The Earth is our foundation for life. It is a home that provides us with plentiful resources to survive and flourish. While everyone understands the importance of oxygen, water, and food, there is yet another gift crucial to our wellbeing—the energetic wisdom that the Earth has to offer.
Earth energy is a precious gift that can sustain us in many ways. When we allow this energy to permeate through us, we can experience greater stability, harmony, and groundedness in our lives.
As Earth Day approaches on April 22nd, we decided to explore all of the important gifts Earth energy offers. We’ll also share a brief guided meditation to help you channel this energy on your own.
Earth is Our Teacher
We each interact with many different forms of energy every day.
The personalities and opinions of the people we encounter, the daily stress of schedules, work, family, and even the news, are just a handful of things that can be emotionally or mentally triggering. We exist in an energetic melting pot simply as a member of society.
But not all of it is bad. Some of the energy we encounter can be healthy and very positive for us, such as the love we experience in some personal relationships. But unfortunately, not all forms of energy are positive and healthy, and some may even challenge us.
Sometimes, it may be a stranger cutting us off at a stop sign when we’re driving. At other times, it might be a feeling of being judged negatively by someone we care about. If we let these kinds of situations get to us, we can quickly experience stress, self-doubt, anger, or other internal disharmonies.
To protect ourselves, it’s important to separate other people’s energies from our own. This is where Earth energy comes in, as our teacher.
Like us, the Earth is constantly experiencing a variety of different energies. During summer, the Earth often encounters sunny skies and warm weather. When winter arrives, vicious storms can bring blistering winds and freezing temperatures. In many places, the natural world is completely unrecognizable from one season to the next.
Despite the changes constantly happening in nature, the Earth stands strong and steadfast. It doesn’t matter if the trees are green, brown, or white, the Earth’s surface remains solid and steadfast.
When we apply Earth’s wisdom to our own lives, it becomes easier to face challenges and uncertainties in our own lives. Instead of becoming emotionally derailed by the world’s energy around us, we can stay invite the Earth’s energy in to help us remain grounded and true to ourselves. This can help us experience peace and inner stability, even when things around us feel out of control.
Cultivating Earth Energy
Qi Gong uses the Earth’s energy to cultivate harmony and stability within.
Channeling the Earth’s energy reminds us that we aren’t defined by our experiences. When it snows, the earth does not become “snow.” Similarly, when we go through a significant change in life, such as a new job or a relationship, we do not become our new job or relationship. Our true identity exists at a much deeper level that transcends any experience, thought, or emotion.
Deep down, we are each connected to the Earth, at our core. The Earth is who we are; it is our extended body. Accepting this gives us a deep sense of calm that the influences of outside energy cannot disrupt. Like rain pouring down a mountainside, we can let feelings of judgment, stress, anger, worry, and doubt wash away, leaving us feeling strong, confident, and peaceful.
While it’s great to have an intellectual understanding of Earth’s gifts, it’s not always as easy to embody the lessons. Fortunately, Qi Gong provides powerful tools to help us harness this wisdom on an emotional and spiritual level.
Here’s a brief yet transformative meditation to help you channel the Earth’s lessons in your own life. We suggest reading the meditation first before beginning.
Guided Meditation to Cultivate Earth Energy
Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. If you’re unable to stand, you can simply sit upright in a chair with your feet resting on the ground.
If possible, take your shoes and socks off so you can feel the Earth with your bare feet. Position your hands over your lower abdomen.
Once you’re in a comfortable position, begin by taking slow, deep breaths. Let yourself become fully relaxed with each inhale and exhale.
After a few deep breaths, imagine that your feet have energetic roots extending down into the Earth. Feel your roots immersed in nutrient-rich soil beneath your feet.
As you continue breathing, visualize the Earth’s energy flowing upward through your roots, your legs, and into your lower abdomen. With each exhale, notice how relaxed you feel. With each inhale, feel the Earth’s energy channeling up to your abdomen (Lower Tan Tien).
Continue breathing as more and more energy pours into your lower abdomen and charges up your body. Notice how this energy feels peaceful, nourishing, and grounding.
As you continue breathing, try to cultivate a sense of gratitude for the Earth. Acknowledge the profound, life-giving energy that the Earth constantly channels into your being. Let this deep realization water the seeds of appreciation for the strong foundation beneath your feet.
Continue breathing and visualizing the Earth’s energy channeling into your body for as long as you’d like. When it feels right, smile to yourself and to the Earth, open your eyes, and take this energy with you into the rest of your day.
If you enjoyed this brief meditation and want to discover more Qi Gong practices for letting go of stress and cultivating vitality, be sure to check out our free two-week Qi Gong trial.
Connect to the Natural Flow of Life
Qi Gong is a system of movements based on Earth’s natural expression. When you practice Qi Gong, you’re naturally bringing the energy of the Earth into your life.
If you haven’t already, come join us for a live class (or two). You can get a full two weeks of online classes with our free two-week trial, in fact. Just click the banner below and follow the instructions. You don’t even need a credit card to start.
And because the classes are offered online, you can enjoy Lee’s lessons from the comfort of your own home. See you in class!