Be Like Trees
April 26, 2012 * * * * * Posted by: Marcie 
The practice - quite simply - begins with the breath.
Just breathe.
Slowly - we release that thinking mind..and sink into that feeling body. We fold ourselves forwards. We hang our heads. We let go.
And - breathe. Inhale. Exhale. As simple..as easy...as basic - as that.
Feel the ground. Look up and see the sky. Listen to the sound of the rain. Smell the lilacs blooming. Taste the spring air.
Let go of the past. Look not into the future. Be here. Be now. In this moment. On this day.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I find myself tongue-tied and speechless when trying to describe this process of learning to become a teacher. Like the practice itself - the experience is a feeling one..and not one that can be easily put into words.
We began - all of us - as seekers. Searching for answers to questions we didn't even know how to ask. Looking for something somewhere. Something intangible and beyond our arm's reach. Something - for sure - beyond us.
We read. We studied. We practiced. We pushed ourselves beyond our self-limiting boundaries and beliefs. We laughed. We cried. We supported and shared. We made ourselves vulnerable..and in that place of raw-vulnerability - found our strength.
200 hours.
We closed..just as we'd begun. We formed a one big circle and shared how it is we'd grown and changed. Although each and every story was different..the stories were really much the same. From where we began..to where we'd come. From what we'd set out to find..to what we'd found.
From not enough..to plenty. From fear..to courage. From sadness..to joy. From weakness..to strength. From not knowing...to now knowing that knowing that we know-not is the best place of all. From a sense of alone-ness..to one in which we found ourselves one.
Connection.
No matter the age or gender or life experience - the need..the desire..the drive to connect is a powerful one. To connect to one another. To belong. To be unconditionally held and loved and celebrated for being no one other than who we are. To have a safe place in which to rest.
But most important - what I heard..what I felt..what I thought - that although it was to one another that we'd connected...it was really that connection to ourselves that we had all been seeking. That self-awareness..that inner strength. That power that comes from within.
It was that that we - who knew not what we were seeking - found.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Coming into tree pose. Rooting down. Trusting the support of the nuturing earth. Feeling the connection between the foot and inner thigh. Reaching and growing. Stretching out of that thinking mind and into the strength of the body.
Bringing hands to heart center - listening to the quiet sound of breath....feeling the beat of the heart. Trusting and believing.
All that we need...we already have.
Reader Comments (19)
So much learning in this journey your started Marcie. Lots to think of and to porcess in this post. Thank you :-)
I mean process ;-)
I love how the image is of you all amongst the trees! How many times do I repeat this...that everything we ever need to know we can learn from Mother Nature! I know you have just been through a grueling AND exhilarating experience, Marcie. Keep teaching us what you have learned!
If we listen there is so much to learn from mother earth and by listening inside. Love the image of you all blended in with the trees.
What a wonderful image. I'm so glad your journey has brought you such joy!
"it was really that connection to ourselves that we had all been seeking..." That truly sums it up, doesn't it? Beautiful! And congrats on the 200 hours!! That's impressive!
you know i love this post for everything you did and everything you said about what you did. especially the part about connecting with one's self...your honesty and courage always touch and inspire me.
What I love about the image is seeing that many people doing that many 'variations' on the tree pose -- each one 'being' who they are, where they are; yet still connected. (Whew...that was some sentence!)
Congratulations on being confident enough to choose another path in your personal journey. I love how you 'internalize' each experience and search for (and find) deeper meaning.
Beautiful. Thank you.
Felicitations! In this case, your work is your reward, isn't it?
Self awareness is often elusive for so many. I'm glad you have found a path to it through your endeavours.
Love the image, so full of life and expression.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience you must have had.
This is quite the journey you are taking at the moment, Marcie. When I saw the photo and read your first few sentences, I thought about "rooting down" - something I could always imagine and see myself doing.
The photo is magnificent. Full of life and openness. Fantastic.
That "something beyond us", you have surely found and described so eloquently here Marcie. I would love to take a class from you!!
Tree pose is such a wonderful pose and your instructions were spot on...you are going to be an excellent yoga instructor because you have such an open heart.
Many Blessings to you Marcie _/|\_
It sounds like a wonderful experience, I almost feel as if I was there. I love the image.
Congratulations Marcie, what a huge accomplishment! Namaste!
You said it all in your final sentence. It's something I keep reminding myself of when "desire" gets the better of me.
oh yes, and what a lovely journey you took us on to remind us of that truest of truisms.
and good for you!
not for the first time am i thinking that i wish you were my yoga teacher :)