Kava’s Magic: Why It Grounds You Instead of Sedating
It's oddly fascinating the way everyone yammers away when they talk about kava. Some say "calming," some say "soothing," but one term that's always repeated among old timers is "grounding." Not dopey, not dopey but stable. When one describes kava as grounding, one's not talking about something that brings them down. One's talking about some kind of calm alertness, some equilibrium of the brain that brings one into the moment.
If you've ever stopped to consider why this very word grounding is so apt for kava, this is all about the connection this root enjoys with the body as much as the psyche, as well as the ability some strains of the kava have to calm instead of annihilate.
(You can have different kava extracts to try out this practice by yourself from Healing Herbals).
Sedating vs. Grounding — Two Different Realms
Sedating is the way something makes you feel slow, heavy-limbed, or sleepy. Sedation is downward-drawing energy; things are muted but too much usually. The body is relaxed feeling, the head is somewhat misty, and talking is much stultifying.
Grounding however is entirely different. Your body won't sink but rests. It's the feeling that you're returning to you present, stable, serene. You’re not floating nor floating away on thoughts but are grounded.
The unique chemistry and composition of the kava are the reasons why one does experience anything out of those.
Why Some Kavas Would Experience Grounding
All the kavas are different. What you end up with is determined by so many things it's breed, what method you process, even where you consume the coffee.
The Type of Kava Matters
There is something inherent to the "personality" within each strain of the kava root. Some are their radically relaxing body type, while others are their clearing type. All the variation is based upon their make-up of kavalactones the ratio of active ingredients that establishes the overall tone of the kava.
Roots that are concentrated with kava in are apt to leave one feeling lighter, clearer-headed those are the so-called grounding. Roots tilted toward the heavier weighted dihydromethysticin or dihydrokavain are apt to leave one feeling heavier, blanket-like.
The Way That It Is Prepared Matters
Old-fashioned whole root powder kava is milder, rounder in feeling than t' too-potent extracts. The superior extract a type produced by Healing Herbals, remains the full complement of the kavalactones with the subtle balance underlying the centering action of the herb.
If the extracting process is clean and respectful to the root, you will tend to feel earthed out instead of out of sorts.
The Amount You Take
The difference between numbing the senses versus stoning them is very minimal. A small dose will loosen up tension, but will keep your head up and aware. A large dose will make you feel weighed.
Old-school imbibers like to get small and wrap themselves up in serenity over the course of the evening. The point's not to pass out but to wind up present with sustained awareness.
A Realistic Method to Feel Kava's Grounding Aspect
Picture this: you've had a bad day, you're tensed up on the shoulders, you're out of it. You set out a small cup of kava, you take slow sips, you breathe out. Within minutes, the sharp edges off the things you're thinking are relaxing affecting not so you're spaced out, but so everything is that one degree more doable.
That is what grounding is. You're still present, still you, but you are much more grounded. The chatter drops away from the present moment, and what's left is presence.
If you select a kava extract that is going for this level of clarity, you're going to look for ones that are labeled as balanced or heady but not heavy or nighttime. The balanced strains will desire to invoke alertness and calmness rather than the weight.
The Magic of the Word "Grounding"
Describing the kava as grounding instead of sedating alters the narrative. It reminds us that stillness does not have to be dullness, relaxation does not have to be an escape. Grounding makes the remark that the very genius of the kava is to bring the body and the mind into an inner silence where you will be able to feel absolutely at rest but absolutely alive.
It's not surprising that people turn to kava when they need to be present instead of relax. The ceremony itself the melding, the sipping, the waiting already makes you present. The drink makes you all the more so.
In conclusion
When one describes the kava makes them "grounded," that's not really a word. That's the term for the evened balance the herb's power to soothe but not to anesthetize, open but not to take you out of the moment.
If you want to try giving that experience a try yourself, take a look through the kava extracts offered by Healing Herbals. Opt for balanced strains, unwind to begin with, and pay attention to how you're feeling. Eventually, you'll discover that the kava not only relaxes you but also grounds you.
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