When 9-11 happened, I went underground. I went to the safest place I knew at that moment - which was in the basement where a dear friend of mine was working as a baker. It was warm, dark, smelled like bread, and I was alone. There was no chair or furniture of any kind, so I got down on the floor. I prayed, wept, and prayed some more. I stayed there all day, and like everyone else in this country, I will never forget where I was and what I did on that day.
If, like me, you were down on the floor when that particular tragedy happened, you may have found yourself down there again at some point during this pandemic. You might be there right now. Because I teach and practice yoga, I'm on the floor daily. Whatever pose I am practicing or whatever my legs are doing at the moment to help me sit up straight for breathwork or meditation, being on the floor is grounding. It is where we surrender to gravity. We are somehow closer to the "source." If you are one of my students, you might be there right now with your legs up the wall, reading this on your phone. Even here in my 9th floor apartment - I feel grounded when I get down on the floor.
If you do not have a yoga practice, you may still get down on the floor to clean, play with your child or grandchild; your dog or cat. In these dark days of wintering, you might seek out a sunspot on your floor and lay there to soak it up for a glorious moment or two. The next time you do one of these things, notice how it makes you feel afterward. Calm? Centered? Relaxed? All available to you here and now without leaving your home. How wonderful is that?
