earth – Holistic Yoga & Spiritual Guidance

Today, I’m thinking about what it means to be a good caretaker – a person who takes care of….

What?

Usually we think of material objects. Yes, indeed.

My husband and I were discussing the way we care for our humble house. As a child, I spent seven years living in a mobile home with my parents and older brother. My mother always kept the house immaculate, and taught me to do the same. I learned the important lesson of being a good caretaker of whatever I “own” no matter how small or simple it may seem to be. I put the word “own” in quotation marks because I don’t believe we actually own anything. Whatever we have in our lives is pure gift.

Our culture, of course, believes in private ownership of everything, but the reality is that we have been given things for a short amount of time (days, months, maybe years) – and given the opportunity to care for them to the very best of our ability. The monetary value of these items doesn’t matter in the least.

So, my practice is to be a good caretaker of my house, my car, my clothing. I’m sure this caretaking duty also applies to my place of employment, my family members, my pets, my own body/mind.

My body is my vehicle for moving through life in this world, so I aim to give it healthy food, rest, and exercise.

My mind is a gift which I always want to nurture with wholesome entertainment, study, and meditation.

The term “caretaker” even suggests a kind of emotional detachment. Basically, I “take care” of everything because it’s the proper thing to do. Not because I expect a reward or because I’m entitled to something or because I fear losing it.

From a spiritual perspective, I explain that I do everything as a service to God. Since God has given me everything I have in my life, I’m happy to be a good caretaker out of gratitude.

What does this caretaker topic bring up for you?

Photo by Czarinah Philline Rayray on Pexels.com

People who consistently practice yoga – even the relatively superficial exercises of hatha yoga – inevitably improve their relationships with people, things and concepts. For example, I just noticed that I’ve become intimate with my yoga mat!

Seriously, hatha yoga exercises require us to spend a lot of time on the mat. We get to know the color, texture and overall feel of our yoga mat(e). Our mat becomes an extension of us.

However, since I often practice without a mat, I become very aware of the floor I am working on – whether it’s wood or carpet. Every movement I perform requires me to either push away from the floor or surrender myself into it (or a bit of both).

This week in the middle of my practice, I suddenly felt intimate with the floor. I sensed myself having a relationship with the floor. This may sound odd but I think that’s what’s supposed to happen with hatha yoga. More specifically, since the exercises are meant to be practiced on the bare ground in a natural setting, the practitioner gradually develops a relationship with the ground, with the earth.

My conclusion is that yogis sense their deep connection to the earth. We love the earth and want to protect it; we can’t bear to see it polluted or otherwise harmed. I suspect that people who are drawn to hatha yoga either have a natural love for the earth or will inevitably develop a sense of love and respect for the earth with regular practice.

Through our mutual intimacy with the earth, yogis develop respect for each other as well. We want to share resources/knowledge and assist one another on the yoga path. Instead of focusing on our differences, we want to build bridges and enjoy our oneness with all.