Celebrating Earth Day in Our Yoga Practice

For centuries, yogis have been honoring the earth with various aspects of the practice to include rituals and meditations; our planet needs all that positive energy now more than ever! Here are a few ideas, which can help you drop into the present moment, contemplate your interconnectedness with the earth and all living beings, and honor your spiritual practice by honoring the planet on Earth Day, and on every day, too.

Cultivate an outdoor yoga practice:  Now that the weather is warming especially, get out in nature and feel inspired by all that you see re-emerging to entice you with renewed energy and beauty. You can appreciate and reflect on the new growth that is apparent every day. There are constant lessons. What can we learn from a tree? or an ant carrying an unusually big load? What are you inspired to practice based on what you see?

Conscious Breathing in Nature:  One of the simplest ways to enjoy yoga outdoors, is meditation. Practice slow, deep conscious breathing, taking in the fresh air. Contemplate how you are inhaling the oxygen that the plants exhale, and they’re inhaling the carbon dioxide that you exhale.  

Box Breathing or The Four Corners Breath: This effective pranayama (breathing exercise) helps to quiet the nervous system, bring us to the present moment, and build lung capacity too. It calls us to spend equal time in each of the four segments of the breath cycle: inhalation, retention at the top of the breath, exhalation and retention at the bottom of the breath. 1:1:1:1 Start by counting 1 in each "corner" of the breath. As your focus settles on your breath, and your body quiets, increase to a count of 2 in each segment of the breath cycle and so forth. Take the time to work in the reverse. Notice the feeling of how the body has quieted, since the mind gave up its racing pattern to quiet with this breath pattern. Contemplate on the quote above as it fits this breath pattern. Guess who else uses this pranayama?

Walking Meditation: There are many forms of walking meditation, and simply being aware of your surroundings lends to a great sense of gratitude and empowerment. We are designed to walk and to move forward. The analogies we can contemplate create beautiful meditations around these thoughts. Simply walking  and noticing that our feet are in contact with the body of the planet, which we are a part of, that is rather powerful.

How can we embody celebrating this great planet that we have been gifted, with our yoga practice? April reminds us that we live in a shared space, and that it takes all of us caring for our Mother Earth as we celebrate Earth Day.