“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” ― John Muir

Happy Earth Day, Earthlings! 

Taurus tells us to go to the mountain, and that we are the mountain. It reminds us of the abundant, nourishing, supportive, nurturing Earth that is all around us. In fact, this fixed energy wants us to know that we are the Earth. Taurus says take your shoes off, maybe even get a bit dirty, and yeah, get grounded.

We hear the word, "grounded" so often these days, don't we? But, how often do we stop to think about what that truly means?

In yoga, the physical self is known as the *annamaya kosha*, or the sheath of the physical self. The body made of food/earth and physical matter. I often refer to this as our "Earth body". I feel grounding is remembering who and what we truly are in the physical sense, by feeling or going into the body. We are creatures of the Earth. Born of Earth and every bit a part of Earth. But we seem to forget that sometimes, don't we? We disconnect, and get lost in stress, work, drama, emotions, thoughts, things and so on. Taurus says, be wild. Remember your true, essential nature. Be in your body. Get out there and feel into the essence of what you truly are.

Here are a few simple tips for grounding:

#1 - Go outdoors. Out into nature. Walk, hike, swim, camp, listen, watch, smell, feel and commune with it.

#2 - Take your shoes off. Your feet connect with the Earth energetically and create a bridge between your body's energies and the Earth's energies.

#3 - Find a tree that calls to you. Put your back up against it and breathe deeply. The tree connects the flow on Governing meridian and takes that energy down the roots of the tree into the earth and then up again into the body, creating an impulse that stimulates the radiant circuits, or our Joy energies. This simple act helps to connect us to Earth as well as helps to connect Central and Governing meridians. These meridians form one continuous loop around the front and back of the body, meeting deep inside the lower dantien(deep in the low belly, between the 1st and 2nd chakras), and also in the back of the throat. These meridians are a beautifully balanced yin yang loop running around our energetic core, holding the energy of the chakras and helping to seal, nourish and protect our whole-body system. The governing meridian brings energy and vitality into the brain, while the central meridian helps hold the heart field strong and coherent, allowing us to experience our place within the world.

So, get out there, and remember..Going out is going home.

Love your Mother.

XO Melina

 I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, But rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man. ~ Sun Bear of the Chippewa Tribe ~