Living in Chicago means that our time outdoors can be limited. The minute summer hits (usually mid-late June), I am determined to do everything I can outdoors - including writing this article! For me, connecting with nature is key. It helps to recharge both the body and soul. So, I hug every beautiful tree I see, play in the water at the lake, and ride my bike/scooter everywhere (like I did when I was a kid). Many mornings I start with a Sun Salutation of my own (for free) right in my own back yard.
I start by planting my umbilical cord in the grass - this is an ancient Native American way of meditating in which you feel Mother Earth (your mother) cradling you; holding you safely against her soft, grassy bosom. As I lie there, absorbing the fragrance of the Earth, the dampness of her soil, the greenness of her grass, and the coolness of her breath, I breathe with her heartbeat. I plant my cord into her always-safe haven. I breathe fully into my core, my Dantean root, my harra - which is where we find all of our strength and power. This is our proverbial battery. I plant my cord deeper into the dirt, picturing it growing like the root of a tree: first into the gravel, then under the dirt, next into the big rocks and finally through the fiery core of the Earth with its molten lava. My root has now grown baby roots, themselves branching out and wrapping around the boulders at the core of the Earth. I am being grounded and rooted even closer, even deeper down, and feel more connected to my mother Earth.
After about 10-15 minutes of this meditation, I roll over onto my back and stare into the sky - now I begin connecting to my father in Heaven. I flood all my chakras, my crown, third eye, throat, solar plexus, dantean/root chakra. I allow white light with electric golden-current running through it to charge my entire body with life particles that connect, heal, purify and strengthen. I breathe deeply into my belly as I feel my body has become a light being filled with the yin of my mother (Earth) and the yang of my father (sky). Listen, at that moment, to the powerful messages you receive. Enjoy your soulful summer!