Be Where Your Feet Are

Be where your feet are.

My daughter made this comment this summer, and it has been playing through my mind ever since. I often feel like my life is just one long string of tasks. I go from one thing to another, one client to another, one errand to another. Some days I feel like I'm in so many places that my mind can't actually catch up to my feet! So much rushing.

Be where your feet are.

And sometimes I don't want to be present. One of my coping mechanisms when things get hard is to daydream about being somewhere else. My husband knows that I'm having a hard day and that I'm stressed when I send him links to cheap flights or various Airbnbs. When things get hard, I want to be anywhere but where my feet are. And although it feels good for a few moments to daydream that I'm on an island in Greece or in the backcountry far away from civilization, as soon as I click away from those beautiful images, I'm brought right back to the reality that I'm trying not to deal with.

Be where your feet are.

I know that I have been ignoring my stress when my body starts to rebel. My neck gets tight, my shoulders inch up toward my ears, my digestion slows, and I am completely distracted in day-to-day life. It gets to this point because I am not in touch with my feet at all. My mind is constantly ruminating on the causes of my stress, making everything so much worse.

Be where your feet are.

I'm at a point in my life where I must pay attention to my stress levels, to my body, and certainly to my feet. I love the life that I have created for myself, and I really do want to be present for it all. This summer, I recommitted to my yoga and meditation practices. For a long time, I told myself that regular running was enough of a stress reliever, but that is no longer true. I need both the yin and the yang. I need the connection to nature, the sun, and the breeze when I'm running. I need the pounding of my feet on the trail. But I also need the deep, cleansing breaths and slow, intentional physical connection of yoga and meditation.  

Be where your feet are.

When I need to come back to presence and get reoriented with my feet, I use a quick meditation that I use with clients but often forget to use myself.

Close your eyes and feel the crown of your head. Imagine drawing your being down into your body through your crown, moving all the way to your feet.

Feel your feet on the earth, your body being supported in your chair, the clothes on your back, and rest fully in your lovely, capable, beautiful body.

I encourage you to be where your feet are and see what happens when you are present to yourself, listen deeply, and stay in the moment. It is in this place where true healing begins. In this moment, you set aside the distraction and truly tend to your needs.

Be loved,

Desirée