These simply meditation practices work whether you are walking, hiking, riding a bike, or sitting.

1: Grounding & Opening

Start by bringing your awareness to the soles of your feet. Visualize these energy centers opening and growing roots deep into the earth, going down and out to stabilize you. Then bring your awareness to the palms of your hands. Allow the energy centers there to open. Visualize tree branches growing out of your palms and up to the sky bringing you in touch with the wisdom of the universe.

2: Increasing the Qi (Chi)

Once you feel rooted to the earth, breathe its healing energy up through your legs to your Dan Tien (an energy center located just below the navel). Then exhale the energy back down into the earth. Repeat this nine times. Then turn your attention to your left palm. Breathe in the energy, wisdom, and love of the universe through your left arm up to your shoulders and exhale out through your right arm. Repeat this nine times, then switch arms, breathing in through your right arm and exhaling out of your left arm.

3: Detoxifying

Bring your attention to the crown of your head. Visualize your crown opening like a flower blossoming. Picture a warm, white, soothing liquid pouring into your body through your crown. Allow it to fill your body, first filling your feet, then filling up to your knees and thighs, up through your pelvic region, then into your abdomen and lower back. Continue filling yourself through your chest and upper back to your shoulders, and then down through both arms, all the way to your fingertips. Last, fill your neck and head until your body is completely full.

Allow this healing elixir to soothe your body, relaxing your muscles. Allow it to soak up your fears, doubts, worries, and feelings of insecurity or unworthiness – all of your negative energy or energy blocks, all of your aches and pains, anything that you feel is not serving your highest good. You may notice that as this elixir soaks up toxins, it turns darker, becoming gray, brown or black.

Once you feel cleansed, “open” the soles of your feet and allow the liquid to drain out of your body and into the earth beneath you. If you still feel some “residue” after draining the liquid, picture a showerhead above your crown. Turn it on and allow it to rinse the rest of the toxins from you. Silently ask that it be used as fertilizer to grow more love and compassion on the planet.

Breathe deeply and feel gratitude for life.

Adapted from Running & Meditation: Combining Modalities to Synergize Self-Care. Reprinted with permission from the American Holistic Nurses Association.

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