The five elements Akash or Space, Vayu or Air, Agni or Fire, Ap or Water and Prithvi or Earth are present in the Universe and also personified in us.
Of the Panchamahabhutas, the Prithvi tattva or earth element is the grossest and heaviest. This is represented in the nature as mountains, rocks, sand, minerals, crystals, earth and soil.
Earth element in your body can be seen as a dense and heavy structure of the body like solid component of bones, muscles as well as fat.
In the energy body, Root chakra is dominant in Earth element. This is the very element that keeps you stable, focused, structured and deeply grounded.
The lack or imbalance of Earth element in your being manifests as feeling ungrounded, too light almost airy or spacey, unfocused and feeling the lack of support, struggle to survive or carry out day to day activities and emotional numbness.
According to the Ayurvedic Principle of 'Samatvam Vriddhi Karanam' or 'like increases like', when you introduce a diet or lifestyle that has properties that you desire, you will see a growth in your own body of the properties.
e.g. A warm spice tea provides warmth or stepping out in cold weather makes you cold.
The instant, fractionated diet and lifestyle of this century, constant overexposure of your sensory organs to all kinds stimuli, a busy unmindful lifestyle where you are always being run by the clock are some of the causes of an ungrounded and uncentered existence.
To rebalance the Earth element, you need to honor your inner earth and here are my 5 favorite ways you can ground yourself to bring back the lost balance.
1. Eat a grounding diet-
Of the six tastes, sweet, sour and astringent are made up of the earth element. To rebalance the earth element in your body, you should focus on a diet that is rich in this taste. Some examples of the taste are
Sweet: ripe fruits, grains, butter, ghee, milk, natural sugars, cooked root vegetables and cooked winter squashes.
Sour: unripe fruits like mango, berries or sour fruits like amla berry, yogurt, fermented foods
Astringent: beans and lentils.
Having the above earthy foods as a part of your diet will ensure optimal nourishment, focus, and concentration, as well as grounding.
Ashwagandha is a herb that is high in Earth element. As an adaptogen, it is grounding, nourishing, anti-stress and mood stabilizing.
2. Ground daily.
Spend maximum time in nature and establish a connection with the earth. Walking barefoot on the green grass, hugging trees, hiking in the mountains or natural trails and hobbies like pottery or gardening ensure that you strengthen your connection with the earth.
3. Meditation
Listening to the sounds of nature like the flow of the stream or the chirping of birds is a great way to connect outside. Taking an opportunity to get outside and meditate in nature is another way to ground your thoughts and emotions.
4. Grounding essential oils
Prithvi tattva displays dominance in the sense of smell. Using fragrant grounding oils can help you calm and rebalance yourself instantly. Essential oils like cedarwood, white fir, spruce, sandalwood, ylang-ylang, pine, and Juniper are grounding in nature.
5. Grounding crystals
Use of grounding crystals like red jasper, garnet, obsidian, smoky quartz, shungite, red carnelian and hematite can help you balance the Prithvi tattva or earth element in your body. You can wear these stones as jewelry or use them in meditation.
You can use one or all 5 of the above methods to ground and balance your earth element. What are some ways, you honour your inner earth, do reply and let me know!