Photo by Theseathesea
To feel grounded, it’s important to touch the earth.

Have you ever wondered why full prostrations are a ritual in many world religions? One of the reasons is that something important happens when we bow down and touch the ground with our body: We pour ourself into the earth and into the sky. And this outpouring makes us feel grounded.

Here are some ways to feel grounded:

• Sitting on the ground

Most people sit on chairs or on sofas, not on the ground. However, it’s important to sit on the ground now and then. It allows us to be in touch with the earth. Next time you are in a park, sit on the grass. Experiment with sitting on the floor instead of on an armchair. What do you notice when you do that?

• Gardening

If you have access to a garden or windowbox, sow some seeds. Watch them come up and unfold. Make sure that you use your bare hands to work in the earth - this is truly being in touch!

• Walking barefoot

When did you last walk barefoot? Try it and notice the temperature, the feel of the ground under your foot, and the sensations on your skin.

• Swimming

Most of the earth is covered by water. When you swim, you are also intimately in touch with the earth.

• Surfing

When you enjoy water sports like surfing you also feel more grounded.

The key thing, whether you are walking, bowing, gardening, swimming, or surfing, is to pour yourself into your activity - body and soul. This is how you become grounded.

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Photo by Alykat

Now is a good time for compassion and forgiveness.

Are there things you find too hard to forgive? The following story of Peter and Linda Biehl is a wonderful example of what compassion and forgiveness can achieve.

In 1993 their daughter, Amy Biehl, an 26-year-old Fulbright Scholar, went to South Africa to work in underprivileged communities. Shortly before the end of the apartheid era, Amy Biehl was stoned and knifed to death by a crowd of young blacks.

As you can imagine, Linda and Peter were devastated. After a while they decided to visit South Africa to understand what Amy’s life had been like. They visited Guguletu, the back township where Amy’s killers grew up. As they drove slowly along the potholed streets and saw the hostile glances, they locked their car doors and hunched down in their seats. Afterwards, during an interview with CBS Linda said, “I can understand how, if you were a youth living in these condition, you could be stirred up, and you could become violent.”

Peter and Linda then decided to establish the Amy Biehl Foundation that offers after-school and vocational training to young people of Guguletu and other black townships.

Meanwhile, the four young men who killed Amy were pardoned and released from prison in 1998 after serving four years. Soon after that, two of them, Easy Nofomela and Ntebecko Penny, made contact with Amy’s parents. You can imagine how hard it was for Linda and Peter to meet face to face with the killers of their daughter. But when they saw how bleak their prospects were, they decided to offer help and support to Easy and Ntebecko. They started training as builders in one of the Biehls’ programmes and have since been involved with a construction company that the Biehls started.

It’s terrific to be able to do that,” Peter Biehl said. “It just absolutely sets me free.

This story shows how powerful and healing the journey of compassion can be. Whenever I balk at forgiving someone, I remind myself of the Biehls and their journey of healing. Then I open to compassion and take the first step of forgiveness - which is stepping in the shoes of those who have hurt me.

Please forgive someone today and feel the freedom of compassion.

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PS. This post is part of the group writing project called “Spread the Love” run by Albert of Urban Monk.Net, Wade of The Middle Way, Kenton of Zen-Inspired Self Development.

Photo: Glenn Fleishman

Kindness is medicine for the world.

I want to follow a suggestion by a fellow-blogger, Leo Babauta, and publicly offer a kindness.

I will offer one free place on my next retreat for someone who can’t afford to attend.

(If you are interested in attending a retreat please click here)

Maybe you would like to join in this circle of kindness? What act of kindness are you willing to commit to?

Please leave a comment with your personal commitment. You could also ask your nearest and dearest to join in: ask them what act of kindness they are willing to commit to. In this way we can all be part of a growing ‘circle of kindness’.