Sitting in my favorite chair on the porch enjoying the evening sun. The neighbor kids play hide and seek. Running barefoot, feet slapping on the pavement, racing to find that perfect hiding spot. Barefoot. What a feeling.
As a kid, the soles of my feet were blackened and calloused. I only wore shoes for school and bad weather. Going without shoes was natural. I kick off my sandals and look at my feet. Thinking of the many places they've been. The lines and scars; each tell a story. Memories come.
Growing up, summer storms turned our dirt road to mud. The warm clay oozed between my toes as the rain washed my body. The ditches overflowed as I splashed in the murky brown water. Up the road, the puddles were knee high where the ruts ran deep.
Ready or not, here I come, yells the seeker, bringing me back to present. Stealth-like, running on her tiptoes. Now she's farther away. They come out of hiding and race to home base before being tagged! Caught up in their game, I let out a breath as I see one, two, three of them reach the tree, home base.
My mind escapes the moment again as I slip back in time. I used to run barefoot. Grabbing the pavement with the ball of my foot, pushing off with my toes, landing gently again as my stride lengthened. The friction of the road against on my not-so-tender feet gave me one extra bit of power, propelling me forward as I ran hard. I could outrun about anybody, even the boys! They wore shoes.
Nowadays, I have to make a conscious decision to remove my shoes. Shoes are on my feet most hours of every day; slippers in the morning, clogs in the garden, slings to work, running shoes, tennis shoes, hiking shoes. I even have 'swimming' shoes! The list goes on and on. I think for a moment. Oh my, where has the barefoot kid from West Virginia gone? I have so many shoes!
My feet miss the feeling of dirt, wet grass, and mud holes. Connecting to earth; in a skin-to-skin sort of way. Outside, climbing the hills, jumping along the big rocks out front. Down the hill through the knee high weeds, I'd find my way to the muddy banks of the creek. My feet and earth - they were one. I was one with the earth. I was wearing earth. I was the earth. I felt grounded, connected, protected. I take a silent vow to wear shoes a little less often. My feet wish to celebrate and dance with Mother Earth once again.
I encourage you to kick off your shoes a little more often too. Wiggle your toes. Walk through a mud hole. Run in the grass. See your feet like you did as a baby. You might not remember this, but look at a baby sometime when they discover their feet, their toes! You did that too. Give your feet the gift of exploration without barriers, without shoes. Let them feel Earth once again. Remember that freedom?
Going barefoot is a fun way to get grounded. It is great if you can go barefoot outside, but inside is good too. In fact, make a habit of kicking off your shoes when you come in the house. When you do this, imagine leaving all your burdens with those shoes; not bringing them into your sacred space. Leave them, your worries, troubles, heartache, right there. Make it a ritual; kick off the 'stuff' when you kick off your shoes. Leave it all at the door.
My bare feet are so much happier. They are free! My toes are tickled by the grass as I walk outside. I linger to my garden, pick a fresh tomato and pop it in my mouth. Oh, Earth, how satisfying, how nurturing. The tartness in my mouth, the warmth beneath my feet; I am grounded.
Try going barefoot a bit more while summer hangs on. Feel Earth's energy as she massages the bottoms of your feet with her healing, grounding, power; her love and protection.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Law 1: Grounding (Root Chakra & 365 List)
The first 'Law of Truth' is about being grounded. In Energy Medicine, being grounded is related to the body's first energy center, also called the Root Chakra.
The word Chakra comes from Sanskrit, one of the ancient languages of India, and is commonly heard in the practice of yoga. The chakras are energetic centers located in the subtle energy field in and around our bodies and run along the spinal column. The chakras receive and transmit life force energy and, if understood, act as guideposts on our journey through life. Because the chakras vibrate to match ones' health, it is possible to 'read' the chakras to gain a better understanding for ones' overall state of well-being. If desired, anyone can learn to read their energy-body through understanding the chakra system; even at the most basic level. The word's origin comes from "car" meaning "to move" and is often described as a spinning wheel or disc. The higher the vibration, the faster the chakra is spinning.
It is believed that our bodies have hundreds of chakras. When we focus on healing the seven primary chakras the other energy centers tend to entrain, that is to say, vibrate, to the higher and healthier frequency of the major seven. The first six chakras align with, and run the length of, the spine, starting at the base, or coccyx, and end at the medulla, or the lower back of the skull, in the area of the occipital ridge. This back region is considered the negative pole of the sixth chakra; the positive pole is located at the point between the eyebrows, also known as the third eye. The seventh, and final, major chakra is located at the top of the head and is called the crown chakra.
