Trees. God bless ‘em.
Can you imagine a life without leaves?
One of the best things about doing a ‘tree-change’ has been the fact I’ve become a little bit of a tree afficionado. Though I’ve killed my fair share through misguided plantings and wayward wallabies who have a propensity to graze exotic growth, I have planted a bunch at it has brought me such joy.
There is always a little bit of jubilation and pride when a tree you have planted takes hold and prospers, as Raya once told me, “to plant a tree means to believe in the future.”
Why is it that we are drawn to trees?
Why is that time in the bush revitalises us?
Trees are essential to life on planet Earth. They are reciprocity personified; giving us oxygen and locking away carbon. They give us stuff to make things out of (my other love, wood) indeed, the first non-cave-based structures we inhabited were a basic stick lean-to and the classical architectural element the column is a nod to the tree.
Trees also give us that delicious, nutritious thing called fruit which also fuels the animals that many of us choose to eat.
Life without trees isn’t really life.
Given this debt of gratitude, I feel it is reasonable to explore our relationship with trees not just for their utility, but their deeper spiritual wisdom.
Isn’t it interesting that we describe what it took to get us here, the thousands of ancestors intertwining over millennia, as a family tree?
According to Yoga, the line of succession branching through history gives us the gift of a body, the dwelling place of the Soul.
For us to know ourselves as a Soul, a body is absolutely required for a Soul without a body is not self-aware.
It is fair to say that we are the fruit of the family tree.
No tree, no fruit, no ‘us.’
Many cultures do a great job of acknowledging their ancestors and have dedicated festivals to bring their contribution into the forefront of our mind. With the advent of modernity however, we have drifted away from showing respect to the past, and tended toward a curious fascination with the immediacy of our personal want.
In other words, we want the fruit and forget the tree.
What is the limitation of this model of reality?
Well, firstly, chasing our likes and avoiding our dislikes stokes the ego, which is the biggest impediment to connecting to our Soul.
Secondly, if all we do is selfishly ravage the tree for it’s fruit, we blind ourselves to the true nature of life. It is a missed opportunity to learn the art of cultivation, of taking care of life and supporting not just our immediate want, but our future needs too.
When we make the decision to acknowledge the tree, to learn from it, to selectively breed it, to care for it, we set up not just ourselves, but future generations too.
Meditation and Yoga are no different; the modern practices many of us cling to as a life raft come from a vast, sprawling family tree.
The Tree of Yoga is ‘tradition.’
A lineage is beyond one teacher, beyond one aspirant and beyond the grasp of our mind. Thousands of Souls have come before us, cultivating equanimity, distilling the essence of life, separating the wheat from the chaff and encoding that wisdom that we benefit from.
So what?
So we can access teachings, practices and knowledge. This nourishment fortifies us more than any food can.
This is why for many, like us here at Kailash Ashram, we choose to pay devotional respect to the traditions that have come our way, in essence, we bow down to the tree.
Forget the tradition and those who have come before us for a second and let’s examine what the consequence of embodying gratitude and devotion is for us on a personal level.
Who are you when you are thankful?
Who are you when you bow in devotion?
For us, when we show respect to what has come before, we have become calmer, more tolerant, deeper in alignment.
In general, it makes us a more peaceful person.
Why?
Gratitude and devotion soften the harsh edges of the ego. Nothing says to the universe quite as loudly “support this guy or gal” than gratitude.
How so? Offering thanks for what we already have opens us to the riches and abundance hiding in the present moment. It gives life value. The mechanism is simple, by showing gratitude we direct our ego towards something bigger than itself and our Soul is free to shine forth.
Perhaps the answer to the modern ‘meaning crisis’ is to look to nature not as a poor victim of our quest for more, but as a wise Mother who has been our home, nurturer and if we want, our teacher.
A challenge; next time you see a tree, see beyond the wood and the fruit and the shade and the beauty and see what it has to teach you about life. If you so feel called, reply to this email and share what you learn!
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If you are interested in learning about the tree that has given us the gift of Yoga and Vedanta, it would be a joy to host you on an upcoming retreat at Kailash Ashram. In it you will learn in an accessible way how simple practices and the right mindset can have profound impact on yours and your family’s well-being.
Jai Atmeshwar,
David
