Grounding Ourselves in the Earth: Finding Your Feet

The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth.

– Chief Seattle

We find groundedness in connecting with Earth, our home.

Season 5 has been all about our connection to nature and Chief Seattle's statement reminds us why that connection is so strong and can be so powerful in our lives. When we take a moment to be in nature and ground ourselves there, it is a remembering, a coming home – the same way it feels so good to come home at the end of a long day or trip away. The plants and animals, the dirt, the insects —we are all made of different combinations of the same universal "stuff."

Today's episode (Season 5, Episode 20) features a mindful grounding meditation but you can easily do it yourself any time you are feeling dis-ease or disconnection. The secret is your feet. Whether you are indoors or out (I recommend out), your feet are the key to quickly connecting to the earth. It helps to remove your shoes if at all possible. Seated or standing with your feet flat on the ground, settle in, find your breath and then move your focus to your feet. Noticing especially the parts of your foot that touch the earth and how that contact feels. If visualization techniques work for you, imagine roots moving from your feet into the earth below, reconnecting you.

Another way to deeply connect is simply to get dirty! Kids often understand this joyful activity best...walking barefoot, moving their hands through the dirt, picking up rocks and leaves and branches. Connect. That's what it's all about.