Living from the ground, up.
The story of how my body/ life transformed by connecting to the ground beneath me, and how you can begin making simple steps to living in connection to the earth that holds us all.
As I write, I move my body into alignment with the ground. As you arrive here, I invite you to feel your sit bones wherever you are placed. Maybe even place yourself on the ground, wherever you are. Just begin to feel how that descend downward makes you feel. Is your body used to getting up and down from the ground? This simple gesture began transforming my life in my early 20’s. I had become aware of the daily impacts of repetitive movement through going into massage school at the age of 18. With a curiosity for holistic well-being, I became intrigued by the relationship we as humans, have to the ground beneath us. This curiosity led me to become aware of the environment I was living in. I first began looking around my room and my home to see what was there and if it was conducive to living in alignment to the earth beneath me. I saw rows of shoes that shaped my feet into unnatural positions, I saw piles of unnecessary items under my bed, skinny jeans hung up that suffocated my lower body for all my teenage years, foods that were processed, making me feel tired and groggy like a walking zombie. I knew I needed to release many things so I began under my bed, filling garbage bags full of items to be recycled. I did this with every space in my home to come into alignment with living more simply. That same week, I took my bed frame down to sleep lower to the ground. I rolled out a yoga mat beside my bed, for encouragement to move my body right when I woke up. I changed my eating arrangement from the dining room table/chairs, to eating on a pillow on the ground or choosing to take my food outside on the grass, my food habits changed along with this- I began eating only Whole Foods from the earth to connect me to my body even more deeply. Day after day, I began feeling the impact of these new patterns. The simple act of being close to the ground encouraged my body to move in new ways, constantly finding new positions to be in. This new adjustment brought with it the lessons to break through judgments upon myself and from other people for changing into a new person. Sometimes I felt uncomfortable for breaking out of the molds that society put upon us, therefore having the reflection outside of me questioning my new behaviors. This lesson strengthened my knowing of the most simple truths as human beings, to come back into well-being, we must have this necessary connection to the earth in all we do in life. I felt the spiritual, physical and mental impact this had on my whole being. As a massage therapist that specializes in reflexology, my #1 homework I give to all my clients is the simple act of getting our bare feet on the earth daily. The energetic field of the earth recycles the energy of the mind/ether (where most of us live), to bring grounded balance and harmony back to the body. In our modern world, we have lost touch with this bare essential connection. Slowly, overtime these new daily patterns have the ability to relieve our pains, bring our body into alignment, create more flexibility and strength, remember our daily connection to spirit in our bodies & feel more energetic happiness. We see this in more eastern cultures where they eat on the ground, have tea houses where you enter from the ground level, and use the toilet from a squatting position. The westernized world has cut off these simple truths for longevity. It is time we integrate these simple movements back into our daily lives for long-happy lives.
Simple ways to connect to the ground in daily life:
Create a computer desk at ground level, sit and move positions often.
Skip the dinner table, eat on pillows or outside. Create a warming intimate atmosphere to connect with loved ones at eye level.
Transition from a traditional high rise bed, to a low to the floor bed.
Always have a yoga mat around to encourage you to stretch out in your free time.
Get a “squatty potty” or resort to squatting on the toilet seat for smoother bowel movements.
Go outside in different terrain with your bare feet to train your foot pads to build integrity with different elements.
Build a garden, connect to your local farmers and receive fresh-whole foods from the earth for optimized health.
Get in the habit of getting up and down from the ground in many different ways, this is a sign of your well being. Know that you can always improve, no matter your age.
Build a tea practice that stems from the connection to the ground. Join the waitlist for the women's tea course Jan. 2024
Receive reflexology to connect you to your feet, the body part that supports your whole connection to the ground. Browse sessions here.
Or create your own daily foot massage practice (great for right before you go to sleep!) Watch here.
From my soles to yours, Meg Carolee Pearl
May you live your life feeling how connected you truly are.
