Namaste Dear Sonic Community,
Today is Earth Day! It’s time to celebrate the Natural World.
Nature has sustained me throughout my life and continues to heal and transform me to this day. I bow to her with deep gratitude for her beauty, power and profound presence. I hope you too; can enjoy the blessing of connecting to your greatest teacher.
When you are deeply immersed in a wild natural place, it’s so easy to remember the healing power of the natural world. Everything lives in harmony and peace together. It makes me aware of the disrupting energy of technology and how it increases stress and disease in our lives.
The realization that we are not separate from nature is profound. When we are able to see the trees as our sisters, the cosmos as our father, the earth as our mother, the rivers and skies as our brothers, we can open to a deeper level of awareness.
The connection to nature is a beautiful way to realize you are not alone on this journey, but you are one with something greater, something grander.
Spring is the time of renewal and rebirth. Yet it is also a time to connect deeply to the earth and receive her wisdom. We are now in the celebration of Earth Day a time to acknowledge the importance of the natural world that sustains us and to give thanks.
I cannot stress the importance of embracing nature as your teacher on the healing path of self-transformation. The Yoga practices are amazing for our health and our mind.But the connection to nature fuels our spirit in such a gentle natural way.
There are no complex practices to master. Nature heals without asking anything from us.
I know many of us right now are separated from nature due to the social distancing restrictions, but even before the pandemic hit,
When was the last time you watched the moon or sun rise or set, or gazed at the night sky, or followed a river or gazed at the ocean or sat down on the earth and felt yourself one with nature?
I know how difficult it can be to live in our modern world and not be attracted to technology.
But, I promise you a week unplugged from technology and immersed in nature will give you more benefit than one year of Yoga and meditation practice. Just being present in nature and connecting to its power is unbelievably healing.
And if we can’t actually be in nature, then we can listen to recordings of nature sounds and journey to nature in our imagination.
I was recently in a place of confusion. I needed to make a big decision.I was being pulled in two directions and was feeling anxious and agitated. No matter how hard I tried to use my mind to make a decision, I just couldn’t find peace.
So, I took a walk and I went into the woods near my home and I lay on the ground and just breathed. I looked at the trees and the skies and felt myself melting into them.
I asked the question and just waited. I could feel my body being held by the earth and my constitution started to settle. The anxiety started to soften, I could feel it leaving my body and being absorbed by the earth. And then the answer came to me, it was clear as day. My decision was realized, and I felt completely at peace with it.
It was like a magical moment. But it wasn’t, it was just the inherent healing power of nature taking care of me. I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders and my energy deeply centered and relaxed.It was beautiful.
Here are a few of simple practices for you to connect with nature.
1. Nature Savasana:
Find a quiet place in nature to lie on the earth. It can be on the grass, at the beach on sand or any natural surface. It can be any time of day. You will find different benefits during the day when you will be bathed with sunlight and feel a strong connection to the trees and plants around you. In the evening you will be gifted with the healing energy of the planets and the stars.
You can lie on your back and gaze upward. Breathe in the natural beauty around you and breathe out any stress, tension, confusion or fear. Feel your negative emotions being released into the natural elements and receive the healing power of nature. Allow yourself to realize you are one with the natural world. Surrender to her majesty.
2. Earth Breathing:
This has been one of my most productive practices lately as a way to deal with the current stress of this time of uncertainty.
Ideally you practice this outside in nature but if that is not possible, you can lie on the floor in your home or on a carpet or yoga mat.
Lie face down in a prone position. You can create a pillow with your hands and place it under your forehead.Bring your awareness to your breath. Breathe slowly and deeply. Pay particular attention to the air filling your lungs at the back of your body.
Begin to focus on the exhale and let them be long and deep. As you exhale imagine a layer of stress and tension release from your body into the earth below. You can release physical, emotional, and mental stress, tension, worries, fears and concerns.
Do not worry that you are burdening the earth by releasing your darkness. She can take unlimited burdens. She will compost them and use them to feed the natural beauty of the all that grows on the planet.
Keep breathing out and releasing until you have nothing left to let go of. Then begin to focus on the inhale. Imagine the earth filling you and nourishing you.Breathe in anything that you need to feel calm, balanced, strong, empowered and inspired. After several breaths, press up into child pose. Continue to breathe and slowly make yourself up to a seat.
You can chant: Om Ma to end your practice
3. Moon Rise/Set + Sunrise/set Meditation
During the next full moon cycle on or around May 19th at around 6:28 am find yourself outside facing east. Align your central channel with the ascending/descending path of the moon. As the moon rises/ sets visualize it rising/ setting inside your central channel and landing in your heart. As it lands breathe and take in its healing nectar.
You can do the same practice daily by meditation on the sunrise or sunset.
4. Chant for the 4 Elements
Create a small ceremony to acknowledge that we are borne of the 4 elements, earth, water, air and sky.
Find a quiet place in the outdoors or if you cannot then imagine you are in your favorite outdoor place. Sit in open eyed meditation taking in the natural beauty around you or in your mind and chant.
“Earth my body, Water my blood, Air my breath and Fire my spirit”
5. Say Thank You
Take a walk through nature if you can. If not imagine you are walking through a beautiful natural place that you love. Picture the earth, the grass, the dirt, the stones, rocks. Imagine the trees, the bushes, the plants and flowers,Visualize the sky, the clouds, the sun, moon and all of the planets.
Each time you pass by or imagine a different aspect of nature, take a moment to say Thank You.
Say thank you for all that nature offers us.The more you do this practice the more you will begin to realize the healing powers of nature.
You will begin to recognize the wisdom that the earth shares and the lessons that we learn. You will see how nature teaches and heals us on so many levels. The more recognition you give her, the more she will share with you her gifts and blessings.
Join me tonight for a meditation to Honor the Earth.
Thank you for listening.
With gratitude,
Lauren
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” Kahlil Gibran
Join Lauren Hanna for her Free Earth Day Meditation! Tonight at 8pm. Register Here
