Grounding Practice With Mother Earth By Dr. Peggy Rowe Ward

The theme of the guided meditation, offered by Dr. Peggy Rowe Ward, co-founder of the Lotus Institute, is to create a circle of safety and well-being that can serve as a space of peace you can return to whenever you need. The practice includes a warm-up practice to center the body and mind, followed by a guided meditation.

Transcript

Good day to you. This is Peggy Rowe with you. We're gonna begin with just a very simple vagus nerve exercise that can help us in our core to let go of fear and things we're holding. So very simple. Just begin by just warming up your hands, Just rubbing them, Just enjoying the sensation of the rub and the sound. And just noticing the temperature shift. Maybe, Maybe not. So we're gonna begin by using both hands with the ears just to rub the full ear as we're breathing behind it and the little curb. A very light and loving touch. And then also do some tugs, Pulling our ears out to the side as you breathe, Feeling the stretch. And then we're gonna use our pointer fingers to do slow circles on the top part of the ear. Any direction because we're gonna go both ways. Breathing, Knowing the vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body. Both directions. Good. We're gonna rub our hands again but just notice what you notice. You've just given some loving care to your ears and the vagus nerve. Rubbing our hands again and getting them warm. Then we're gonna cup both hands over our eyes, Hand over each eye, Feeling the warmth of the hand, Penetrating the eyes, Enjoying the darkness. And three breaths. And then we're gonna move to the jaws, Both hands over the jaw, Feeling the warmth, Breathing. Now the heart, Both hands on top of each other on the heart, Over the heart center, And aware of the front and back side of the heart. And now we're gonna move one hand to the belly, Keeping one on the heart. This for me is the Thich Nhat Hanh, I have arrived, I am home, Posture, I have arrived, I am home, I have arrived, I am home. And for the next practice you can keep your hands here or rest them on your thighs, Whatever feels more comfortable. Good. Here again we're gonna work with energies of grounding. This is from Master Dogen, 14th century Japanese Zen master. Become aware of the vertical energy that runs through your whole body, Earth to sky. Coming aware of your feet and the bubbling spring at the bottom of the feet. You can also do this standing. Now we're seated. Feel the aliveness of the earth beneath your feet. Earth energy moving through the body. Earth energy grounding us, Nourishing us, Sustaining us. Mother Earth, Here I am. And in my own practice I had to open up the channels and the legs more. So in my own practice I imagine I have a like a cosmic bottle brush that opens that channel. I've also had friends that use like a special tool, Like a magical crystal, But whatever works for you to get a sense of encouraging more opening. This helps us ground. It's our vertical energy. I often feel my heart lifting a little and my shoulders dropping, But just notice what you notice. I feel a little taller, I'm aware of the vertebrae, My back a little bit more. And this energy is always running, We're just tuning into it. Earth to sky. Good. Now the horizontal energy that runs through our whole body from the side. This energy connects us with people, Animals, Plants and minerals. And lately I've been reminding myself that I used to be a fish, According to science. So feel those gills on the side of the body. They can breathe. I often forget the side seams. Again our connection with all of nature, With each other. Here I often feel my hips and shoulders just feeling a little wider. Notice what you notice. Again this energy is flowing, We're just opening to it. Good. And now we're going to tip back and forth a little bit on our pelvis and rocking. And then lean into the back side of the body. And tipping forward and leaning into the front side of the body. Good. And then coming back to whatever feels like center in your plumb line. So we're aware of the depth. With my own practice I often imagine ancestors behind me with soft and loving touch, A light touch on my shoulders. Good. Now the whole body. See if you can get a sense of the whole body here. The shape of your body, The space of your body in the room. Again noticing what you notice. Each day is a little different. Sometimes I notice I'm a little, My shoulder is higher on one side than the other or that I'm leaning a little. Naming that, Just notice. You don't have to correct yourself but notice it. Today I'm leaning a little to the left. And if you need any more grounding help, This is for grounding. You can imagine that you've got a big T-Rex tail. Notice what you notice. We notice with curiosity and love. Oh, Really aware of this or oh, This is missing or whatever you noticed. Just love it. Good. And now I want to invite the bell. We're going to do a short sit after saying hello to our vagus nerve and grounding. So now we're going to move into a short guided meditation following our warm-up of the vagus nerve and then our practice of grounding. The sound of the bell is the voice of the Buddha within calling us back to our true home. May all hearers awaken from forgetfulness and transcend all sorrow and anxiety. Invite your body to relax and see yourself in a sacred circle or a circle of love. And for this practice, I'd really like you to stay on the ground in this circle. This circle can be light or can be ancestors or angels or spirit guides or can be trees, Rocks, Plants and animals. Find yourself on the earth in a beautiful and safe place. It might be a place of your imagination or a place you've been to before. You can tune in with your senses if you care to, Any sounds, Smells, Temperatures. Get aware of the earth beneath your feet, The quality and what you notice, Whether it's dirt or sand or grass, Pine needles. Just notice what you notice. So we're going to begin here with safety. You can either look slowly to all directions or move in a slow way to make sure you're safe. To the left, To the right, Above, Below, Front, Around. And say to yourself, Silently or out loud, I am safe. Anchor that in and if you don't feel it, See what your body would like. I am safe. And just notice what you notice with your body as you anchor in safety. We're teaching our body and mind to notice safety, To be safety, To be peace. And now I want to invite you to bring to your circle in nature a resource for well-being for you today. A resource is something positive and lovely. And some days a resource might be peace or humor or health. It might be a positive memory capsule or a favorite smell or song or person or pet. But a resource for well-being for you today. And welcome this whether you see it or just know it. And this resource, Whether it's doing a yoga pose or cooking with a friend, Or just bring that memory into your whole body, Not just an idea. This resource for well-being. And as you sit with this knowing or memory or even visualization of a resource, Just notice what you notice with your body. Body that's been warmed up and grounded and in a safe place. See if you can bring the resource into your whole body, Breathing it in. So we give thanks for whatever resource for well-being appeared today. Person, Animal, Plant, Mineral, Memory. We took the time to savor and soak in it with our body, With our mind. Coming back from the place on earth where you had your circle, Taking any guides that helped you, Finding your way back to where you're seated. Mother Earth, Here I am.