Earth Room

What happens when your brain is spinning with ideas, but you’re exhausted at the thought of action? What do you do when you finally recognize your happy place, and it’s 300 miles and a lifestyle away?

I don’t know. These aren’t rhetorical questions. I don’t have the answer – except maybe this: go for a walk.

Walking is my jam. It’s my moving meditation – even more than yoga. And yes, I would love a walk in the woods. But in the city, getting to loamy soft earth takes more time and energy than I have sometimes.

So I tell myself: Do this. Walk home. Walk to the train. Put your feet on hard concrete and walk. And if you want to smell the earth, go here.

This is the Earth Room, a long-term installation in Soho. It is exactly what it sounds like: a room filled with dirt. In the summer it’s humid and the whole apartment is filled with a damp, visceral smell. It’s tempting to climb over the small retaining wall and let your toes roam. I didn’t dare touch anything when I visited, but people have.

When it comes to feeling disconnected, I tell my students – and myself – there is no better remedy than to tune in to that Muladhara earth energy and get grounded. Pound the pavement, or better, smell the earth.