When life feels a little too fast, a little too loud, and a little too much, grounding practices can be a lifeline. For those of us navigating the ups and downs of mental health, especially anxiety, stress, or emotional instability, grounding yoga poses offer a gentle and accessible way to come back to ourselves.
In this article, we’ll explore the power of grounding yoga for emotional well-being, the importance of the root chakra, and how specific yoga postures can support us in feeling safe, steady, and rooted both on and off the mat.
What is Grounding in Yoga?
Grounding in yoga refers to the physical and energetic experience of connecting to the Earth beneath us. It’s the sense of stability we feel when our feet are firmly planted when our breath deepens, and our thoughts slow down. Grounding doesn’t just help us physically—it soothes the mind, brings our nervous system back into balance, and provides a profound sense of calm.
This is particularly valuable when our thoughts are spiralling or when anxiety has us feeling disconnected and unmoored. Grounding practices offer us an anchor. They help us move focus and energy out of the head and downward into the body, allowing us to feel more present, safe, and supported.
The Role of the Root Chakra in Grounding
In yogic philosophy, the root chakra, or Muladhara, is the energy center located at the base of the spine. It governs our sense of safety, stability, and belonging. When this chakra is balanced, we feel grounded and secure in our bodies and our lives. But when it’s out of balance, we may feel anxious, fearful, or disconnected.
Grounding yoga poses are designed to activate and align this chakra, inviting more balance into our energetic system. By focusing on postures that create a strong connection to the Earth, we nurture our root chakra and, by extension, our mental and emotional well-being.
Mental Health Benefits of Grounding Yoga Poses
How Grounding Yoga Supports Emotional Stability
When we practice grounding yoga, we train the body and mind to respond to stress differently. Rather than spiraling into worry or being overwhelmed, grounding helps regulate our emotions and strengthen our capacity to stay calm. These poses encourage us to slow down, listen inward, and find a sense of inner steadiness.
This is especially important for women navigating menstrual disorders, fertility journeys, postpartum transitions, perimenopause, immune system disorders or illness, or the general demands of life, where emotional regulation can feel like a daily challenge. Grounding yoga meets us exactly where we are and offers a gentle path forward.
The Connection Between Grounding and Increased Serotonin Levels
Emerging research suggests that grounding the body, whether through yoga, walking barefoot on natural surfaces, or lying on the ground, can help increase serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter responsible for mood regulation, and low levels are often associated with anxiety and depression.
Grounding yoga supports this process by helping the body drop into a parasympathetic state—the “rest and digest” mode where healing and emotional regulation occur. As we hold steady poses like Mountain or Child’s Pose, we invite our brain chemistry to shift into a more relaxed and balanced state.
Can Grounding Yoga Help Reduce Anxiety and Depression?
Yes, being in contact with the Earth while doing yoga delivers a double whammy, as both yoga and grounding are different ways to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. When combined, we create a potent synergy that calms the nervous system, stabilizes emotional reactivity, and enhances body awareness, all of which are essential components in mental health care.
For many women, especially those moving through the emotional highs and lows of fertility challenges or postpartum recovery, the roller coaster of perimenopause, immune system disorders, or illness, grounding yoga becomes a safe space to reconnect with their bodies, release fear, and rebuild trust in their inner resilience.
Root Chakra and Grounding Yoga Poses
Top Yoga Poses for Immediate Anxiety Relief
When anxiety hits, the following yoga poses can offer immediate relief:
- Child’s Pose (Balasana): A forward-folding posture that brings the forehead to the Earth, calming the brain and soothing the nervous system.
- Mountain Pose (Tadasana): A standing pose that invites awareness into the soles of the feet, encouraging stillness and strength. Use your breath to focus on lifting the crown to the sky (yes, a paradox), and notice the difference in the ground foot.
Grounding yoga poses like Mountain Pose (Tadasana) can help anchor your mind and body, promoting stability, focus, and a deeper sense of calm in daily life. - Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): A gentle backbend that opens the heart while keeping the body anchored to the mat. Focus on the belly and its movement as you breathe into your diaphragm.
- Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani): A restorative inversion that relaxes the body and promotes circulation. If you are not menstruating, then place a small cushion or folded blanket under your hips for an extra effect as blood pressure lowers and heart rate slows.
These postures invite the body into stillness and the breath into rhythm, key elements for easing anxiety.
How Yoga Calms the Nervous System and Reduces Stress Hormones
Grounding yoga helps regulate the autonomic nervous system by activating the vagus nerve and enhancing parasympathetic tone. This leads to a reduction in cortisol, the primary stress hormone, and an increase in relaxation responses.
Through consistent practice, we can train our nervous system to recover more quickly from stress, reducing overall anxiety and enhancing our emotional flexibility.
Best Grounding Yoga Poses for Anxiety Relief
Understanding the Root Chakra and Its Role in Stability
The root chakra forms the energetic foundation of the entire body. When it’s balanced, we feel secure, steady, and supported. When it’s imbalanced, we may feel anxious, panicked, or overwhelmed. Signs of imbalance can include:
- Chronic worry or fear
- Emotional instability
- Lack of motivation
- Disconnection from the body
- Feeling “spacey” or ungrounded
- Like a butterfly, flitting from one project to another, making little progress in any
By working with grounding yoga poses that activate the legs, feet, and pelvic floor, we stimulate the root chakra and restore balance.
Grounding Yoga Poses to Activate and Balance the Root Chakra
Some of the best poses to support the root chakra include the following:
- Tree Pose (Vrksasana): All standing balances require focus, which is challenging when the mind is disturbed. Be patient and have a wall to the side for fingertip touch. Enhances balance and focus while rooting through one foot.
- Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II): Strengthens the legs and creates a feeling of power and presence.
- Garland Pose (Malasana): Squatting – Opens the hips and encourages connection to the Earth.
- Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana): Brings attention inward and promotes stillness.
- All Yin yoga postures: These are floor-based yoga postures where we use our breath and mind to surrender to the pull of gravity and the Earth
- All Restorative yoga postures: These are postures where we feel the supports beneath us and let go of them
These poses not only build strength and flexibility but also create a deeper connection to our inner stability.
Signs of an Imbalanced Root Chakra and How to Restore Balance
If you notice signs of imbalance like restlessness, insecurity, or chronic stress, returning to grounding practices can help. In addition to yoga, grounding techniques like walking barefoot, connecting with nature, and using calming breathwork can all support root chakra healing.
Enhancing Grounding with Additional Techniques
Breathwork Practices to Deepen Grounding
The breath in yoga is a powerful tool for grounding. Practices like Ujjayi, diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, or alternate nostril breathing help calm the mind and reconnect us to our bodies.
I have borrowed a breath from Qi Gong called Soft Chui. For a descending and cooling energy purse, the lips are pursed, and the breath is the softest, slowest, smoothest exhalation with a natural inhalation. This can be practiced in postures, with movement, or in meditation.
Try spending 5–10 minutes daily in stillness, focusing on slow, deep breathing; it can make a difference.
Meditation and Visualization for Grounding Energy
Guided meditations that focus on the root chakra or visualizing roots extending from the body into the Earth can deepen the effects of your yoga practice.
Try this: Wherever you are sitting or standing, close your eyes, press down into the earth or chair as you inhale, and lift your crown to the sky as you exhale. Repeat for 5 minutes. You will notice an immediate state of calm and steadiness as we work on the internal forces/ core activations.
These techniques strengthen the mind-body connection and enhance your ability to stay present during stressful moments.
Combining Yoga with Grounding Exercises for Maximum Benefits
For a truly supportive practice, combine grounding yoga with nature walks, journaling, sound healing, or even simply lying down on the Earth. These rituals, practiced consistently, help restore balance, resilience, and a sense of inner calm.
Grounding yoga offers more than just physical benefits; it’s a nurturing, deeply restorative practice that helps us feel safe, stable, and emotionally supported. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, working through a fertility journey, or simply looking for more peace in your life, grounding yoga poses can be a powerful ally.
Start small. Roll out your mat. Take a deep breath. And begin to come home to yourself—one steady, rooted step at a time.