As a 70’s child I was force fed Pink Floyd from an early age, their lyrics so far have journeyed with me throughout my life, always there like an ever present hum in the background. They feel timeless, exciting and philosophical.
One of my favourite songs is ‘Breathe’, especially these lyrics which seem so relevant today:
“Breathe, breathe in the air
Don’t be afraid to care
Leave but don’t leave me
Look around, choose your own ground”
“Breathe, breathe in the air”
Our planet breathes just like us. It has a rhythm and so does our breath.
And there is an undercurrent, an urbanised rhythm … just as Pink Floyd would sing ‘run rabbit run’ we like the running rhythm, it’s exciting, a bit racy but it also gives a sense of purpose and influences when we socialise, eat, sleep, work and breathe.
And…. We…. Should….Breathe…
Slowing down mentally and physically brings us into a state of peace and harmony. Slowing down also means we naturally take in more air. We breathe and nature breathes with us.
Taking in more air activates the parasympathetic nervous system which encourages the body to relax and it is in this relaxed state we let go of stress and anxiety caused by the rabbit running and we begin to heal.
If the earth had a parasympathetic nervous system, it would be nature. Hearing the birds sing, feeling a breeze on your skin, a walk outside these are all beautiful things that can remind us of a life giving energy from the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars.
“Don’t be afraid to care”
Much of our bodies are built from the foods we eat, which are grown from the sun. We are literally made from sunlight… So to keep us healthy and shining brightly we need to take an interest in what we put into our bodies and that means we need to care and protect our planet, so mother nature can continue to give back to us.
One of the major revelations over the last century has been the movement into organic farming and sustainability. We realised our reliance of synthetic and non-organic methods started to become the norm and we began consuming less sunshine and more toxins. So being organic means less harmful chemicals and cleaner, greener water, soil and air.
We should not be afraid to care and ask about where things are made. We seem quite au fait about organic food but do we have the same sensibility about clothing we wear every day?
“Leave but don’t leave me”
Undoubtably in the coming months when the noise starts and captain clock chimes loud and clear we will leave the luxury that time at home has afforded us… let’s not leave the love of local behind, let’s not drop the relationship and beautiful dialogue we have established with produce and so many people that we share not only a proximity but now a closeness with.
“Look around, choose your own ground”
You know, I think Pink Floyd knew there would be time when we would have to become more earth positive. I am pretty sure they are telling us here that if we look around we can make better choices.
Too much of what we consume is disposable, especially our clothing which so often comes from cotton and fast fashion! Producing more throw away waste, less ground for us to nurture and instead fill and taking up the space for the planet to breathe and wildlife to thrive.
We have thought long and hard recently about producing some clothing and we have really worked hard to define something that can be certified ‘earth positive’ why…. Well we choose our ground and our source but more importantly we believe by making a small amount of things, that can be worn for a lifetime, sourced via a considered as possible means, is the heart of sustainable fashion. The fact that they will be organic is a given… we just want them to be positive.
And to finish, here’s the rest of the song:
“For Long you live
And high you fly
And smiles you’ll give
And tears you’ll cry
And all the touch
And all you see
Is all your life
Will ever be”
