Today is Earth Day; developed to raise awareness for environmental protection. A day to be grateful and respectful for the earth we live on.
A perfect way to connect yourself with the earth is by practicing some grounding yoga poses. Grounding yoga poses can help to quiet the mind and release anxiety. When your first chakra or muladhara chakra is balanced, you’re grounded in the world, both emotionally and physically. It shows in your posture, in the way you walk and in the way you feel about yourself. You feel a sense of security and stability.
One of the basic grounding yoga poses is Tadasana or Mountain Posture:
Tadasana establishes the basic alignment for other standing poses. It may seem an easy pose, but an experienced yogi will agree that the pose isn’t that easy as it may look like. Most people for example find it hard to keep their balance in Tadasana if their feet are touching and their eyes are closed. There are many alignment cues, you could focus on in this Mountain Pose:
- Toes spread wide
- Inner thighs rolling back
- Tailbone drawing down
- Tops of thigh bones back
- Shoulder blades together
- Biceps externally rotated
- Chin drawn back
At the same time you focus on the feeling of your feet rooting into the earth. During big life events or stressful periods, most people can definitely benefit from grounding yoga poses. I have experienced myself that during an emigration process, you’re highly likely to lose your ‘earth connection’ temporarily. Physically, you need to learn to ground in a totally different environment. Clearly, an emigration has emotionally affects as well. I dealt with feelings of insecurity and anxiety among others. Slowly, I learn to trust life again and feeling more settled in my new life. If you are in need for more grounding, it is better to avoid backbends and quick sun salutations in your yoga practice, since they may further agitate your mind. A more restorative or gently yoga session is recommended to help calm your mind.
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