Finding Your Present Moment
Our heart chakra, the center of our energy system, receives about half of its required energy from our root chakra, which is located at the base of our spine. This root chakra governs our connection to the present moment. Bringing our awareness to the present moment is the first step on our spiritual path. It is crucial to the health of our energy system.
Every time we bring our awareness to the present moment, we are adding a brick to our foundation. This is the foundation upon which we build our spiritual practice. We are not building a ladder to climb higher; rather, we are building a foundation to firmly root our temple.
Our body is our temple.
We do not become aware of our higher self by dwelling on the past or future. We realize our higher self by being fully aware of the present moment — by existing completely in the here and now.
God is HERE.
Source is HERE.
The Universe is HERE.
We are HERE.
We must get HERE first.
HERE means we are present in the here and now. HERE is when our energy system is connected to the earth. HERE is when we are receiving love from Mother Earth.
We can get HERE by training our consciousness to witness the present moment. We can get HERE by feeling the weight of our body or observing our senses. We can get HERE by bringing awareness to our root chakra and the energy it is pulling up from the earth.
We call this grounding.
Grounding is extremely important to the safety of our energy system. Energy runs through our body just as electricity runs through our house. Each house has a grounding wire that gives excess electricity a safe place to go. Our body, too, has a grounding wire: our root chakra. This chakra allows us to connect to the earth and to safely dissipate any energy that might build up within us over time.
The difference between our body and our home, however, is that our grounding wire is not often tangible, nor is it something that we can plug in once and forget; it is a muscle that we must train and tone. We must regularly practice this muscle to keep it strong and healthy.
In a world full of contrast it can often be hard to hold awareness of the present moment. Not only do we have a steady stream of distractions, but we have been trained to live in our head. “Living in our head” means that we are continuously analyzing and processing — i.e., worrying about the future, analyzing the past. When we are grounded, it is much easier to observe our thoughts and to redirect them back to the present moment.
Our complex brain is great at helping us to learn new things, such as speaking languages, setting goals, and understanding abstract concepts. For thousands of years, these abilities have led to an amazing evolution of the human race, but this complex brain is a small part of who we are. We are multidimensional beings, and we are the ones observing these thoughts.
Give our brain a job to do!
The Buddhist philosophy calls our thoughts “the monkey mind”. We can train our mind just like a monkey, showing it which tree to swing on. As part of this training, traditional practice has us focus on our breath: long, slow, deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Grounding is achieved when we direct our mind to a task in the present moment. Our physical body and our senses are the best tools we have for observing the present moment!
What are you seeing?
What are you hearing?
What are you smelling?
What are you tasting?
What are you feeling?
What are you sensing?
Focus on our senses.
There are an infinite number of ways to ground our energy system or to bring our awareness to the present moment. Any mindful exercise or activity will do this. Everything from focusing on our breath, to washing our hands in cold water, or to walking barefoot on the earth., etc.
Grounding is like a muscle; it needs to be trained and practiced.
At first you may only be able to hold awareness for a few seconds or minutes at a time. With practice you may learn to hold awareness for hours. Eventually you may be able to hold it all day long, every day.
At first we may notice that we do not have a strong connection with the earth; that external distractions and internal thoughts tend to trigger us. Everything from overthinking, to loud noises, to traumatic memories can cause us to unground ourselves, or pull up our roots.
As we start learning how to ground our energy system, we can start by taking a pause — , to redirect our awareness to the present moment or to our root chakra — , in order to ground our energy system.
My go-to recommendation for grounding your body is the Tree Meditation:
Find a comfortable place to sit or lay down. You do not need to be barefoot or walking in nature to do this meditation; you can do it from anywhere. You can ground your energy system using this meditation even if you are on the top story of a skyscraper or on an airplane at 30,000 feet.
Imagine that your body is similar to a tree, growing roots deep into the earth. These roots are made of light, and can grow as fast or as deep as you want them to. Just as a tree has a deep taproot to keep itup upright during a storm, you too are firmly rooted and can weather any storm.
Just as a tree pulls water and nutrients up from the soil, you are pulling Love and Light up from Mother Earth. This energy feels hot, heavy, safe, and nurturing. It feels as if Mother Earth is wrapping us in a warm blanket, and swaddling us.
As you breathe in, you are breathing in this earth-energy. As you breathe out you are allowing your body to relax and feel heavier. You are here, in this moment. Your body is safe.
Try it right now.
Can you feel the weight of your body?
Can you feel gravity pulling on you?
Can you feel the Love and Light Mother Earth is sharing with you?
Can you feel your body release tension and relax?
Bring your awareness to the present moment. Be in the moment. Be HERE.
💜🦄 Crystal