with familiar filtering out of certain energies that come, can help keep most of us continually grounded. Also, even with just a good sense of self awareness, one can be grounded constantly. However, these practices are great as well, right before entering meetings where you expect to deal with conflicting energies, or if you are in environments where there tends to be a majority of negative-prone types of personalities.