As we feel the reverberating effects of the solar eclipse, it is valuable to reflect on the condition of our internal world and what we bring into the external world. It is so easy to get caught up in the swirling energy of hate and destruction that is so visible these days. Instead, I invite you to step into a conscious relationship with all of the life that is around us.
Life is expressed in a wide variety of ways and is easiest to feel outdoors in a natural environment. Have you ever noticed that you feel joyful and alive when you step into a national park or open space? There are well designed gardens that elicit that feeling too. Even some of the most manicured gardens are so full of life source energy that the air is simply buzzing!
We get stuck inside for so much of each day when working in office environments or even stay-at-home parents who are running around on errands, cooking and cleaning. So, how do we connect in a meaningful way to this life that surrounds us? One way is to simply spend more time outdoors. I like to stand outside next to a tree and meditate. Or sit with a favorite bush. This can be done in your own yard or if you don’t have an appealing yard, go to a local park.
A lovely Standing Meditation that I frequently use in my Tai Chi Gong class goes like this:
Stand with the feet parallel and underneath the hips with knees slightly bent (soft) and the weight on the thighs. Close your eyes. Find the tan t’ien (a spot two – three fingers width below the navel). Feel the breath moving in and out of this location. Look for a sensation of movement and collection of energy in the tan t’ien.
Gradually, move your attention down the legs, allowing the chi (energy) to flow with your attention. When you get to the feet, imagine roots extending into the earth. Sense the earth’s response to this conscious, intentional connection. Next, draw your awareness back up through the legs and tan t’ien. As you move upward into the torso, imagine the collected chi following and filling your torso side to side and top to bottom.
As your mind leads you to the neck and head, feel the rhythm of the earth filling you completely. Open the spot on the top of your head and allow this connection to spread up to the sky above. Take a deep breath and feel in all parts of your body your new union with the earth.
When you are filled with the earthly chi, allow yourself to shift your attention to the heavenly chi that is above you. Consciously begin to draw that energy earthward by opening up the crown of the head and receive the blessings from above. The heavenly chi will sink down through the body, filling the torso and blending with the earthly chi, as it makes it’s way down to the tan t’ien, filling the pelvis and spilling down the legs to the feet.
As you stand in this perfectly balanced space, held by the heavens and the earth, open your senses and see what you perceive. The heightening of our senses in this meditation allows us to be completely immersed in the life that is all around us. If you want, you can gently open your eyes and see what life becomes visible while in this relaxed state.
Would you like to learn more about how to live in sync with nature? Become part of the community of people that are delving into this experience through the Seasons program. A new program starts in October, 2017.
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