The Danger of the Perpetual Bloom
How often do you find yourself looking outward and reaching upward by striving, planning, and doing? Over the years, I’ve learned that without choosing to remain grounded, it becomes easy to lose our balance.
Somatic grounding is the practice of returning to our physical roots to find the stillness that Lao Tzu spoke of over two thousand years ago. When we stay in a state of constant alertness and activation—when we constantly strive, do, and go—our nervous system becomes brittle and overwhelmed.
If you don’t create space for spending time with yourself and letting your roots grow, you may end up stuck in a state of frazzled confusion rather than insight.
In Verse 16 of my new book, Embodying the Tao, we explore this exact biological and philosophical reality.
Verse 16: Returning to Source
Relax into emptiness, let your heart embrace peace
Detach from daily chaos, observe the cycle of nature
All things grow, flourish, then return to source
Returning to source allows stillness
Stillness is the way of nature
Which flourishes again, never-ending
Knowing this ever-presence leads to insight
Not knowing insight leads to confusion
Returning to source leads to peace
Finding peace leads to openheartedness
Open-heartedness leads to compassion
Compassion leads to higher wisdom
Knowing higher wisdom, you become
One with the Tao
Being one with the Tao is eternal
Though the body dies, its connection to the Tao remains eternal
Reflection
Corporate culture and societal norms often urge us to move quickly based on intellect, even as intuition advises us to slow down or step back. This forced straight line of progress disrupts our natural rhythm.
Verse 16 reminds you that nature operates in cycles. After a poppy blooms, it must let its petals fall so its seeds can return to the earth. If the poppy clings to this year’s growth, it cannot bloom next year. Forcing a straight line of progress disrupts your natural rhythm, locks your nervous system in a state of chronic hyper-vigilance, and can lead to confusion or burnout.
This verse teaches that returning to source is a necessary and productive action. Stillness is not a void; it serves as the root system of your life. When you detach from daily chaos, your awareness drops from the mind’s swirling thoughts into the rich soil of the body. From this grounded place, you find the peace needed for intentional compassion.
When you understand that constant striving leads to distress, you can choose to return to your center. This fallow time aligns you with the eternal cycle of the Tao, ensuring that while your projects may change, your connection to the source remains everlasting.
Somatic Invitation
Find a comfortable position, either sitting or standing. Begin with your hands at your sides. As you inhale, with your palms facing up, slowly raise your arms out to the sides and up toward the sky, reaching wide. Imagine yourself at the flourishing stage—expansive and full of life. As your hands rise above your head, bring them together so that your fingertips touch and your palms face downward.
As you exhale, slowly lower your hands down the centerline of your body, palms pressing down toward the earth. As your hands pass your middle tan tien, feel your heart embracing peace. Continue lowering your hands until they reach your lower tan tien, and as they do, feel your body surge with vitality and creativity. Repeat this cycle three more times.
At the end of the third cycle, place your palms together and rest them at the middle tan tien. Imagine connecting with higher wisdom and being one with the Tao. Stay here for three minutes, enjoying the stillness as you connect to the qi flowing through you. Carry this memory of subtle connection to your qi—and the Tao—into the rest of your day.
Silently say for yourself: I embrace stillness as I return to my energetic source.
