Part of connecting to the root chakra is connecting to the earth, to the ground beneath our feet.

So for today's meditation we'll be exploring A Walking Meditation Practice

In his delightful little book, "The Long Road Leads to Joy," Thich Nhat Hanh describes, step by step, how to do a walking meditation.

He says, "Walking is meditation while walking. We walk slowly, in a relaxed way, keeping a light smile on our lips. When we practice this way, we feel deeply at ease, and our steps are those of the most secure person on Earth."

And so I chose walking meditation for today's meditation practice, because it's simply impossible to feel anxious and like the most secure person on Earth at the same time. 🙂

Meditative walking is not power walking, or walking to get in a certain number of steps, or even walking with the intention of arriving somewhere.

To practice a walking meditation, begin by selecting a certain period of time that you're going to walk. An easy, attainable practice might be ten minutes. So you choose your amount of time and then set out. Keep the body relaxed as you walk. Let the arms swing gently. Keep a slight smile on your lips.

Don't try to control your breathing. Allow your lungs to fill with as much air as they need, and then exhale as much as you need. After you've breathed a few times in this way, count how many steps you take as you inhale and how many steps you take as you exhale. Your inhalation and exhalation may be of different lengths, and this is ok. Just count the number of steps you take as you inhale, and count the number of steps as you exhale. Over time, the number may change and become equal. But no worries if it doesn't.

The goal of a walking meditation is to maintain focus on the count of steps to breath. When something catches your attention, such as the sky or a bird or something else in nature, pause and bring your mindful attention to this object. And then resume your focused, unhurried pace.

"When we practice walking meditation, we arrive in each moment. Our true home is in the present moment. When we enter the present moment deeply, our regrets and sorrows disappear, and we discover life with all its wonders." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

P.S. If it's too cold and dark out to do this meditation in the morning, meditating to Walk and Wonder in the Woods meditation from Day 2 (Tuesday) is a good alternative. 🙂

                                Grounded in What You Love Journal Prompt

(Based on an exercise from Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way)

One way to ground yourself is by doing what you love, grounding yourself in activities, in moments, in a life, rooted in love.

With this in mind I invite you to list ten things you enjoy doing (hiking, ice skating, baking pies, making soup, reading, riding a bike, riding a horse, going for a run, reading, and so forth). When was the last time you let yourself do these things? Next to each entry, place a date. Don't be surprised if it's been years for some of your favorites. 

This is similar to your sweet spot.

How can you come home to yourself more often throughout the day, week, month, year? What can you do to live a life that is rooted in and grounded by love?

From the list above, write down two favorite things that you've avoided that could be this or next week's goals. These goals can be small: buy one roll of film and shoot it. Look for windows of time just for you, and use them in small creative acts. Instead of looking for big blocks of time when you'll be free, find small bits of time instead.

In this way you can practice coming home to yourself on the path of love, again and again.