Nature. We love it. We write poems about it, create metaphors and liken it to our lives, but it's all with a sense of other. Never truly grasping that it’s not a coincidence that we have so much in common with nature. We are nature.
I have heard these ideas before, but it wasn’t until yesterday when I was trimming a large flower bush, that this notion really settled in me. I was amazed at the teaching I was receiving from the plant. It was reminding me of the need for trimming and removing of the dead parts of the organism so it may flourish. It reminded me that there has to be a continuous process of shedding of the old. It never stops.
We are nature but we forgot that we were, and so we let go of important parts of cultivating ourselves. As a result we walk around with dead branches and leaves that are taking away vital energy needed in order to nourish and grow. Interestingly enough, Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday that is celebrated during fall, is about just that. It’s about letting go of the old. Releasing it. Making amends with oneself and god and beginning a new. Removing old beliefs and habits that no longer serve us is an important part of growing stronger and moving forward in life. Since I was a teenager I have had bad posture. It bothered me, but I felt unable to change. During the process of my coaching classes I realized what was at the heart of the problem. I was still holding on to old beliefs from my youth about my self worth. Like many teenagers I had very low self-esteem. It felt wrong and arrogant to walk with my chin high and chest open. I thought, who am I to walk like that, as if by doing so I was showing off and not being humble.
Wow. I’m almost forty and I am proud of myself and all that I have achieved in life. This belief was no longer part of my experience, yet I was still holding on to it. Bad posture created tension in my body, which led to emotional tension as well. Who needs it? Thanks to my incredible supportive yoga teacher and my new awareness, I have been able to change my posture. It is a powerful change for me. I walk on this earth with a sense of pride, gratitude and joy. What can you let go of that is no longer serving you?