Inspirations by Emily J. Weitz

Rooting Down to the Body's Foundation

The summer is a time of movement, energy and outward turns. There are more parties, weddings, celebrations, and outdoor adventures than any other season. This can be completely exhilarating, but it can also leave us feeling of over stimulated and chaotic.

Alison Caporimo

In moments such as these, when you're feeling pulled apart at the seams, it's invaluable to connect back with a very simple thing: the foundation. The foundation is whatever is touching the ground in a given moment. When you're standing, your feet are your foundation. When you're sitting on the ground, your sit bones and the outer edges of the feet are your foundations. And when you're lying on your back, every point of your body touching the earth is a part of your foundation.

So, why bring awareness to the foundation?

The physiological benefit of pressing into the earth through the foundation results in a feeling of strength, stability and safety.

When you press into the foundation, you can feel the muscle groups activate when they push against the resistance of the floor.

In addition to finding muscular strength, rooting down through the foundation will give you stability. Think about it: if a thick, heavy branch grew on a thin, weak tree trunk, the whole tree would be pulled down. The same is true in the body. By rooting into the foundation, you create stability and steadiness.

But this idea is not purely physical. Rooting down through the foundation also means getting in touch with your own roots. Life goes by quickly, and what once seemed to be the only reality - like the house you grew up in or the sound of your mother's voice - quickly become part of your past. Your past is your foundation. By rooting down into your own foundation, you are checking in with that sacred and strong place in yourself, and in your own history.

There are many ways to touch down with your foundation, whether it's calling your best friend since third grade or sitting at the ocean to meditate. But so often we forget our foundations in the moments we need them most. When a tree loses connection to its roots, it falls over. When a bridge loses its foundation, it collapses. So, the next time you feel emotionally challenged, root down.

Try this: Stand up, your feet hip distance apart. Lift and spread the toes, pressing down through the four corners of the feet into the floor. Notice how the calf muscles engage and the thighs move back. Feel the stability in your legs. Take a few deep breaths, continuing to root down with each exhale, and then release.

To an outsider, it may have looked like you were just standing normally. But you may find that by grounding down through your physical foundation, you feel more stable mentally and emotionally as well. So even as you sweep from beach to beach, from barbecue to barbecue, remind yourself to root down once in a while. Once you check in with your foundation, you may feel even freer.

Questions or thoughts, visit www.yogamatized.com.