Hello Friends,
Eric Thompson here again,
Writing to you this fine morning from my sunlit porch…
Thinking about the change in seasons…
And how it feels to connect with nature.
What’s it like where you are in the world right now?
Can you feel the light changing and the energy shift?
Reply to me, I love to hear from you all.
So one thing that got me thinking today…
Is how much I rely upon nature to feel my best.
And I wondered how many of you are able to connect daily to nature too?
Do you know how beneficial it is for your pineal gland…
To be grounded and connected to the earth?
I’m sure I’ve mentioned it many times…
But for those who may be new here, I’ll recap:
The pineal gland sits deep in our brains…
A tiny pea-sized organ crucial to so many things…
Including our cycles of light and dark…
The regulation of our sleep and mood…
And importantly, our spiritual connection.
In our modern society we are bombarded with artificial light…
Screens, scrolling, and sedentary life…
All too often mean that nature takes a back seat.
We are not getting enough time outside in natural sunlight…
In the tranquility of green spaces or close to sources of water.
We are trapped in offices or homes where we cannot connect…
To that which nourishes us on all levels…
Mother Nature.
The Earth.
The forests, lakes, parks, mountains, oceans, and beaches.
We need nature like we need water to quench our thirst.
Natural sunlight resets our biological clocks..
Grounding on the earth is like a tune-up for our pineal gland.
Breathing in fresh, natural air is a tonic for our cells.
I want to share with you a practice I discovered many years ago…
On a long trip through the jungles of South America.
I made some wonderful, life-long friends there…
Many of them who live close to the land…
Respecting its cycles and learning from its wisdom.
This practice is something to do as often as you are able…
Try to make it part of your daily or weekly routine.
The Grounding Practice
Set aside 5-10 minutes for this practice.
And if you have time to journal afterwards…
Set aside about 10 minutes for that.
Choose a place to be outside in nature…
If it’s simply your own back yard, that is fine.
Now, find a place to sit or lie down on the earth…
If possible be barefoot.
Take note of how you feel in your body…
How does your heart rate feel?
Where can you feel tension or discomfort?
Where do you feel pleasure and relaxation?
Taking each sense at a time…
Focus on them one by one…
Touch, smell, taste, hearing, seeing…
And energetic perception.
Try to isolate each sense as much as possible…
Close your eyes, cover your ears…
Just allow your senses to speak to you.
Can you tuch the earth with your hands and your skin?
Taste the air and smell the ground…
Smell any scents around you from plants or trees.
Focus on what you can see in your periphery vision…
Or right in front of you.
Practice and play around with sharpening and softening focus…
Notice the quality of light, any sounds…
Now, focus on the area of your heart.
What do you sense from your heart?
Is there a feeling, an emotion, or anything else that comes?
When you are done with this practice…
Check back in with your body physically and emotionally…
How different do you feel now compared to before?
If you have time I recommend journaling your experience…
This way you can remember exactly what sensations and emotions…
Came up for you.
This practice strengthens your full presence…
Your embodiment and connection with nature.
Your native intelligence and sense of the world around you.
I think of it like a soothing, healing tonic for the pineal gland.
Like you are showing up for yourself…
Learning to infuse and nourish yourself with the natural world.
Strengthening your connection to Mother Earth…
And all the invisible forces that surround us.
Do let m know if you try this practice!
I’d love to hear all about your experiences.
Take care of yourselves…
Inside and out.
Until next time,
Eric Thompson