Working with the Earth Element: How to Enhance Stability, Balance and Deep Healing in Your Life

by Andrea Pacini April 24, 2022

Intentionally connecting with the Earth and its qualities allows us to increase feelings of safety and abundance within our own physical body as well as in our surrounding environment. If you're feeling distracted, scattered, fearful, unstable or find it difficult to gain clarity - let Earth guide you to safety.

How to Work With the Earth Element to Enhance Stability and Healing:

1) Spend time in nature. Studies have shown that spending 20 minutes a day in nature can greatly improve levels of stress and anxiety and even stimulate melatonin production, which is adversely affected by too much screen time. Fluorescent lights, computers, printers, televisions, copiers, pollution and cell phones emit positive ions which can lead to headaches, low energy levels, nausea, brain fog, increased stress and anxiety and low libido. Forests, lakes, beaches, mountains, clean air, rain and waterfalls emit negative ions which  balance the human body by neutralizing free radicals, enhancing immunity, soothing the nervous system and supercharging cell metabolism. Eating your lunch in a park, laying down on the ground (earthing), walking through the woods or on the beach and sitting underneath a tree are all accessible ways to incorporate the healing powers of nature into your everyday routine.

2)  Body Scan. So much of modern life is lived in our heads. Bringing awareness to your  body as a whole - all of the muscles, tendons, bones and their accompanying sensations, increases the feeling of connection to our body. Try performing a body scan every morning before getting out of bed. Start from your toes and slowly working your way up, taking note of all of the sensations you may feel, observing without judgment which areas may be holding tension or resistance and honoring your body where it is that day.

3) Garden. Digging hands into the rich soil strengthens our connection to the earth. If you live near the beach, burying hands and feet in the sand is also excellent for enhancing your energetic connection to stability and protection.

4) Essential oils. Essential oils vibrate much higher than the human body and promote balance by communicating directly with the limbic system to soothe and regulate the nervous system. Patchouli has grounding energy and also helps fight body shame; cedar, vetiver, and myrrh are also good options. I like to dab a bit of patchouli on the soles of my feet when I feel my old body image issues cropping up.

5) Somatic Experiencing. Tuning in more intentionally to the sensations of the body can be a very transformative and powerful practice. Click here to learn how to easily access your body's wisdom.

6) Yoga. Poses that encourage connection to the earth through the tailbone or feet and legs such as easy seated pose, seated forward fold, child's pose and mountain pose all help cultivate a sense of grounding and stability.

7) Walk barefoot. Walking barefoot has been proven to improve immune function, digestion, circulation and inflammation as well as stabilize the body's biological rhythms. The direct connection of the soles of the feet to the earth stimulates strength in the physical body.

8) Journal. Questions to help facilitate healing of the root chakra include:

• What grounds me?
• Does the world feel safe or dangerous?
• How do I nurture myself?
• Do I feel at home and connected to my body?
• What areas of my life need better defined boundaries?
• What beliefs have I inherited from my family?

9) Ancestral healing. Through epigenetics, our familial, cultural, societal and ancestral programming is deeply ingrained into our DNA. Most of our beliefs about the world and ourselves are imprinted in our subconscious by the time we are 7 years old. Examining our core beliefs and releasing those that don't actually belong to us is hugely liberating. Mark Wolynn's book It Didn't Start With You is a very illuminating and helpful read on the subject of ancestral healing. PSYCH-K® is also an incredibly helpful tool to identify and change subconscious beliefs that have been limiting our ability to move forward or break perceived self-destructive cycles.

10) Grow roots. Sitting on the floor, remove excess flesh so that your sitz bones are anchored firmly into the earth. Elongate your spine, letting gravity take your lower body, and finding space in your side body as you lift the crown of your head towards the sky. Envision sending roots from your sitz bones into the center of the earth. These may look like ropes, roots, pipes, poles, tunnels or anything else that appears in your awareness. Imagine sending these roots through the layers of earth - the crust, the mantle and then the core. Send the energies you no longer want - the insecurities, the fear, the frustrating patterns, into these roots so that they can be absorbed & transmuted by the earth's energy. Spend some time at the core, allow yourself to gather the earth qualities most needed in your life now - stability, centeredness, consistency. When you feel complete, bring these energies back up to your physical body and awareness.

What's your favorite way to ground your energy?

 

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