GROUNDING PRACTICES IN LATE FALL

Fall is the time for grounding. For the best chakra health, this time of year should be dedicated to your root chakra, which helps to ground you. Also known as Muladhara, the root chakra is located at the base of your spine and is associated with the Earth element. This vital chakra is known to provide you with a base/foundation for life and will help you to withstand challenges over time. It is also responsible for giving you a sense of security and stability. 

If your root chakra is amiss, you may be prone to feeling depressed, anxious, or constipated. 
A great way to practice grounding techniques that benefit your root chakra include:

Vibrational Sound Therapy
Vibrational Sound Therapy- sometimes you aren’t aware of your chakra health to know if anything is out of whack. By learning more about your chakras and working with a practitioner, you can quite easily find ways to identify your chakra health and work to realign your energies. Often times, you cannot work on your root chakra if your other energies are not aligned. This is important work for holistic health. Vibrational sound therapy works in magical ways for chakra health. You can often find where your chakras are blocked, where your chakra energies are too free, and where you are aligned through Vibrational Sound Therapy. The Lodge at Woodloch offers a multitude of ways to explore the practice of Vibrational Sound Therapy. There is a spa treatment where guests start by standing in a large Vibrational Sound Therapy bowl where the treatment begins. The treatment progresses to the treatment table where guests relax in loose-fitting, comfortable clothing to continue the process. Vibrational Sound Therapy bowls are placed on specific areas of the body or near the body to allow the vibrations to do their work. The treatment is profoundly relaxing and introspective.

There are also several class offerings such as: Gong with the Wind, Gong Chi: Sound of Silence, Healing Sounds Meditation, and Solar Plexus Sound Bath offerings. These classes allow guests to explore the practice through different experiences to allow the sound and vibration to resonate through their bodies through a guided class.
 
Spending Time Outdoors
Outdoor seated meditation (ideally directly on the Earth) is another important and transformative process this time of year. One example might be to take the Forest Bathing session and utilize the Sit Spot time for mindfulness and allowing the five senses to experience nature and your surroundings. The experience is especially meaningful this time of year because it allows your body to connect with the seasonal changes before the season of dormancy. Often times, allowing your body to connect to nature on a deeper level can help align and prepare your body for what is to come. This time also quite literally helps your body to root into the ground (precisely where your root chakra is located) and simply reconnect.

Some might not feel at ease doing meditation. Another option might be to take long walks in nature during this time of year to feel more connected to the Earth and the season. Any time spend outdoors has a multitude of benefits including helping to ground your root chakra, providing a boost of naturally-derived vitamin D, and creating purposeful light exposure to help ward off seasonal affective disorder that sometimes begins to rear its head this time of year.
 
You Are What You Eat, You Eat What You Sow
This time of year, to help prepare your body for the colder months ahead, a great way to align your body and mind is to eat seasonally. A great way to root your body in the here and now is to eat root vegetables that are readily accessible this time of year. There are recipes galore and the vitamins, nutrients, and additional starches all serve to naturally guide your body (and immune system) to prepare for the colder months ahead.

To add to the benefits, if you are actually digging up your root vegetables (and getting your hands dirty in the Earth’s soil), you are taking part in another grounding practice. This time of year is a unique time to interact with the Earth itself to help prepare it (and your garden and body) for the dormant season. While wrapping up your plantings is key during this time, some do not have a vast garden to care for. Other opportunities might include planting trees (in early to mid-Fall before it gets too cold), planting bulbs for spring flowers, and seed preparation.