Skillful Gardener

Last week I developed my Solstice class. I was feeling really good and in awe of the miracle of life. Then I went outside and weeded an area in which lilys are growing. That gave me pause. It was a contradictory action from the way I was feeling. To have such a feeling of reverence for life then rip a whole bunch of living things out of the ground was jarring. I thought about the value of the flower over the weed. The weed isn't any less valuable, but the flower enriches our lives with beauty. At the very least it is aesthetically pleasing. The weed, if given free reign, will take over and choke out the flower. A skillful gardener discerns which plant to pull and which plant to leave.

In our lives, yoga helps us to become more observant and discerning. We may start our yoga journey full of uncertainty, but as we commit to the practice, we become aware of those traits we need to let go of and those that can be cultivated. Those thoughts and behaviors that lead to growth become more recognizable when you can hone your awareness. When you become increasingly aware of how certain foods, people or places make you feel, you will eventually be surprised at your past self and all the damage you could do.

As someone who has recently become more firm in her belief of her own self worth, it makes me sad to see and think of all those who behave habitually and hurt themselves because they don't have a sense of their own value. I remember well the days of chemical intervention; of filling a void with unhealthy food or people. We live in a world of constant comparisons and if you buy into the idea, you'll drown in it. The thought that I am right and they are wrong is subtly fed to us everyday. Even worse than the idea of right vs wrong is the stubborn view that because I'm right they have to be wrong. There is no room for the notion that both points of view are simply that: points of view and are inherently without value. We judge. We drive ourselves crazy by needing to be accepted and liked by the world.

Yoga gives us tools to open our minds beyond the petty demands of egocentric thinking. While we may continue the habits we've grown into, with a mind more able to concentrate, gradually more able to sustain that concentration, we can see the truth that the material world is a fleeting pleasure. We will find more space within ourselves than we ever thought possible.

Practice with consistency and become your own skillful gardener.