Grounding Myself
Remembering the essential work of putting on my own oxygen mask first, and a 15-minute practice for the root chakra.
I don’t like to start my posts with a jump scare, but that’s how I began my morning.
I made the critical mistake of doing something I so often advise others to avoid: I rolled out of bed and, before the sun was up or the coffee poured, opened my news feed. What I found there frightened me more than any Halloween haunted house ever could. As a former US Department of Agriculture employee, current farmer and health coach, resident of rural America, and human being, the idea that feeding people can be politically weaponized frightens, nauseates, and unsettles me.
I spent most of the remainder of the day fighting back rising anxiety and anger - trying, with limited success, to get the ground back under me. Time on the mat. Morning pages. A long walk with the junior pup. A good long think, some longer text threads with friends. Another walk; my favorite class at the gym. All usually useful, but fairly impotent against that early-morning cortisol spike.
Today was one of those days I needed a reminder that rushing straight into the fray is almost never as useful or illuminating as we think it’s going to be. I forgot to put on my parachute before opening the airplane doors and jumping out. Note to self - and maybe to you: some days it’s not so easy to jump back into the airplane for a do-over. It’s a very good idea to check your equipment first. The way you start your day matters.
In yoga, the muladhara or root chakra is linked to our sense of security, safety, and rootedness. We can feel unrooted, uprooted, when basic needs - food, water, shelter, financial resources - are threatened or uncertain, and that sense of instability can make it very hard to do anything else - including the absolutely essential work of caring for each other.
I like to think of grounding movement practices, meditation, and food as essential safety equipment. The sense of safety we gain through our practice can in turn help us turn our attention to the bigger question: What can I do today to help others feel safe? How can I support the health and well-being of my community?
Below: a 15-minute sequence focused on grounding and stability, and the audio version of this post. May you (and all beings) be safe.
Movement sequence:
Post audio: