Tape 005: Plant Lovers

A botanical playlist and tantric plant meditation
A playlist inspired by self-love made with love.

Show yourself, your plants, your pets and your pals some love by sharing these sounds of disco hydration.

The sounds selected for this playlist put the FUN in funky, to get you grooving into the heart featuring various love languages from vintage disco, nu disco to electronic and hip-hop. Together we get to pollinate this month (and every month) with that deep, nourishing and light-hearted kind of love. Let this year be the revolution and celebration of love for yourself to share with others.

Self-Love Tantric Plant Meditation:

As we enter February, a hallmark month branded with refined-carbs, sugary sweets, delicate flowers and the color red, to honor all the plant lovers, we are going to focus on the gift of natural growth, self-sustenance and the color green instead.

Green is the color of growth, life, and balance. Through balance we find the center from which we can love, form healthy and nourishing relationships, and give and receive love. Green is the energy of love and transformation. It allows us to transform our ego and basic needs into open-hearted love to become more compassionate and love with ourselves and others. It is also considered the color of the heart center in the chakra system and is where the energies of lower chakras can be transformed and integrated into a higher aspect of a more spiritual and interconnected, less material and segmented existence. From this central space we are able to reach beyond our physical bodies and naturally connect to our expansive and free-spirited roots. So grab one of your adorable plant lovers, like the perky cardboard palm aka Zamia furfuracea and find a comfortable seat either in a chair or on the floor.

• Place one of your plant lovers directly in front of you about 3 feet away. When we connect to our plants we are able to tap into the nourishment that the earth provides us, breath in the subtle moisture of filtered air and synchronize with the rhythms of mother nature.
• Emulate your plant lover with a straight spine
• Softly gaze and admire your plant lover
• While you continue to gently gaze at the vibrant greenery in front of you begin to become aware of the quality of your own breathe. Naturally, where does it flow? Does it meet any places of tension or tightness in the physical body? Is there any resistance of the mind? What emotions are flowing through you?
• Continuing to gaze at your plant lover begin to bring a subtle and refined awareness to the quality and the depth of your breath. How much space in the lungs can you create on the inhale and how much carbon dioxide can you push out of the lungs on the exhale? Your plant lover thrives off of Co2. Let the air from your exhale caress the leaves in front of you. As you breath in allow this clean air to kiss your lungs with gratitude for the service of your green friend.  
• Tracing the vision of the green plant in your mind, close your eyes and continue to create this grateful green peace within yourself with long deep breathing.
• You are going to gradually begin to extend the inhale through the nose to 20 seconds (if you need to start at 10 seconds and build up to 20 seconds this is fine, just allow the breaths to be equal in length) - softly suspending the breath and holding it in for 20 seconds and slowly exhaling through the nose for 20 seconds.
• Continuing with this rhythm, connect your awareness to a vibrant green colored light at the center of your head.
• Begin creating a triangulation of energy here, inhaling the clean, green air and natural wisdom provided from your plant lover through the nose into the green light in the center of your head. With the breath held in for 20 seconds allow the pulsation of this green light to drip down the spine into the chamber of the heart center (center of the chest). Slowly exhale through the nose for 20 seconds from this space at the center of the chest. Let this green energy project out to your plant lover from your pure green heart and continue like this with the triangular green circuitry of the breath. Receiving clean, green breath on the inhale, suspending the breath in soft appreciation and giving pure, green love on the exhale.
• Continue to inhale into the center of the head, hold and let the green awareness travel down into the heart, exhale out of the heart center directing this energy to your plant lover. Continuing like this for at least 5 rounds (or as long as you would like); receiving, appreciating and giving.
• Once you complete your green breath cycles, relax back into the natural rhythm of your inhale and exhale, release this connection to your plant lover that sits 3 feet away from you and marinate in this green peaceful energy you’ve just photosynthesized.
• From this heart-centered and vibrant space, press play on your Plant Lovers playlist and let the green begin to fill the room as you vibe along with the groovy soundwaves.  

Backstory:

I recently got “junglefied” by horti after my last “jungle boogie” blog post. I have been quite transient the past fews years and finally decided to start to fill my simple and humble room in East Williamsburg with green life. It has completely changed the vibe and I truly feel as though I have friends with benefits (clean air) hanging out with me all the time. I sing to them, I finger them, I caress their leaves, I dance with them, I meditate with them. They are quite literally my plant lovers and soaking up all the energy I give off and I also reap the benefits of the vibes they are giving off too. We’re definitely cultivating a bond and I am thankful for the guidance of horti for helping me to keep them alive and thriving.

Self-love is quite the “trend” at the moment and for good reason. To take the time to integrate true self-nourishment into our day to day is revolutionary and of utmost practical importance in a jam-packed schedule. When I take the time to be present with myself and my plants, I’ve found that I am then more able to effectively show up for my family, friends and communities more effectively and with clarity. Being clear and present in my relationship with myself and my breath allows me to cultivate true intimacy with my new plants lovers, my pets, my human lover and my pals.

Cover photo: Daria Shevstova