Today is Earth Day (April 22nd). I was thinking what should I write that reflects my reverence and gratefulness, to our beloved Mother Earth. Growing up in the Eastern culture in India, very early on I was absorbed in the tradition of embracing, our Earth as the mother (feminine)
aspect of Creation.
It makes a lot of sense why we call Earth, as our “mother” as it is this earth, that has given life and keeps giving life to trillions and trillions of organisms on this planet. Earth represents all the qualities we embody in our mothers – unconditional love, caring, affectionate, forgiving, patience, accepting and it goes on…. And guess what; we have treated her, exactly how we treat our mothers…and we all know, what I’m saying – ‘taken for granted’
This morning, I ventured
to bring my thoughts to life, with the above photograph, trying to depict the reverence, I have for Mother Earth. After many hours, of trial and error, felt satisfied with this photo, that is showcasing the powerful Prithvi mudra, embraced around a chanting mala, with a backdrop of Earth picture. Why the fork?…you may ask, well that story unfolds a little later…
Mudras (a.k.a. Science of Postures) holds, a special place in the field of Ayurveda. Dive deep, into the wisdom of Ayurveda, and it’s rich language of Sanskrit, one gets to know, that these mudras, when practiced correctly, become “closed electric circuits” for the subtle energy channels within the body!
The meaning of Prithvi, is Earth. There are numerous benefits in practicing this powerful mudra – the most important being, it increases the Earth (one of the five elements) element, within our bodies by decreasing the Fire element. It helps in digestive problems, gives one the grounding and the self-confidence, and overall turns a person into a sattvic
(spiritual and mindful) personality.
In my quest to lead, a sattvic lifestyle, this dawned on me one day – mindful eating begins with mindfulcooking that leads to mindful living! So, I think, the first step we all can take, to honor and thank our Mother Earth, is to start eating mindfully! and this is the reason, why I chose to use fork to portray mindful eating
Mindful eating, has become my mantra and I have begun to love and respect my body, to give the best I can to keep it healthy, vibrant, and compassionate. Ayurveda emphasizes a lot on cooking and eating with your senses ON by enjoying the taste, smell, texture, look and feel of each bite and every meal you prepare.
Getting into the ritual of eating, with an intention to take care of my body – the only house I reside in, made me learn to enjoy cooking healthy and wholesome meals, good for my dosha (body constitution). I started diligently eating fresh home-made meals made with organic produce and locally grown. Buying locally grown and interacting with farmers, brought me closer to the community I live in, and a new-found reverence to the fertile farmlands of Arizona.
According to Ayurveda, once you start eating to your dosha, you start becoming aware and balanced, leading to an alignment with nature and surroundings around you. The awareness has made me look into other facets of my life. This practice has allowed me to make natural lifestyle changes in my home and in my surroundings. Right eating patterns, have gravitated me towards, mindful thinking and meditation, which in turn has given me the gifts of understanding, compassion, and empathy towards others.
Today, my life is a work in progress towards a sattvic lifestyle, yes it’s important to think about global warming, carbon footprint, pollution, etc…and you will find many posts written in regards to this for Earth Day. I think it’s more important first to take an honest look at ourselves, and learn to understand and know, who we are, and balance our minds and bodies first, before we start to bring changes in the societies we live in.
So, on this Earth Day, instead of giving you top 5 things or 10 things to do, I would like to encourage you all to take just the First step towards mindful eating and see for yourself how you and the life around you will miraculously start changing for good…
Let me finish this post with Eckhart Tolle’s quote – “You are responsible for your inner space; nobody else is, just as you are responsible for the planet. As within, so without: If humans clear inner pollution, then they will also cease to create outer pollution.”
So on this blessed Earth Day I genuflect at the feet of my Mother Earth for all the blessings she has showered upon me. Happy Earth Day!
