Being Embodied in Times of Change
Around the world, so many things are shifting and changing. We have new patterns arising in the climate, changes in political structures, and important evolutionary steps happening in our financial systems. Change has always been a part of life however at this time in our history we are experiencing enormous collective shifts.
It is possible to receive information about these changes 24/7 through online media. From the body's perspective, this is a new way of functioning daily. Our ancestors had access to a fraction of the information in one lifetime that we have available to us now. Observing our physical nature is supportive of understanding how to stay healthy in these times of change.
Earth medicine in life connects us with our inner and outer stability. This relates to food, routines, and our communities. In the body, we can connect with the energy of earth in the root chakra. This is located within the pelvic bowl. As you experience different kinds of changes on a personal or global scale, it is helpful to maintain awareness of how the base of your body is feeling.
By bringing movement into the body through walking, running, and stretching, we can find a connection to our physical sensations. Oftentimes, when change happens, especially unexpected change, we can find ourselves in a frozen state. By simply taking a short walk or just placing your bare feet on the earth, you can support yourself in feeling more stable and embodied.
I have moved country many times in the past seven years. When arriving in a new town, my go-to activity to feel fully present is to walk the local area. This gives me a sense of orientation and helps me to gain a greater understanding of the culture. Making and growing foods are additional earth medicine practices that have helped me feel embodied in new places.
The earth element also has a lot to offer us when we experience the effects of global changes. If we have a strong connection with our homes, the nature surrounding the places we live, and our local communities, this makes us more resilient. As life shifts happen individually or collectively, we have a sense of stability in our local environment and close relationships.
Benefits of Being Embodied in Times of Change
By choosing to remain in your body during times of change, you will experience a myriad of benefits. Firstly, it is much easier to make good decisions. Changing circumstances can push us to overthink. This can lead to states of anxiety and stress over the various possible outcomes that could occur.
Thus resulting in decisions that come from a desire to avoid certain outcomes. When in the body, it becomes easier to accurately perceive what is happening in each moment. For example, if you are looking at your bank account and there has been an unexpected financial change in your home there are various options for how you can handle that.
If you take a few moments to breathe into the body, you can create a feeling of calmness and safety within your physical being. By having that connection with your body, it balances out the energy that can start to flow through your mind. When the mind is left unsupervised it can take us down many storylines and create reasoning for decisions that may not be helpful.
The earth element in the body moves much slower than the air element in the mind. When life starts moving in unexpected ways, staying with the body allows you to slow things down. As the saying goes, ‘taking things step by step’ or ‘one thing at a time’. The physical body teaches us the art of slowing down in simple ways. We only have two hands for example to do things.
As the information comes in about the change, the body helps you to take things slowly, and therefore, there are less rushed decisions. With that, you are more equipped to keep yourself safe as changes occur. We can be vulnerable to harm when we are in a disembodied state because we lack awareness of what is happening in each moment.
After becoming more embodied by walking in nature or eating a nourishing meal, it is easier to have calm emotions. From this viewpoint, you may see solutions to problems that are arising, or it could be clear that doing nothing is truly the best thing to help the situation. Emotions can create a reactive response to change, whereas being grounded creates a proactive response.
With this added stability from working with the earth energies within, it also becomes possible to enjoy the journey. Even if things did not go to plan, by being present, we can learn to dance with life and laugh at the twists and turns. Being embodied reminds us that we are human and change is a natural part of life. It makes it easier to be compassionate with ourselves and others.
Earth medicine is present within your body and the world around you to support you throughout your life journey. If you would like to learn more about the healing nature of this element, you are welcome to order my book. ‘The Truth Within’ shares how you can understand the messages from your body and the universe through learning the language of the four elements.
