Life can really serve up some curveballs and it can be so difficult to go about your day just knowing that your mind is completely scattered.
And although we can't control all of the events going on the outside,
We can work on stabilizing what is going on in the inside.
And sometimes it means that there's something out of balance in your body.
And if you've ever gone to a yoga class or heard some yoga teachings,
You probably heard about the chakra system.
And although we sometimes see the chakras as like a supplement,
You work on this chakra to take care of this,
It's mostly about recognizing the imbalances and maybe if one part is stuck,
It means also that another part might be in excess.
So although I'm not a big fan of working one particular chakra at a time,
We are going to be focusing on the root chakra.
And if we pay attention to the energies,
We have the upward energy called the prana.
In prana,
We do breath practices,
It's about building this overall prana or life force within our body,
But the actual prana itself is the upward movement.
And then apana is the downward movement.
So then when your life gets really scattered,
It's a call for you to focus on the apana.
And you can even notice if you lack a sense of grounding,
It could show up in some digestive issues because we're not solid there.
So in other words,
The prana is the upward force is about liberation,
But sometimes what happens when we don't have that seat,
The forces of liberation can be very scattered and also maybe delusional.
And then on the other hand,
When you have too much apana,
We can be very sluggish and even depressed.
So let's see if we can build on this grounding energy.
So see if possible,
If you're sitting on a chair,
Feel what it's like to place your heels,
Ground your heels into the floor.
And if you're sitting on the floor or a cushion,
Notice what it feels like to press the tailbone into your cushion or the floor.
You might notice that the core and the lower body might engage.
Of course,
Remember that chakras aren't physical entities,
But your body can help you visualize this grounding energy.
So let's take a deep breath and with the breath,
Feel the energy pulling down and then grounding you on the inhale.
Just feel the sit bones,
Feel the heels if you're sitting on a chair,
Feel that grounding.
And then the exhale,
Let it go.
Just feel the energy coming back up.
Inhale,
Feel the grounding,
That solid base.
And exhale,
Move the energy up.
You can imagine that exchange of energy,
The energy from the sun coming down and then on the exhale,
Moving up.
And you might even notice on the inhale,
If you're sitting in a chair or if you're sitting on the ground,
Notice on the inhale,
Extend your spine as you are grounding your seat and your heels if you're sitting in a chair.
Notice the extension in your spine and then exhale,
Just kind of let it go.
So we're inhaling,
Feeling the grounding energy tapping into us,
Extending the spine,
And then exhale,
Feel the liberating energy moving up.
So one of the great metaphors for grounding is a tree.
And so let's hear from Herman Hesse.
He writes,
When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer,
A tree has something to say to us,
Be still,
Be still.
Look at me.
Life is not easy.
Life is not difficult.
Those are childish thoughts.
Home is neither here nor there.
Home is within you,
Or home is nowhere at all.
So let's see if we can embody that life of a tree using our breath and using our ability to imagine.
So maybe there's a tree that you encounter often,
Or maybe you can visualize a broad life-giving tree in your mind.
And just notice how it gets some energy from the sun.
And so when it's thriving in the spring,
In the summer,
It is opening its leaves to help drink in the energy of the sun,
And then it pulls it down.
So imagine the leaves pulling in,
Drinking in the sun,
And then giving it to the bark and giving it deep down into the roots.
And then in the same way,
The roots reach out into the soil,
Ground it deep into the earth and feed the nutrients up through the bark and the branches.
So the tree is that perfect example of the exchange of energy up and down.
And for today,
Let's focus really on the grounding,
The roots.
Feel your own base,
Your legs,
Your feet,
And the base of your spine plugging into the earth,
Just like a tree.
And with every breath,
Just feel that plugging in deep.
So inhale,
Send the energy down,
Plugging in deep.
And if you can,
You can even squeeze the root lock and call it a pelvic exercise,
A Kegel.
So squeeze the root lock on the inhale,
But it's not forceful,
It's just a light.
And then exhale,
Let the energy free up that liberating energy,
The upward.
So inhale,
Feel the extension.
Maybe just a slight lift in the pelvic area,
And then release,
Let it go up,
Feeling your prana liberate.
So feel that strong energy,
The deep roots on the tree.
Feel the roots holding you in the midst of the many winds,
The vibrations that can easily rocket off of its stable base.
But the deeper the roots,
The deeper the breath,
The better.
Continue to ground here,
Plugging in your roots,
Solidifying this base,
Keeping you stable,
Keeping you strong.
So even if the upper branches are swaying,
Your roots are extending deeper,
Reaching for those nutrients of the earth.
So let's hear from Thomas Merton.
A tree gives glory to God by being a tree.
For in being what God means it to be,
It is obeying him.
It consents,
So to speak,
To his creative love.
It is expressing an idea which is in God and which is not distinct from the essence of God.
And therefore,
A tree imitates God by being a tree.
And so even if you have some beautiful imaginings and some beautiful dreams of being,
Remember that you are still part of the essence of God.
And if you forget that,
You reach down into your roots,
Ground from there.
Remind yourself of that.
And then be the expression of what God intends you to be,
Rooted in God but also expressing God on the outside.
So anytime you come to a part of your life where things just seem to be so chaotic and unsettled,
Take a few moments,
Ground your feet,
Ground your sit bones,
And be like that tree.
Get your nourishment from the roots.
Find that stability there.
Then be that expression.
Take care.
