Nature Speaks
When I was at my yoga teacher training, there was a specific tree I always went to on my breaks. It was July. I took a blanket and spread it across the grass and exposed roots at its base. I laid down and stared up. The first branches were at least 20 feet off the ground. Its leaves looked like green tissue paper and even butterflies fluttering wildly from stretching branches. If I squinted, greens and blues and browns mingled and blurred, like the flowing water color paintings my grandma used to do.
Sometimes I sat down, propped myself right up against the tree's trunk, and leaned my head back against the rough, jagged bark. I took full, deep breaths. I imagined myself breathing in the energy and wisdom of the solid, undeterred force of nature.
Of my entire experience at teacher training, this tree remains in my memory. The education and. retreat center has been closed since March due to COVID, and is scheduled to reopen sometime in 2021. I think of the large buildings, the expansive grounds, and the yoga and dorm rooms inside. I think of the kitchen, empty of staff and the dining room empty of patrons.
I think of the tree.
I think of it standing there, alone, with no one coming to gain its strength, its love, and its support.
Still standing, none the less. Like all of us, still standing.
I believe in the magic of nature. I believe in all the lessons we can glean from trees that endure weather and society and time. I believe if we lean on nature, like I leaned on this tree, we not only remember who we are, we receive the answers we need in order to keep going. We remember that we ARE the tree - the roots, the earth, the branches, and wind between the leaves. We remember that like the tree, we can stand tall, no matter what threatens to shake us or make us snap. We remember that nature holds secrets we have forgotten.
And all we have to do is ask. I loved that tree, and the tree loved me. The tree spoke to me and I heard what it said. I go back to those messages often, in order to remember.
To spend time in nature is to acknowledge our connection to something outside ourself. Instead of overlooking the natural world, or taking it for granted, we can walk on the grass, we can admire passing clouds, and we can lean on a tree. We can breathe in fresh air and notice flitting birds. We can give ourselves a moment of clarity and peace. Sometimes, connecting with nature is all it takes to reset, and to know what to do next.
If it feels silly opening up to a tree, or a lakeshore, or a walking path, remind yourself that first of all, no one is watching. And second, you'll be surprised when nature actually answers.
