Yoga is often translated as "union" or "connection". As we practice postures to balance our body-mind-spirit we cannot help but be concerned with the planet our feet (or hands) are on when we are in those poses/asanas. When we nurture the soil of our planet we are also nurturing the soil of our soul (some people even believe that the Earth has or is a spirit itself).
Also, by having a connection with the Earth you are in fact practicing parts of Yoga lifestyle. There are many ways in which you giving and or receiving yoga therapy contributes to Earth sustainability but here is just a brief overview of the concept with practical examples of yoga therapy :
The Concept (the need):
Real Peace is healing and connection first for yourself and from your heart;then by taking care of yourself and being a part of your community you realize how far and connected you are to not only a global community but a timeless one.
We all have ancestors rooted in our family tree and during time immortal there were teachers along the way that contributed to a lineage of beliefs, behaviors and experiences towards our environment. Some of us have had great examples to follow while others of us have had more "grist for the mill".
We, who practice Yoga may feel odd or maybe even righteous at times when we look around and see so many others of the mainstream (and of our own blood relations, maybe even our spouses) not partaking in what we feel vital to survival. Yet, regardless of who these "other people" are we do have common ground literally as the same speck of dust and the same molecule of air we will touch then goes on to touch our offspring/future generations. In Yoga the infamous greeting "namaste" is really an affirmation of connecting to another person beyond that person's intention and to the deeper existence and oneness of our spirits.
I have a good friend who's salutation is oftentimes "how goes the battle". This has been his "hello, how are you" so to speak for years, decades. It has nothing to do with any war of nations but rather it is an inquiry to how the internal battle inside of you is going at the moment.
Remember that classic book Way of the Peaceful Warrior ? It was Dan Millman's story of how gymnastics was his mystic art form and healing journey as he gave a refreshing insight into what they call in Yoga; being "actively calm & calmly active". Weather you're meditating or competing in an athletic event (or even going to the grocery store, eating, etc.) you can integrate the warrior archetype in a peacefully connected way that Tibetan Buddhist's refer to as "ferocious compassion". Having a deep cultivated peace from within is to align your action with a higher cause instead of achieving your daily grind to get through the day without hassle or incident. It is a way of transforming stress into sustainability.
A major obstacle we face is the conflict and therefore tremendous stress over how we want to live and how we are currently living. Some of us have spiraling layers of this going on; we are stressed because we want to eat/exercise better but we find it channeling to change so in the meantime we get stressed that we are getting stressed (start worrying we might have a cancerous tumor perhaps and we can't decide it it's from the lack of perfect diet/exercise or the stress of our imperfect diet/exercise, and it can just escalate, etc.) The list of examples are endless; we all have our demons. Suffice to say Yoga Therapy is one wondrous way to express a healing of conflicts and become a peaceful warrior.
I have heard way too often from my students/clients, family, friends and I admit from my own lips and certainly inside my head more then I care tines I can count-- "I'm too busy to do more for the environment as I'm too busy to take better care of myself ". I say now that the "more better" way is to do more for the environment by first taking better care of yourself.
When you take time to take care of yourself enough to recharge then you have more energy to recycle, research better products to purchase and enjoy your awareness instead of being stressed about the responsibility you feel a certain lack of control of.
The great Mother Theresa was known for her service to the poor. The only way she had the energy to carry out that service was by making sure she took care of herself enough to be as worthy as she was willing to take action. She had to battle the delicate balance of healing time and energy for herself and others. Mother Theresa like any mother (including the Earth) gives and nurtures so much but also needs sustaining.
During airplane flights parents are instructed that in the event of an accident they need to use the oxygen mask first and then apply attend to their children. It is ideal that we take care of ourselves so we think clearly as possible and can then have better and more resources to carry out our actions, our connections.
The first of Yoga's aphorisms (the first of the Yamas in Patangali's Sutras); "do no harm applies to oneself as well as the Earth and other people. To have and sustain peace on Earth we start practicing peace in our mind and body and then that expands and connects to a world mind and body but if we don't take the time to sustain our own emotional and physical health what do we have to contribute?
If there was a blazing fire in front of you and you have a bucket in your hand, would you throw the contents of that bucket on the fire if you wanted to help ? What if you really wanted to help but were too busy to be aware that the bucket was full of gasoline ? You would be giving what you had but because you didn't take the time to get a bucket of water then your contribution would do more harm then good despite your good intentions. This sounds silly of course, who would throw fuel to a fire but many of us are so busy and or stressed that we are so concerned about "doing something" we neglect being "actively calm/calmly active".
When you don't make the time to cultivate your thoughts into calm waters but instead have your mind filled with unchecked emotions of volatile fuel then your personal health as well as planetary health are at jeopardy.
Yoga Therapy in general is a process that can facilitate someone uniting the integrity of inner and outer worlds in a healthy way. No wonder many Native American healing or Shamanic practices included what they call "soul retrieval". If and when peoples psyches are fragmented by stepping off the path of their heart, then how can we not have a fragmented unity of the planet ? As Carolyn Myss would say "your energy is where your heart is".
The human form and psyche is a microcosm of the larger macrocosms (the planet, the universe). We all may be a connected and united yet since we are all individuals like the cells in our body--we are separate and diverse yet of the same body in that same host body. We can all use yoga therapy but it might well be in a variety of forms.
Examples of Yoga Therapy:
A regular practice of Hatha Yoga (asana + pranayama) in order to maintain holistic health.
Engaging in a prescribed yogic postures that are restoring a health imbalance (physical or mental).
Adhering to an Ayurvedic diet and or taking herbs for above reasons.
Practicing mantras, chanting, meditations.
Inspirational reading.
Massage, assisted postures (Thai Yoga Massage or other methods in this realm).
Yoga retreats (especially an "Eco-tour")
Variations and or combinations of all the above.
In Conclusion: Please take care of yourself with yoga therapy in order to take care of our planet better by making a sustainable versus a stressful contribution.
K. Lee Kappmeier is the founder of YogaWell and the Institute of Progressive Therapies located in San Diego, CA. She has degrees in physical therapy and psychology, is a licensed Holistic Health practitioner, and a registered yoga teacher.
For more information on Yoga Therapy, Yoga Teacher Certifications, Complimentary Medicine offered at the Institute of Progressive Therapies visit http://www.yogawell.com/ or email k.lee@yogawell.com
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