I’ve always defined myself as someone who feel the most alive when in nature. Hiking, camping, backpacking, these all speak to my soul is such a profound way.
Ever since this whole Corona Virus nonsense started, the closure of the National Parks was one of the many actions that broke my spirit and spiraled me into a binge eating and soul dimming depression.
I equated “Nature” with being in a protected, pristine, untouched landscape. The very thought of my backyard – currently a jungle of overgrown grasses, foxtails, dirt patches and uneven terrain due to an overzealous golden retriever – being a place where I could “get in touch with nature” seemed absurd.
In my journey of self-reflection and a return to wellness, I decided today to do some soul searching on this issue of my soul shriveling without access to nature. What could I do to get in touch with nature – in spite of the current political puppet theater being played out with our National Parks being held hostage?
I asked myself:
When was the last time you looked at the sky? Or touched the earth with your bare hand?
While renewing my yoga practice, and aligning myself with my current needs, I began thinking about this issue in the context of the full meaning of yoga. In the West, yoga is commonly regarded as a series of physical exercises that promote health, flexibility and wellbeing.
But the word asana, commonly translated as “pose”, actually means “seat” or “connection to the earth”. We are meant to be connected to the earth, to nature, to our surroundings. We are meant to connect WHEREVER WE ARE.
And the most powerful way to feel your connection to the earth and to all beings is directly, through your five senses.
So today, I decided to take 10 minutes – just 10 minutes – to soak in the outside world, and the nature that can be found there. I got out my yoga mat, found a nice sunny patch in my back yard, and because my yard is completely protected from the neighbors view, I stripped off all my clothes, and I spent 10 minutes in savasana (corpse pose).
I inhaled the fresh air and realized / remembered just how much fresher the air is outside. I felt the sun on my skin and the cool breeze in tiny sporadic gusts as it tickled my skin. I found myself instinctively brushing off the occasional ant or fly that landed on my skin. I breathed in the warm earthy scent of the foxtails and grasses that made their home in my yard. I listened to the birds calls, along with the sounds of distant vehicles and machinery in this urban jungle nestled near the foothills of the Sierras.
I realigned myself with the weather, the season, the location – all things I had been cocooned against while sheltered inside wallowing in my self-imposed (and government assisted) depression.
So my challenge to myself – and to anyone else who wants to play along! – is this:
Go outside.
Practice Savasana (corpse pose), one of the most potent and ancient yoga poses. Lie flat on the ground, with your face upward, arms spread, palms facing up, and feet hip width apart. Let your feet fall sideways.
Let your breath flow passively.
Gaze up, and then softly close your eyes. With your eyes closed, deeply release into this position for 10 minutes. Allow your body to fully relax into stillness.
Listen.
Smell.
Feel.
Connect.
CURRENT STATS
Start Weight (May 15, 2020): 201 pounds
Current Weight (May 20, 2020): 194.8
Total Pounds Lost (Since May 15, 2020): 6.2
Pounds Left to Lose to Reach Goal Weight of 130 pounds: 64.8
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.