Mother Earth
by
Rabindranath Tagore
Infinite
Wealth is not yours, my patient and dusky mother dust!
You
toil to fill the mouths of your children, but food is scarce.
The
gift of gladness that you have for us is never perfect.
You
cannot satisfy all our hunger hopes, but should I desert you for that?
Your
smile, which is shadowed with pain, is sweet to my eyes.
Your
love, which knows not fulfillment, is dear to my heart.
From
Your breast, You have fed us with life but not immortality, which is why
Your
eyes are ever wakeful.
For
ages you are working with color and song, yet Your heaven is not built,
but
only it’s sad suggestion.
Over
Your creation of beauty, there is the mist of tears.
I
will pour my songs into your tender face and love Your mournful dust, Mother
Earth.
This
poem reads like both a love letter and a letter of apology to the Earth. Mother Earth holds so much beauty and yet so
much suffering and devastation as well.
This poem is an invitation to examine how you interact with Her.
Nature is one of the easiest
ways for us to connect with our Source - when we look at the vastness of an
ocean, the majesty of a mountain range, the power of a waterfall, we have some
sense of the miraculous nature of the energy/life force/oneness that brings it
all into being. We recognize that we are a part of that creation and so our
actions, our attitude, and even our thoughts are directly connected to the
health and wellbeing of all that surrounds us.
I think most of us, myself
included, take Mother Earth for granted. It seems incomprehensible that Her resources
might one day not be there for us, and yet we know that if we don’t radically
change some of our habits that this might actually be the case. Fortunately we also know that intention is a
powerful catalyst, so when we set ours meaningfully on the change we wish to
see in the world, and follow through with our actions, that we have the power
to make manifest those changes.
(Aside: for a powerful commentary on how we take mothers in general for granted, check out this video! The Hardest Job)
Yoga gives us the
opportunity to think about the way we place ourselves physically in the
world. We become more aware of how we
walk on the Earth – does it support and sustain both ourselves and our
environment? Through our practice we
cultivate sensitivity, inside and out. As we become more sensitive, we more easily
and readily notice imbalances and misalignments and can respond to them sooner,
before they become bigger issues. With
increased sensitivity we are more aware of people around us, to their needs and
desires and joys and pains, and our relationships become deeper and richer as
we become more compassionate. When we
cultivate sensitivity we are more able to see the interconnectedness of all
things, and our place in the Universe.
Off the Mat:
Ok folks, a million ways you
can affect Mother Earth here! Here are
some of the ways, over the years, my family has chosen to create a more
sustainable lifestyle. We have done away with paper napkins, disposable water
bottles, disposable plastic bags for snacks, lunch boxes and groceries, and
disposable diapers (ok, I do cheat and use them when we are travelling). We have limited disposable wrapping paper and
individual food containers (like for yogurt and kefir – we buy the big ones and
portion in out in our own reusable containers).
Even having made these changes, there are so many more still in the
queue– what changes have you made to effect change in your world? What changes do you still need to make? Let's start a conversation...or a revolution! Post a tip!
On the Mat:
We worked on sensitivity in
our hands and our feet this week. From
the simple act of bringing the hands into Anjali mudra one fingertip and
knuckle at a time, to staying really present and grounded in the four corners of our feet during
drop backs into Urdhva Dhanurasana, we were ever mindful in the way we touched
Mother Earth. We placed our hands and
feet with intention in every pose, steady and unwavering in our touch, engaging
just enough to support ourselves and honor the Earth at the same time.
Open To Grace: Become more sensitive in your touch, the way you
engage with the earth.
Stand in your pose the way
you wish to stand in the world.
Wake up your hands and feet,
the organs we use to engage with the Earth, so we can be more sensitive to Her
needs.
Maintain connection and
sensitivity to the Earth even through transitions (like during Surya Namaskar, Sun
Salutation).
Muscular Energy: Drink in what Mother Earth has to offer you from the
hands to the heart.
Draw up from the Earth all
that will sustain you.
When we ourselves are out of
balance we get distracted and forget to be sensitive to our environment, but if
we can pull into the place inside (the Focal Point) that we feel connected to
all things it steadies us and brings equanimity to both ourselves and our world.
Organic Energy: Offer your
love and support back to the Earth.
Send your intention to
nourish and sustain Mother Earth out into the universe.
Pour
your songs into Her tender face and love Her mournful dust, Mother Earth.
