Anchor

This time of the year in the desert, with the welcoming of spring, we also welcome windier conditions. The Coachella Valley (where we live) is situated between two mountain ranges that act as a wind tunnel. We are known for the wind turbines scattered throughout the desert landscape, generating electricity for various communities. We do get wind year round, but it seems to have a more consistent pattern from April through early June. As a result, not only do people's allergies get flared up but, according to Ayurveda, wind can also disrupt people's constitutional equilibrium. Many of us feel as though this time of year is one where we can feel being blown about, like swirling fallen bougainvillea leaves. It's also a time where we have big fluctuations in our local population with many snowbirds departing and three major music festival weekends where thousands of people flood to the desert over three consecutive three-day weekends. So it seemed appropriate to look at what anchors us down when we notice we're feeling scattered.

Certain times in our lives present us with incredible opportunities to drift through life without having particular plans. Have you ever bought a one-way ticket and arrived in a place without any plans? I was fortunate to have this in my life when I bought a one-way ticket from London to Harare, Zimbabwe. The intention was to step into Africa time, letting the trip unfold according to the news traveling along the traveler's grapevine. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life and I drifted through Africa for six months. Yet, when it was time to move onto what was next, I needed to throw down an anchor of security to re-group, work, and save some more money for future travels. 

When we want to create change or encourage something to happen, we need to move from a place of feeling grounded rather than scattered. The metaphor of getting your bearings whilst aboard a ship/boat is to navigate from a place of knowing, often having the anchor holding you steady until you know the direction in which you want to move. And once you begin, you don't cut the anchor and leave it, but rather gather it up and move it with you.

Our life anchors aren't something outside of us, but what we carry within us. We may have people in our lives who steady us, support us along the way, and are "our rocks" but it's up to us to carry our own anchors. What happens if we rely on someone else to steady or calm us and one day, they're no longer there? It's something that we welcome and cultivate within ourselves so that no matter where we might be in the world, no matter what befalls us, we have ways in which to come back to the present moment and steady ourselves. So what anchors do you have in your life on a daily basis?

In yoga, we have one powerful anchor, our connection and relationship with our breath. It's with us 24/7/365 and we can go straight to it at any time. It can help calm us down, assist in focusing our energy, stimulate our nervous system, and give us a connection to what's important in the present moment.

This week in classes, we've been using the breath and visualizing our exhaling breath dropping our energy into the earth, establishing a feeling of being grounded and hugged by the energy of Mother Earth. On the inhaling breath, we visualize the breath rising from the energetic taproot of earth energy up through our bodies and exiting out the crown of the head. We send the energy as high and far out as we can imagine into infinite space. From that expansive space, we connect into the highest vibrations of celestial beings, Archangels, universal Prana, light or whatever it is that you connect to which feels bigger than the individual self. The exhaling breath then pours from these expanded realms as though pouring pure white light through the crown portal of our head, passing through our physical body before moving down into the earth's energetic field once again. We sit in the grounded space between earth and heaven, clearing, cleansing, and connecting to the highest levels of consciousness available to us.

Yet in order to rise, we must first be grounded. Just as a tree needs to send roots into the earth, finding not only nourishment but steadiness should winds gust or a deluge of rain arrive, the tree stays grounded just as its branches and leaves continue to expand.

This week, think about what anchors you daily-a meditation practice, contemplation, inspirational reading, walking in nature, watching open bodies of water, or listening to uplifting music. What is it that allows you to connect, even for just a few minutes, setting the compass of your day? I would love to hear what you use an anchor, so feel free to share.

Anchors away!