We know we’re on the verge of destroying so much, so how do we, as a culture, evolve so that we really love and care for the earth?
Here’s how I try to stay in relationship with the land when I’m traveling.
When you travel, how do you say hello–how do you stay connected with the earth?
In this video I talk about 3 steps to take to help you touch in to your new surroundings and start communicating with the piece of Mother Earth that you find yourself on. These are really simple things but they make a difference and something that I do when I travel
1. Breathe
As soon as I get somewhere or when I’m traveling somewhere, I try to ingest the air. Instead of just breathing the air in the car, I try to get out at some point and breathe deeply. Really breathe in the molecules of the place where I’m at. Take some deep breaths and get the air of that place inside you, so that the place can start becoming you.
2. Sensory Engagement
Then, what I do is I stop and engage my senses. I try to take a break and say hello to whatever plants are there. Whatever plant calls me, I stop and take time to observe, the colors, texture, aroma, feelings… and if appropriate, also the taste. I look for that one herb that calls to me; that reaches out to me. I stop, take some time and say hello, a real “hello” from my heart. Then notice all the sensory input that comes.
3. Speak Out Loud
Speak out loud to your new location. Talk about the colors, the light, the smell of the place, what is beautiful to you, what you notice that’s different from where you come from. For me, this really makes a difference, instead of staying a stranger in a strange land, say hello! When you’re in a new place, you try to connect with the people there, do the same with the trees and plants
Breathe deeply, get the plants into your body through your senses and say what you notice and feel. You begin to relate and connect with the place more because the earth is now entering you through the plants, through the air, and your words help you digest it all and make it real in your mind.
I’m conscious about saying hello with my breath, saying hello with my touch and acknowledgement with my words. If you’re 125% accurately sure that you can taste the plant, you can do that also.
People often feel ungrounded after traveling, do you ever feel that way? You land somewhere and feel disoriented, basically disconnected with the land and where you’ve landed. How do you get grounded or how do you connect with your new location?
It’s not your home. You’re in a different place. You’re with different plants. You’re with different animals.
When we love a place, we can protect it. We know we’re on the verge of destroying so much, so how do we, as a culture, evolve so that we really love and care for the earth?
This is a simple practice to reach out, touch the earth and begin the process of communication and connection. These are the things that I do to open my heart to receiving and to learning. I wasn’t raised with the concept of living with the next 7 generations in mind. I wasn’t raised to consciously love the earth, but it’s the path I’m on now.
There are many things I do to consciously stay connected with the piece of earth I live on, but it’s so easy to just overstep and not be as respectful when we travel. So, I try to actively connect when I am somewhere else.
What’s your way in?
How do you say hello? Think about how you greet the land. How do you say hello to a new place when you’re traveling?
What’s your way of greeting the land, greeting where you are and setting that conscious intention that, “Okay, I’m here. Hello! I’m saying hello to you. I’m here to be with you and to learn from you”. How do you open your heart to receive from the earth and the plants on a deeper level?
Everybody’s got their own way of relating to the land, of relating to the earth. How do you greet the earth? I’d love to hear.
