World Earth Day, celebrated every year on April 22, is a day designed to create awareness about the environment and drive actions to protect it. It aims at educating people about the climate crisis and global warming and encouraging them to volunteer towards changing the current environmental situation.
Importance of World Earth Day
The first Earth Day was celebrated 51 years ago in the United States by US Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin and graduate student Denis Hayes. In 1990, Earth Day became a global event, bringing together 200 million people to encourage environmental protection.
The main objective of World Earth Day is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement throughout the world. Its mission is to drive transformational change in people and hold the ones responsible for the climate crisis into account.
Climate Crisis and the Earth
Since the inception of Earth Day 50 years ago, our world has gone through tremendous climate change. The indicators of the climate crisis, such as temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide, ocean heat and acidification, sea level, glacier mass balance and Arctic and Antarctic sea ice levels, all have shown an acceleration in the past few years.
These climate changes have disrupted biodiversity and accelerated the rate of destruction of the planet. Therefore, it has become quintessential to bring transformational changes to prevent further damage to the climate.
One of the best things you can do is bring awareness about the intimate connection between the environment and our health, a philosophy shared by Ayurveda. It will help motivate people to create small lifestyle changes that can preserve the environment in the long run.
Connection Between Ayurveda and Earth
According to Ayurveda, your body is made up of five elements, one of which is earth. Ayurveda believes that humans are intimately connected to the Earth, and whatever happens within the Earth, also happens to their bodies.
The fundamental concept of Ayurveda is that humans are a part of the natural ecosystem and should live in alignment with the rhythms of the Earth to stay healthy. An imbalance in the Earth also leads to an imbalance in the earth element of your body.
If your food is grown in soil with depleted natural bacteria, your gut will also suffer from the depletion of these bacteria. If the soil has a low mineral content, your body will also lack these minerals. Therefore, Ayurveda says that when the Earth is unhealthy, you are unhealthy.
Connecting with the Earth is, therefore, extremely important. It will help balance the earth element of your body, stimulate your regenerative capacity and drive your actions towards environmental protection.
How To Connect With Earth?
- Find a place where you can connect easily with the natural environment, like a park or mountains. Then, close your eyes and listen to all the sounds around you, such as the rustling of leaves, howling of the wind, etc. It will help reduce stress and pain and create a balance in your body.
- Walk on the natural grass or soil barefoot or dip your feet in a natural water body to make a physical connection with the Earth. This process will help synchronise your body to the rhythms of the Earth and reduce chronic systemic inflammation.
- Look at the sky and observe the shapes and colours of all the things you can see, such as clouds, stars, etc. It will help build awareness and focus while also reducing anxiety and stress.
- Eat organic, local and seasonal plant-based foods. While eating, make sure to observe the taste and texture of these foods. It will help improve digestion and your overall gut health.
All these actions will not only help you connect better with the Earth but also drive subconscious efforts to protect your environment.
On a Final Note
World Earth Day encourages you to protect the environment, conserve natural resources and prevent global warming. This World Earth Day, connect with the Earth and invest your time and efforts in your planet and Ayurveda. If you protect your planet and follow Ayurvedic guidelines, you protect yourself.
