The irony in this photo is intended. The connectedness of trees & how they communicate through their root system, in contrast with a fence separating us from our neighbors.
Is this what nature intended?
Hopefully, the answer is intuitive.
We love our community & we are so blessed to be able to continue serving you through group classes. A few years ago, it may have been something easily taken for granted. Yet, today, the challenges have reminded us just how amazing it is to have a place for healing, for love, and for genuine community. We're grateful for this lesson.
There are many benefits to group yoga classes. While we don't get to chat & give high-5's like some high intensity sessions, we believe the out-pouring of emotion & encouragement is just as much, if not more genuinely supportive.
Maybe you let out a little groan of relief at the end of core exercises! Maybe you've been inspired be an inversion practice. If you've experienced this, then you may have noticed how the energy cascades across the room. As one falls out of balance, the energy ripples around the room like the echoes of the horn from the "struggle bus".
"A tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it."
- Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate
And, the same is true in reverse, when we feel the positive energy in the room. Maybe one giggle turned into a shared moment of joy & camaraderie. Maybe a few in the front row stand rock solid, locked on to their drishti with laser beam focus. Maybe it's just the pause between the postures, as we realize how good it feels to rest. Although there are no words exchanged, the energy is shared.
Trees offer us this lesson of silent communion. If you've ever stopped to meditate in the middle of a forest, perhaps you've felt this energy. Even though we can't see the roots, when we're still enough to listen, we can hear the wisdom. If you haven't felt this, we'd encourage you to take the short drive to Turkey Run, Brown County, or even Fort Ben & pick a trail.
There is so much wisdom in the nature around us. In the last several decades since Rachel Carlson opened our eyes to experience The Sea Around Us, we've learned so much about our environment. And, there's so much still to be learned; even the way trees communicate & support one another is ground-breaking work (pun intended!). The research that Peter Wohlleben shared in his book, caption above, is truly inspiring. Or, if your reading time is limited to this blog, then there a few great shows streaming on Prime and HBO; "Intelligent Trees" and episode 5 of "A World of Calm: Living Among Trees", respectively. (The latter is even narrated by Keanu Reeves, which is amazing for lots of reasons.)
Not sure if we're oaks or willows, but we do feel blessed to be a part of our unique community at Sol. We are grateful for the opportunity to offer some contribution to those around us. Perhaps - ideally - we inspire positive roots of support to extend throughout our ever-green & ever-growing ecosystem.
In this season, be mindful of the energy you bring into your life & the energy you send into the rooms you enter. If it's calling to you, perhaps, set an intention to reach over the fence & send some good vibes to those around you.
Maybe that car that just cut you off & sped through the stop light is a single-parent rushing to a minimum-wage job; late because the kid was sick & had to get a Covid test. We never can know, until we create the space to listen.
Find that connection between you - yourself. And, maybe we can create enough space for love & caring for our neighbors, our friends & our families. We're far from perfect, and it takes a conscious decision to practice daily. You have to meet ourselves where we are.
The Japanese practice of Naikan asks three questions of its practitioners:
- What are you grateful for?
- What have you done to make someone else grateful?
- What suffering have you caused in yourself, or in others?
Maybe today, just start by creating a moment for gratitude & listen for an answer to the first question. (Realize - if you're reading this - you have already set a silent intention to be positive.) Your true nature comes from a place of love & creation within you - start there. If "more" doesn't seem possible today, just allow the corners of your lips to curl up toward your earlobes & smile. There is a light & love in you that can light up the room!
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOU!
WE LOVE BEING PART OF YOUR LIFE!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR TIME & BEAUTIFUL ENERGY WITH US!