How do you celebrate Earth Day? Do you take a break from material consumption? Donate an hour or two to clean a local park? Watch a cool video on YouTube? Or is Earth Day a part of something bigger in your life? Is it a chance to celebrate your commitment to an eco-friendly lifestyle? At the core, Earth Day is about more than just what we do. It’s about where we live, and ultimately, who we are.
The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, was established through the efforts of a U.S. Senator who felt that environmental crises were not being taken seriously by our nation’s leaders. Over the next twenty years, Earth Day became the keystone for an environmental movement consisting of over 20 million individual demonstrators and thousands of local schools and communities. In 1990, the movement officially became international with Earth Day events being celebrated in 141 nations.
In 2009, the United Nations recognized April 22nd as International Mother Earth Day. The adopting resolution used the term Mother Earth because it “reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit.”
Despite the passion and purpose behind Earth Day and the significant growth in Earth Day activities over nearly 50 years, our planet is still in grave danger. Why haven’t the efforts of millions of concerned individuals been enough to stem the tide of environmental pollution, destruction, and destabilization? Perhaps because we have been focusing on the earth as an “environment” rather than seeing it as a symbiotic organism. In essence, we are not separate from the earth. We exist in bodies that are literally built out of the earth. Eventually, our bodies return to the form from which they came. In between, we experience life. And despite our grand visions of leaving this planet behind to travel the stars, the earth is still the only place that the vast majority of us will ever call home.
How often and how strongly do you sense your inherent oneness with the earth? Despite being an obvious truth, it’s all too easy to live our lives disconnected from this reality. ;But even if we don’t feel our connection, we are still undeniably affecting, and affected by, the earth. When the earth is ‘sick,’ how can we expect to stay healthy? If the earth can no longer support life, where and how do we expect to live?
Don’t let these bleak ideas send you into depression. Open up to the idea that we desperately need a healthy earth, and the earth needs us. When you awaken a deeper sense of connectedness with the earth you can find the power to take action and create change.
Read on for some ways to deepen your sense of connection.
You might not think there's a close relationship between yoga and the earth, but the two are deeply connected. In Sanskrit, yoga means “union,“ referring to the union of body and mind. As we develop awareness and sensitivity to Ki (energy), we realize that our bodies are not separate from our minds, that we are not separate from each other, and that ultimately we are not separate from the earth.
Body & Brain Yoga, in addition to helping you improve your physical health, also facilitates a process of self realization that can help you sense your true connection with Mother Earth. If this sounds good to you, click HERE to try a class!
Part of this process of self realization is awakening to the idea that each of us is a microcosm of the planet. Naturally, it follows that as we heal ourselves we are also healing the planet. Maybe this is what Earth Day is really about?
By taking time to awaken a deeper sense of your true self, maybe by practicing yoga and mindful meditation, you’ll feel a greater sense of oneness with the earth. Your deeper connection to Mother Earth will change the way you make eco-friendly choices. Instead of being a moral ‘should’, choosing an eco-friendly lifestyle becomes an important form of self-care.
So get connected to Mother Earth this Earth Day. The truth is, we already are!