Strengthening our heartwood

Happy Sunday! Is it just me or does last Sunday feel an eternity away? It’s been a long and weird week for me for a few reasons but I guess also the whole concept of time is a bit upside down at the moment!

And has it been wild and windy where you are? I know here in the UK the ‘mad March winds’ are a thing but I guess I forget about it until each March comes around again (-:

The wind, especially when it’s unrelenting, can be quite unsettling and irritating. It batters us about and is the very opposite of a stillness or calm that we might think we need to feel at peace.

I read a newsletter this week from another yoga (and primarily Qi Gong) teacher who I ‘follow’. (Her name is Mimi Kuo-Deemer, check her out). And it was so interesting and lovely that I thought I’d steal some of her words to share with you.

Basically when she was a child growing up in Arizona, a group of scientists created an artificial, sealed off ecosystem which they called Biosphere 2 (you may already have heard of the experiment), inside which they attempted to simulate various different ecosystems to study them. 

And one key thing they learned was that in an environment where there was no source of strong wind, trees failed to grow and mature. While soil, sun and water are of course essential, it’s the whirling, strong currents of wind that strengthen the heartwood of a tree - which they need to protect themselves from decay as well as ensure a strong resilient structure. 

It’s such a great metaphor for the ‘winds’ that blow us around in our lives - external difficulties, internal struggles. To quote Mimi’s exact words, ‘we can really learn from the wisdom and resourcefulness of trees. We can enjoy the gentle breezes while withstanding the blasts and gale storms that feel like they’ll knock us off our feet.’

Let’s use this story as a reminder that our true inner self is in fact strengthened by the difficulties and turbulence we encounter. And by practising mindfulness, yoga, meditation, we nurture our capacity to stay grounded, aware and firmly rooted enough to weather any storm, be it covid-related or otherwise!

Hope to see you in a class this week.

Have an easy breezy evening!