Be In Your Moment…

September is all about grounding yourself and slowing down

As we step into another fall, I’m reminded of how important it is to stop, breathe, and simply enjoy being—even if just for a little while.

Time moves incredibly fast. We can’t really slow it down, but we can change how we experience it. Sometimes the best way to do that is to become fully present—to be in your moment, in your space, and notice what is happening right now.

From the Past: Pine Tar Soap, the Foxfire Books & How This Whole Soap Thing Started

One of the earthiest products I make has to be my Pine Tar Bar. It’s also the bar that taught me how to make soap 26 years ago.

Around that same time, I was introduced to the Foxfire books. The Foxfire project began in 1966 when teacher Eliot Wigginton and his students at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in northeast Georgia began interviewing local people about the traditional skills, stories, and ways of life that were quickly disappearing. Their work became the Foxfire magazine in 1967, and the first Foxfire Book was published by Doubleday in 1972.

I was especially drawn to the stories—especially the ghost stories!—but what stayed with me most was the incredible knowledge these mountain communities had about making, growing, preserving, healing, and simply living well with what was around them.

Those books became a big part of my life in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Around then, my husband and I moved to the Adirondacks, first to Lake Placid and later to the St. Regis Falls area. We were living out our own old-timey dreams: cooking over a fire, canning, growing our own food, and making things the way people used to.

For me, this soap represents so much more than a product. It connects my love of handmade things, old-fashioned skills, natural ingredients, and simple self-care with a very special time in my life. My Pine Tar bar is the one I go to every time I step into the shower. Its earthy scent immediately connects me to the earth. And gives me a few moments of connection with nature.

[Read more about Pine Tar in my journal →click here]
[Shop Pine Tar Soap →here]

A Simple Grounding Practice

Grounding is simply a way of reconnecting with yourself and with the earth. It can help you feel sturdy, centered, and present.

You don’t need anything special to do it. Find a quiet spot outside, and sit directly on the ground or on a rock.

Before you begin, tell yourself:

There is nowhere to go. There is nothing to do for the next five minutes. These five minutes are mine.

Then simply sit and breathe.

Notice the air around you. Is there a breeze? What does the ground feel like beneath you? How does your body feel in this particular place, at this particular moment?

As you breathe in, imagine roots growing from your body and reaching deep into the earth. Imagine drawing up a sense of strength and steadiness through those roots.

As you exhale, let go of whatever you’ve been carrying—stress, worry, tension, emotions. I especially like adding a long, audible sigh to the exhale. There’s something surprisingly cathartic about physically letting go.

Stay there for as long as you’d like. There’s nothing to accomplish. Just breathe, notice, and be.

If you can’t make it outside, like in the winter, it’s not really possible to do this; here’s where my ritual of collecting stones, small pieces of wood, and shells throughout the summer comes into play. Throughout the spring and summer, I collect rocks, stones, feathers, sticks, and acorns…it’s a habit and useful for connecting to nature during those long, dark winter months. If I ever need to feel grounded and connected to nature and I can’t get outside, I reach for one of my stones or shells, or whatever, and hold that during meditation. It gives me a physical and tangible connection to nature.

Grounding in the Shower

You don’t have to be sitting on the earth to practice grounding. Being outside and physically connecting with nature can certainly help, but our senses can also bring us back into the present moment.

The next time you shower, pause for a few minutes.

Take a slow, deep breath. Then breathe out just as slowly.

Notice the warmth of the water. Feel your feet on the floor. Pick up your favorite bar of soap and really notice its scent.

I especially love doing this with my Pine Tar Bar. Its deep, earthy aroma makes it easy for me to imagine roots growing from my feet and reaching down into the earth.

For just a few minutes, let the shower be more than something you’re rushing through. Let it be a place to breathe, reconnect, and come back to yourself.

For a grounding and delicious salad..click here!

Take five minutes this week. Stop. Breathe. Notice. Be in your moment.