I wanna be where my feet are

I’ve been listening to a song lately whose refrain is,

“I wanna be where my feet are”.

It’s gotten under my skin.

Do I wanna be where my feet are?

Not always! My day has not gone as anticipated, plans have altered unexpectedly and I’m fighting a cold. I was excited about my day but now it feels heavy.

Do I wanna be where my feet are?

I step outside and pay them attention. They are here with me, quiet and ready but my mind? Well, that’s scattered.

I stop and gaze upon my feet, feel the ground beneath them. As I pay attention, my breath calms and deepens, I notice my heart-beat, feel the breeze on my face, the light changing around me, hear the plants move around me.

I arrive into this moment and stand amazed.

Amazed at the work my body is silently doing, at the ground beneath my feet and all it contains, at the air and light around me.  And a yes rises within me.

Yes, I wanna be where my feet are. In THIS moment in THIS day.

Gratitude floods in, I feel lighter.

My feet and my head step forward to meet the day.

Today, may you breathe deeply, feel your heart-beating and know the ground’s holding.

Song - Centering Prayer by The Porter’s Gate

Embodied practice for when you’re longing to be elsewhere.

Take off your shoes and socks and if possible, stand, wiggle your toes, notice how the ground feels beneath them. How’s the texture, the temperature, are they at ease? How do they feel? Do they need anything?

As you bend your gaze downward pay attention to your head. How does it feel? What does it need. Perhaps your neck or shoulders needs some attention. Introduce any movement you need.

As you stand, take some deep breaths in and out, feel the air travelling through your lungs into your belly and out again. Your breath oxygenating every part of your body.   

Notice the ground beneath you, the invisible force of gravity connecting you to the earth, source of all your nourishment.

Notice your heart beating within you, enabling life.

What else can you see, hear or smell?

Take a moment to be absorbed by it.

This is where you are. This is where your feet are. This is your life, right here, right now.

What arises as you acknowledge that?

Do you notice acceptance and gratitude or tension and resistance?

If it’s the later, you may find a coaching conversation brings insight and lightness.

When our minds are out of step with our feet, it’s worth paying attention and asking why.