How environmental awareness can help you reset and reconnect
Adjusting to the time change, having shorter days and longer nights, mostly cloudy days and colder days.. that can take a lot of energy. This is when I (again) return to Nature, and I learn so much. Not only I feel the need to slow down, but I also feel the urge to be more grounded. One thing I’ve used a lot recently are standing yoga postures — they help me feel grounded and balanced during these transitions.
Here is a standing balance flow or you can check it out our grounding flow in our YouTube channel. If you enjoy it don’t forget to like and perhaps share with someone it might benefit from it.
This blog post is an invitation to reflect, reset, and experiment using Yoga and Nature as tools for a smoother transition, and we will explore how to set the foundations for your grounding practice, what is earthing and how the practice of can be beneficial on your daily routine.
Honoring what resonates
Before we dive in, please remember this: take what resonates with your heart, and gently leave what it doesn’t. Some of the practices I now consider essential didn’t resonate to me until years after I first started practicing yoga. So allow space for patience, compassion, and curiosity — your journey is your own.
Learning from Nature and the concept of umwelt
Each being (human, plant, animal) experiences its environment through a unique lens – depending on background, geographical location, privilege and many other variants. This idea is known as umwelt — our personal perception of the world around us.
When our environment aligns with our needs — when we feel safe, supported, and grounded — we thrive. This is something Nature does instinctively, so why not take cues from it?
Grounding starts with the Earth
Let’s begin with the idea that the Earth is alive with energy. Science confirms that our planet operates through massive electromagnetic fields — and we, as humans, are also made of energy. When we connect physically to the Earth, we allow our bodies to interact with these fields in a way that can bring us back to balance.But it’s important to enjoy Nature respectfully. Leave it better than you found it, one of the principles of Leave no Trace, reminds us that we also should respect this land on every engaging activity we decide to.
In a fast-paced world — especially here in the Bay Area — we are overstimulated and often overwhelmed, and most of the times people have no idea about that. Nature offers what technology never can: a return to simplicity and presence.
What is Earthing?
Earthing means connecting your bare foot to natural ground — soil, grass, sand — allowing an exchange of electrical charge with the Earth. It might sound “woo” to some, but it’s backed by science and lived experience.
For me, it started unintentionally during childhood. Today, it’s a weekly (sometimes daily) ritual that brings me a sense of calm, clarity, and peace. Have you tried?
If you are still thinking about it, I invite you to imagine your body as a computer — the hardware is your physical form, the software is your mind. Both need to be in sync to function well, and when you need to reset Nature helps you reboot through this electrical magnetic field.
A grounding exercise for you:
Pay attention to how differently environments can affect you.
Try journaling or simply observing:
- What changes in my body when I am in Nature vs. indoors?
- How does my breath shift when I am around trees vs. in traffic?
- What environments make me feel most alive, safe, or inspired?