The Root, or first, chakra is literally the foundation of the chakra system and resides at the base of the spine. The root chakra corresponds to the feeling of being grounded, secure, safe and cultivates our sense of belonging, or community. Physically, the root chakra is associated with the legs, bones, feet, and immune system, to name a few. With a healthy vibration in the Root Chakra all other chakras are more easily awakened; opening up potential healing in all areas of our Being. The first chakra is generally seen as red and vibrates to the resonance of Earth's healing and grounding energy.
Below is one of my favorite techniques for keeping my foundation, my root chakra, strong and healthy, helping me to stay grounded.
Make a"365 List": Several years ago, during a particularly hard time, I started what I call my '365 List'. The intent was to note one thing I'm privileged for to represent the 365 days of the year. I figured this would be a good list to go to when feeling down or when life had treated me unfairly. It would be a good reminder of how good I have it when caught up in feeling sorry for myself, for example! Confident I could come up with 365 things in no time, I got started on my handy-dandy 'go to' guidebook.
I bought a notebook especially for my 365 'privileges'. But, before writing anything, I numbered every other line on the pages 1 through 365. The numbers served as a placeholder for each entry and provided a nice visual to track my progress. I planned to make the entries short so one line, with a space in between, would do just fine. And to make it even easier, I prefaced each entry with the same statement by adding the following header at the top of each page: 'I feel so privileged for _______ ' -OR- 'I am so privileged because _______'. The empty numbers on each page represented the blank and now awaited my input! As I fanned through the pages of my empty notebook, a sense of urgency and excitement filled me. So, I began! In no time, I had two full pages! It was so easy! This was a ton of fun and made me so happy to see my privileges in print; this made them real. I was already feeling so much better!
To provide an example and get you thinking, here are some things for which I am privileged: (because) I am a mom; (for) my loving husband; (for) having arms and legs; (because) I can smell the rain; (for) my old house; (because) I have food; (because) I can swim; (for) having four brothers; (for) having four sisters; (for) the parents I chose; (for) my job; (because) I can read; (because) I can speak. What a remarkable feeling! My list quickly grew! So empowering!
But, alas, to my surprise, number 365 suddenly seemed out of reach. My pace slowed, my mind emptied. Did I mention, no repeats allowed! This was proving to be more difficult than expected. Feeling a bit deflated, I stopped trying to think so hard and read the entries so far. Reading these simple words representing some part of my life, my spirits lifted. I was pleased with my start and resolved not to force it. With reminders each day, my list would grow from one more memory, one thought, one gift, one privilege at a time; there was no hurry. It no longer mattered when I reached number 365.
To this day, I continue adding to my list, and have found this exercise to be very humbling. And I share this with you here because I find it tremendously relevant. To be reminded of our many gifts is quite humbling. And to be humbled is indeed quite grounding.
I keep my 365 notebook visible. If feeling blue or ungrounded, all I need to do is look at it. I don't even need to open it. My mind's eye recalls the empty lines awaiting an entry. My little book keeps me looking for just one more gift, one more blessing, one more privilege.
I challenge you to write your own "365 List". And it would be fun if you shared some 'privileges' with me. I am working on a (self-help/personal-growth) book that will include more about the "365 List" and it would be my honor to include some of your privileges!
Upcoming posts will highlight some scenarios that potentially harm the root chakra and how an imbalance in this first chakra can create dissonance with the other chakras. You will also find more tips on how to bring your root chakra back to center, giving you a firm foundation to build on.
For more information, see my monthly newsletter at: http://seattleenergymedicine.blogspot.com/
You may reach me directly via my web site at www.seattleenergymedicine.com or email at ruth@seattleenergymedicine.com or by phone at 206-708-3277.
The word Chakra comes from Sanskrit, one of the ancient languages of India, and is commonly heard in the practice of yoga. The chakras are energetic centers located in the subtle energy field in and around our bodies and run along the spinal column. The chakras receive and transmit life force energy and, if understood, act as guideposts on our journey through life. Because the chakras vibrate to match ones' health, it is possible to 'read' the chakras to gain a better understanding for ones' overall state of well-being. If desired, anyone can learn to read their energy-body through understanding the chakra system; even at the most basic level. The word's origin comes from "car" meaning "to move" and is often described as a spinning wheel or disc. The higher the vibration, the faster the chakra is spinning.
