What it means to live with our feet on the ground: Part II
So, how do we stay present? How is it possible to live with our feet on the ground? How do we even know we’re not grounded? After reading Change your Brain, Change your Body by Daniel G. Amen, this came to mind: whenever we’re not present, we’re unconsciously directing our blood flow away from our legs and towards our head (in many occasions). You can say you’re closing your first chakra, because it is this wheel of light that nurtures your lower body organs. The use of stimulants like caffeine, sugar and unnecessary carbohydrates raise our sugar levels and direct our blood flows to our heads making us overthink, worry and eventually be depressed. By allowing ourselves to be present, our blood flow is more balanced and is distributed more evenly in our body, even in our legs. So, if you ever feel cold feet, you’re probably not grounded.
Allowing ourselves to be present comes down to one single thing: Acceptance of the moment. In our current society, we’ve spent way too long in a fight/flight response, with an overdose of adrenaline so that many of us have forgotten what living in the moment is. So, begin accepting things as they are NOW with no judgment and no criticism. Just accept and stop the inner fight. This will help clear the way to much more reasonable decisions.
Here are some ideas to help you live in the now. If something is not working for you track your habits, and accept where you are now (food log, time log, relationship log, etc.). For example, all my clocks were a few minutes ahead of time. I realized that I was trying to live always in the future. I set my clocks back to regular time, and I’m now being more honest with it. I’m accepting (or at least trying to!) my time now. You can use this same analogy for anything else: money, weight, etc.
Another aspect involves taking good care of our physical selves, like Daniel G. Amen recommends in his book Change your Brain, Change your Body. Reduce unnecessary carbohydrate consumption, reduce or cut back alcohol and caffeine, wear warm clothing and give yourself some warmth (when we are warmer, we are more open to improve relationships), drink enough water, have enough rest, eat better, move more, etc. With this caring for ourselves, we’re creating a more loving and welcoming environment for our physical existence. This will encourage us to stay present.
So, would you like to join me in the efforts of not only practicing and learning to be present in the moment, but also helping to rebuild a more peaceful environment? It begins at home and with yourself, and if there are enough of us, we can help build a better world, just by learning to drop the fight and accept the present as it is. Take the first step with honesty and willingness and you’ll get all the help you need. Let us then learn to keep our feet on the ground, with open hearts knowing that whatever happens we’ll be able to handle it, or we’ll have the help needed to do so, starting NOW.
--Lilia Flores
A newly graduated Rasamaya Yoga instructor, Lilia loves connecting spiritual science with physical facts to help people to deepen their understanding of themselves. Reach her at i.am.truly.me@gmail.com
Friday, May 18, 2012 at 8:38AM 
