Rooted,Grounded, and Centered

One of the first words I heard through Yoga was Rooted. The words "Rooted" and "Grounded" are common ques utilized by Yoga Teachers to guide students into noticing their alignment with Yoga poses. As a beginning student years ago, it was easy for me to understand the que on a physical plane. The moment a teacher reminded the class to root down through their feet or ground down into the earth with the use of the lower extremities I was able to visually connect to the yoga pose physically stronger. Then came the comment, "Stay rooted and grounded on your Yoga mat just as you do in Life." Which brings me to the concept of living your life Rooted and Grounded on the mat as well as off the mat.

Staying rooted and grounded, as a woman and as spiritual being meant so much more to me on an entirely different level. The physical aspect I learned on my yoga mat of "STAYING ROOTED AND GROUNDED," turned into an internal practice of self love and compassion. It allowed me to look beyond and deeper into my life questioning the times I spent in the past on unstable ground versus stable ground.

As a healthcare provider, nurse, and natural caretaker I have always found it very easy to care for others. Caring for others and meeting the needs of others is a gift and its a practice that I will always have, its a love of sharing and giving that makes my heart so happy. However, for years I gave and gave not realizing I also needed to give to myself. I easily gave of myself in my professional life as well as my personal life without regards to my own needs. I assumed that always giving was the right choice to make. How could I be wrong in meeting the needs of others? Given the appropriate scenario, the love of giving to someone in need, with no expectations, is simply beautiful. However, I also learned that some people can take advantage of someone with a giving heart. Life is all about lessons and opportunities for growth through good and in not so good. My lesson, learned.

Through Yoga, Faith, and lots of prayer I came to find myself more when I offered my OWN self compassion and love. Its the old airplane commercial of giving yourself oxygen first before you put the oxygen mask on others. I will always feel better to give than to receive, its the concept of giving to myself FIRST and creating my OWN stable ground with healthy boundaries that made me a better person for myself and the people in my life.

On a personal level I found that once I created my own stable ground with healthy boundaries, based on love and faith, my life decisions became much easier. If decisions I needed to make were not aligned with my foundation and boundaries of who I was as a woman than I usually had the answer.

All the things that keep me rooted and grounded include my home, my family, faith, physical and emotional well-being. It sounds simple, but it was even simpler than I thought. Because once I started to "ROOT" into the present moments of my life other doors aligned with my well being started to present. The stable ground I started to create for myself began to blossom into a field of opportunities I never imagined. My sweet husband came into my life, my career as Nurse Practitioner continued to positively evolve. I began to meet people aligned with my passions, my soul. The universe just seemed to open up.

As a healthcare provider, its been very important for me to keep own my internal flame nourished so that I can be authentic and present for all the varied needs of my patients. Avoiding provider burnout is something I am constantly aware of. So again creating healthy boundaries of life and work balance is most definitely on the priority list. Today I know how to say no and respectfully decline if it does not serve me or my schedule.

Yoga has given me an internal awareness of staying " Grounded and Rooted" both personally and professionally and it continues to change through the seasons of my life.

We live in such a busy culture of GO,GO,GO so its so important for me to disconnect with the busy world and plug into a place of stability and peace with the background of Mother nature to support me. I Love to plug into the energy of the Earth! Today I SO enjoy and take in the simplicities of my life which keep me plugged into my authentic self. Of course, my yoga practice allows for my quiet moment of internal stillness and awareness. Other grounding opportunities include; spending QUALITY time with my husband, time with our sons and family, SAVORING a hot cup of coffee, reading books on personal growth, prayer/meditation, listening to music, writing, journaling, keeping in touch with friends and sisters in Faith, walking the dogs, exercising, swimming, cycling, and baking, all options to keep me aligned to my higher sense of self.

Life is all about balance. How do you create your stable foundation while juggling the tides of life? How do you return to your "Roots." What keeps you Alive, Healthy, Happy, Strong, Rooted, Grounded, and Centered?

I hope you have a Wonderful 4th of July Holiday plugged into all the things that make you feel happy, centered, and Whole. From My Heart to Yours! Namaste

Rooted and Grounded