I Am a Tree; And YOU are Too

For the first two decades of my life I had no idea that I was really a tree.  I had no idea that I was powerful and strong, that I was grounded yet, blossoming up towards the heavens, that I could rest at ease with the serenity of my very own being.  

I went about life like I was some kind of average human, with no control over my mind.  My likes and dislikes, my jaded outlook, and my misguided intentions brought on one suffering after the next…..like weeds in the garden, the sufferings seemed to be multiplying by the year.  This ignorant thinking lead to one bad habit after the next, which created MORE symptoms of suffering, which then required MORE “bandaids” and quick fixes to be ashamed of…..until it finally became like I was two completely different people, the person that everyone else saw, and the one ONLY I KNEW….. the bad, the ugly, indifferent, unintelligent, and unworthy girl that was living a complete lie.  

I cannot recall a single moment of realization to my tree like nature.  It was more of a slow, almost snail like pace, catching glimpses every now and again of the magnificent vision of my profound stature, the true nature of me…..the me that had been lost so very very long ago, lost in the judgements and opinions of others.  For me, the science, philosophy, and practice of yoga has helped me find the courage to plant my own seed, to water it, EVERY SINGLE DAY; to have faith that what is watered and loved, MUST grow.  And I did…..

Now I am learning how to prune myself when necessary, how to embrace the inevitable dying of my leaves, and how to love and nourish my new growth, however uncomfortable it may be.  So I ask of you, today, to see that YOU TOO ARE A TREE, strong and powerful, grounded, yet blossoming up towards the heavens.  It does not matter how you learn to see yourself clearly, it might not be through the practice of yoga….

BUT…

WHEN YOU SEE YOU….

It is a magnificent vision, the most extraordinary work in progress, simply brilliant and transcendent, rooted deep into the earths arms and reaching high up into the heavens smile.

YOU are beautiful.  YOU are whole.  YOU are ENOUGH.