Late Summer - Connecting with the Earth Element

It is late summer, a time associated with the Earth element. Earth represents our roots and foundation, providing vitality, strength, endurance, and stability.

The Earth Element allows us to feel comfortable in our physical body and environment, enabling us to nurture others without draining ourselves. We become more caring, compassionate, and confident.

Earth represents everything we need for a comfortable life: a loving family, meaningful relationships, a sense of belonging, and good health. Feeling safe, cared for, and nurtured.

With a strong Earth element and powerful roots, we are better equipped to cope with stress, change, and transition. We don't easily get knocked off balance by situations we can't control.

Earth feeds all other energies. It gives us stability in every area of our lives. Including our spiritual practice

Here is a straightforward, but powerful mudra that can help balance & strengthen our Earth's element

Prithvi Mudra Practice

Prithvi Mudra is a beautiful mudra that helps balance our Earth element and increase Earth's qualities. It can help us achieve a strong physical body, healthy weight, and glowing skin!

I would recommend practicing this mudra out in nature, with bare feet, and your back against a tree 

To begin, sit comfortably on the ground, and be aware of the feeling of your sit bones and soles of the feet as they connect with Mother Earth. Visualize your roots growing downwards. Twirling, spiraling, and anchoring you into Earth's core. Your sit bones, pelvis, hips, tailbone, and sacrum feel heavy, drawn downwards by Earth's magnetic force

Close your eyes, slow your breath, and breathe deeply, filling your lower belly and pelvic bowl. Feel held and supported by the ground beneath you. 

Connect the tip of the thumb (Fire) with the tip of the ring finger (Earth) and place the wrists on the knees with the fingertips facing Earth

The tips of our fingers are sensitive to energy, when facing Earth we connect deeply with her vibration and magnetic field, this, in turn, strengthens our vibration and makes us more magnetic. 

Now notice how the Earth smells. Is it damp? warm? 

Deeply breathe in Earth's smell and with it the qualities of strength and stability. Feel grounded, cared for & nourished. 

Breath in the color of the Earth...whatever that is for you. It could be brown, yellow, or reddish. Visualize the color entering your body through your roots, feeding all of your organs, particularly your stomach and spleen, which represent the Earth's Element

We are made of the Earth. Earth is the last Element to solidify us into the physical body and therefore into this reality, so that we can experience the beauty, magic & lessons it has to offer us. Earth will be the last Element to fade as we return to the source. 

Stay and breathe for as long as you need. Breathe and connect until you feel held, calm, connected, and nourished.

When you are ready to finish your practice, take a moment to notice and appreciate the changes in your body, mind, and spirit. Thank Mother Earth for her gifts, and promise to love & care for her every day from now into the future

THE EARTH ELEMENT IN MEDITATION

​Balancing the Earth element is important in all aspects of our lives, including meditation, which we often associate with 'higher' vibrations, chakras, or Elements. 

Without a strong Earth, our meditation will be unstable, infrequent, or too 'spacy'. The Earth Element provides consistency in our practice and brings our meditation experience into our physical reality, so we can fully embody and enjoy it, experiencing the benefits in our normal daily routine

There is some thought that this Mudra should not be practiced by anyone with asthma or compulsive obsessive behavior as we add energy to the Earth element and potentially aggravate these conditions. However, I believe that the body has an innate wisdom & intelligence, and will only take the energy it needs to bring everything into balance.

As with everything, self-awareness is key. Pay attention to how this mudra feels to you.