It is believed that our bodies have hundreds of chakras. When we focus on healing the seven primary chakras the other energy centers tend to entrain, that is to say, vibrate, to the higher and healthier frequency of the major seven. The first six chakras align with, and run the length of, the spine, starting at the base, or coccyx, and end at the medulla, or the lower back of the skull, in the area of the occipital ridge. This back region is considered the negative pole of the sixth chakra; the positive pole is located at the point between the eyebrows, also known as the third eye. The seventh, and final, major chakra is located at the top of the head and is called the crown chakra.
The Root, or first, chakra is literally the foundation of the chakra system and resides at the base of the spine. The root chakra corresponds to the feeling of being grounded, secure, safe and cultivates our sense of belonging, or community. Physically, the root chakra is associated with the legs, bones, feet, and immune system, to name a few. With a healthy vibration in the Root Chakra all other chakras are more easily awakened; opening up potential healing in all areas of our Being. The first chakra is generally seen as red and vibrates to the resonance of Earth's healing and grounding energy.
Below is one of my favorite techniques for keeping my foundation, my root chakra, strong and healthy, helping me to stay grounded.
Make a"365 List": Several years ago, during a particularly hard time, I started what I call my '365 List'. The intent was to note one thing I'm privileged for to represent the 365 days of the year. I figured this would be a good list to go to when feeling down or when life had treated me unfairly. It would be a good reminder of how good I have it when caught up in feeling sorry for myself, for example! Confident I could come up with 365 things in no time, I got started on my handy-dandy 'go to' guidebook.
I bought a notebook especially for my 365 'privileges'. But, before writing anything, I numbered every other line on the pages 1 through 365. The numbers served as a placeholder for each entry and provided a nice visual to track my progress. I planned to make the entries short so one line, with a space in between, would do just fine. And to make it even easier, I prefaced each entry with the same statement by adding the following header at the top of each page: 'I feel so privileged for _______ ' -OR- 'I am so privileged because _______'. The empty numbers on each page represented the blank and now awaited my input! As I fanned through the pages of my empty notebook, a sense of urgency and excitement filled me. So, I began! In no time, I had two full pages! It was so easy! This was a ton of fun and made me so happy to see my privileges in print; this made them real. I was already feeling so much better!
To provide an example and get you thinking, here are some things for which I am privileged: (because) I am a mom; (for) my loving husband; (for) having arms and legs; (because) I can smell the rain; (for) my old house; (because) I have food; (because) I can swim; (for) having four brothers; (for) having four sisters; (for) the parents I chose; (for) my job; (because) I can read; (because) I can speak. What a remarkable feeling! My list quickly grew! So empowering!
But, alas, to my surprise, number 365 suddenly seemed out of reach. My pace slowed, my mind emptied. Did I mention, no repeats allowed! This was proving to be more difficult than expected. Feeling a bit deflated, I stopped trying to think so hard and read the entries so far. Reading these simple words representing some part of my life, my spirits lifted. I was pleased with my start and resolved not to force it. With reminders each day, my list would grow from one more memory, one thought, one gift, one privilege at a time; there was no hurry. It no longer mattered when I reached number 365.
To this day, I continue adding to my list, and have found this exercise to be very humbling. And I share this with you here because I find it tremendously relevant. To be reminded of our many gifts is quite humbling. And to be humbled is indeed quite grounding.
I keep my 365 notebook visible. If feeling blue or ungrounded, all I need to do is look at it. I don't even need to open it. My mind's eye recalls the empty lines awaiting an entry. My little book keeps me looking for just one more gift, one more blessing, one more privilege.
I challenge you to write your own "365 List". And it would be fun if you shared some 'privileges' with me. I am working on a (self-help/personal-growth) book that will include more about the "365 List" and it would be my honor to include some of your privileges!
Upcoming posts will highlight some scenarios that potentially harm the root chakra and how an imbalance in this first chakra can create dissonance with the other chakras. You will also find more tips on how to bring your root chakra back to center, giving you a firm foundation to build on.
For more information, see my monthly newsletter at: http://seattleenergymedicine.blogspot.com/
You may reach me directly via my web site at www.seattleenergymedicine.com or email at ruth@seattleenergymedicine.com or by phone at 206-708-3277.
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