S2 E10: Grounding Practice with Jenny Tucker: Finding Balance and Presence
About this episode:
In this Grounding Practice, Jenny Tucker– founder of The Centerline Community, a support community for new moms—guides us in finding balance and presence amidst hustle culture.
Follow @thisishowwecare on Instagram and sign up for our newsletter for additional practices and prompts from Jenny Tucker.
Join our Patreon Community for bonus content from our interview with Jenny Tucker.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Check out Centerline’s all new membership: “The Mothership”. Use the code CARE to access $20 off your first quarterly membership fee as well as contribute to the production of this podcast, through our affiliate model. The Mothership is removing barriers to support that many new moms experience in new motherhood, partnering with a powerhouse team of therapists, pelvic floor PTs, sleep consultants, life coaches, nutrition counselors, pediatric OTs and more.
Follow @thisishowwecare on Instagram or signup for our newsletter for more practices and prompts to embody Jenny’s vision
Follow @CenterlineCommunity on Instagram, or visit their website for more info on mother-centered workshops, memberships and offerings; sign up for their newsletter; or become a Centerline Partner
Join the This Is How We Care Patreon Community to support the production of this podcast and check out bonus content from Jenny, including:
Jenny’s experience wanting to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) with her 2nd baby and some of the challenges she faced within the medical system
Jenny’s experience of wearing so many hats and having challenges taking a break from the weight that is recognizing where injustices against mothers, babies, and women exist within our current systems
The evolution of Centerline from a counseling service to a community that is helping moms find the centerline within themselves
If you want to listen to the full episode that accompanies this Grounding Practice, click here
Full Episode Transcript:
[00:00:00] Emily Race-Newmark: Welcome to This is How We Care, a podcast where we look at what it means to embody care, not as an individual practice, but a collective one, and to see what kind of world emerges from this place. Thank you for being here. I'm your host, Emily Race. Welcome to This is How We Care, a podcast where we look at what it means to embody care, not as an individual practice, but a collective one, and to see what kind of world emerges from this place.
[00:00:28] Emily Race-Newmark: Thank you for being here. I am your host, Emily Race.
[00:00:32] Emily Race-Newmark: This grounding practice is brought to you by Jenny Tucker of Centerline Community.
[00:00:37] Emily Race-Newmark: To listen to our interview, check out that separate episode wherever you listen to the This Is How We Care podcast. You can also sign up for our Patreon at pateron.com/thisishowwecare Care to check out bonus content that didn't make it into the final edit.
[00:00:51] Emily Race-Newmark: If you're able, take this time to fully get into your body, to relax, to find a comfortable position and allow Jenny to guide you through this meditation practice as a way to get connected to a part of yourself that may be more difficult to access when we're constantly in motion.
[00:01:14] Emily Race-Newmark: This practice also sets up context for the conversation that follows in our full interview.
[00:01:20] Emily Race-Newmark: Without further ado, I'll pass the mic over to Jenny.
[00:01:24] Jenny Tucker: Ground your feet to the floor. I always find I'm sitting on one foot. So I'm untucking my feet, pressing my heels on the ground. Lift the crown of your head up tall.
[00:01:32] Jenny Tucker: Bring your shoulders up to your ears and then back towards the wall behind you and then drop your elbows towards the ground. Do that again and add breath into it. Lift the center of your chest and your shoulders up and bring them back and down. Lift that center of your chest forward and let your palms roll open as you do that and then rest them on your thighs.
[00:01:55] Jenny Tucker: And then notice your sit bones, allow them to get heavier on whatever you're sitting on. Or if you're standing, you can just draw your tailbone down and then keep lifting the crown of your head high.
[00:02:09] Jenny Tucker: I'm in a chair, so I'm going to let myself lean back. Lift your chin up slightly, and invite in a couple more of those breaths in through your nose, out through your mouth. Noticing again your feet, around your heels to the floor. And I always remind myself, be right where your feet are. Because my mind likes to go a million other places.
[00:02:31] Jenny Tucker: And out. [Breath] And I also like to decide with my palms right now, keep them up to receive if I need some energy or whatever I want to receive and invite in. Or if you need more grounding, which I think is what we're doing here, flip your palms down. Touch your own body right on your thighs, or I like to do my chest and my belly. Take another couple of breaths...feeling the air, fuel your body. And then feel the exhale.
[00:03:04] Jenny Tucker: Take one more using the full capacity of your lungs. So breathe in. And then once you reach your capacity, take an extra sip.
[00:03:15] Jenny Tucker: And then slowly exhale. Same thing when you reach the bottom, keep pushing out, get all the stale air out from the bottom of your lungs.
[00:03:27] Jenny Tucker: And invite in your natural breath. Invite in a natural spot for your hands. Again, palms down or up.
[00:03:37] Jenny Tucker: And then open your eyes. If they're closed, take back in your surrounding. Reminding yourself to be again, right where your feet are, even when your mind wants to take you elsewhere. And here we are.
[00:03:50] Emily Race-Newmark: Thank you for listening. If you want to continue with us on this journey, please check out the full interview with Jenny.
[00:03:57] Emily Race-Newmark: Hope to see you there.