Nature, our great master and teacher

Yoga can teach us much about nature, and nature teaches us much about the nature of life. The science of yoga is in fact founded on the principles of natural living, hence the naming of the breathing exercises as ‘pranayama’, (the gathering of) ‘prana’, the ‘universal life force’, that energy which animates all life.

Nature is free of dogma, free of politics, it intimately connects us with the true nature of our being and the universe, showing us how to render our actions, and indeed our yoga practice, pure and humble, so as to tap in to and resonate with the universal life force. Herein resides the ‘spirituality’’ of yoga, it is a practice dedicated to getting in touch with the essence of life itself.

“No Guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
In the garden, wet with rain”
- Van Morrison

When nature pervades our own spirit of life through our awareness of its symbolic meaning, and as the very real source of all life and creation, it reveals a way of being that exists free of man made structures and institutions. Uncovering this resonance with nature (and art and creativity) reveals the true nature of being, a clarity of spirit that religion, in the institutionalized, ‘man made’ sense, can only strive for.

A deep respect and understanding of the holistic interaction between our environments, our own bodies and nature, should lead to a deepening of ones total spiritual experience. In order to derive maximum health benefits from yoga natural living should be integrated fully into ones lifestyle. Yoga disciplines are about creating a physical body that is calm, stable and pure enough to allow the mind room and sensitivity to, through meditation and reflection, to make the connection between the spirit within and spirit without. It teaches one respect for the self and the universe, and generates the will power to strive for harmony between and in both realms. In this way yoga becomes a vehicle for the individual to find peace and comfort within the world, a tool that can assist one to make the very best of what man made systems and creation itself can offer in combination.

“Man follows the ways of Earth
Earth follows the way of heaven
Heaven follows the way of Tao
Tao follows its own nature”
- Tao Te Ching

An exercise in awareness and contemplation, and at one-ness with nature:
Soul searching - spending time alone.

We all need the challenges, warmth and support that we get by interacting with other human beings, but in order to digest and understand our ‘human experience’ it is essential to spend some time on our own also. After talking, thinking and working with others we need to step out on our own, to stand alone and defenceless with ourselves, to allow our reasoning mind and social interactions to ferment and mature into ‘knowing’ and not only a gathering of knowledge.

While we are busy, in whatever capacity, we are hiding from ourselves to some degree.

As long as we interact with others we will play on some emotion, react on various intellectual roles, drawing on the information that the ordinary world processes are flooded with. A healthy balance between ‘own time’ and social interaction should exist, the support of friends and societies structures should be there to help us to make that move towards ‘getting out there’ on our own, and being alone should provide us with the energy and capacity to function within society as fulfilled human beings.

Deliberate solitary sojourns, be it an opportunistic walk alone for an hour or so over a weekend, a regular meditation/contemplation programme or a well-planned retreat, are very necessary for our soul development. Some of the moulds or masks that we acquire during our lifetime need to be cracked 'out in the desert': mystics on mountaintops, in deserts and romantic images of travellers going off to remote areas all indicate the need of self discovery, an adventure of the self.

Away from the world, alone in nature, in a state of natural resonance with creation, we can go beyond the damages inflicted by the various un-holistic aspects of our largely unnatural living society. In nature we can see creation itself clearly, we can feel the power and charge of the organic cosmos, submerge our personalities within a larger framework and connect with the one-ness of creation. In nature we can uncover the charade of our worldly form, and stand in awe of life itself. In nature our own being is exposed, its puny size compared to that of an ocean or mountain humbles us, and yet the magnificence of our own creative powers also reflects the magnificent expanses of our universe. The ego is checked and our dreams can be realised and filled with a sense of wonder.

Spending time alone, contemplating, resting, and rejuvenating body and mind helps one to gain the responsibility, independence and gather the energies that we need to make the changes and healing needed to bring fulfilment to our lives. Experiencing the full weight and lightness of being is the great reward of the person that knows the ability of the solitary mind to touch upon the eternal bliss of self-realisation.

‘Doing yoga’ through nature:

Adapt the exercise below to suit your specific demographics, passions and temperament.

Visit a park or large garden; find a secluded and tranquil area. Find a comfortable place to sit, preferably on the ground. Become still. ‘Melt’ into the surroundings. Open your eyes and ears to nature. Take in all the colours, sounds, smells. Watch. Listen. Breathe. Feel the air. Close your eyes and sense the beauty and harmony around you. Listen to the birds, hear the humming of insects. Feel the earth below you, the plants rooted in the soil, the sky above, vibrating with the essence of life.

Lie in a field, in the shade of a tree on a hot day, or in the morning sun. Feel the warmth and energy coming at you from far across the universe. Imagine what it is like for the plants to live in the sun, rain and wind, exposed to the elements all of their lives. All organic life is made possible by a complex combination of events, of which the warmth of the sun plays a most vital role. Watch the same sun that makes life possible for the plants, the same sun that sustains your life, set. Watch it again, rising or setting tomorrow. Witness the birth of a new day on a regular basis. At the next sundown, watch the sky darken, see the stars coming out. Observe the growth or flux of the moon. Notice the cycles of the moon, see its effects on the oceans tides, feel the same pull on the fluids of your body. When it is full moon again, wait for the moon to rise. Watch it climb the sky as it orbits the planet earth, the one you are standing on. Remember the information you have picked up on the vastness of space: Imagine the incredible distance between us and the stars that we see. When you go back into your house don’t switch on the lights; rather light a candle, orget the electricity for a night.

Next time the wind blows strong, or when it is pouring with rain, and you have available the time and place, switch off the radio or television. Listen to the sound of the wind. Hear the rain against the window. These are sounds of the elements that shape our lives; the elements that make possible the cycles of life outside in nature, there where life resides beyond the concrete, steel and commerce of our man made environment. It is out there, outside the city limits, where the plants and animals that feed us are growing and grazing.

Go for a walk on the beach when you can. Stop and watch the waves. Watch the curve of the swell, the crash of the wave, as if in slow motion, the same action an endlessly repeating loop. Feel the power of the sea, smell and sense its presence, ever constant, always changing. Watch the play of the sunlight on the surface of the water. Experience the mystery of sitting at the shore of this large, living body. See the line of the horizon, and the sense the unknown beyond it, imagine the currents and life forms, unseen underneath its surface.

After reading this passage, close your book. Sit quietly. Focus on the air and earth around you, not the space in your head. Feel the exercises described above, or make up your own version of it. Stop thinking, and without daydreaming, focus on the breath. Listen. Feel. Become still. You are now doing yoga with nature. Nature is doing yoga with you.

Take a few moments every day to acknowledge nature, creation. Make time to work in your garden if you have one, or create a potted garden, no matter how small, where you are living. Make it part of your routine to care for an organic life form that needs soil, air, watering and your nurturing. Put a shell or a pebble next to the bath or in your car where you can see it. Remind yourself of your connection to natural energy fields by placing a crystal at your keyboard as a symbolic guard against the hazardous electrical fields of your work environment. Always take a few moments to stretch, remember to take a deep breath every now and then, become aware of your posture, body tension and breathing at regular intervals throughout your daily and nightly activities.

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