Over the last few days there has been a large spider on her web where I sit for my morning meditation…(or morning rumination!) The first day I noticed her, I almost moved away, but I've learnt so much from our exploration of slug last month that I stayed!
I’ve actually looked forward to our meeting each morning, observing her motionless in the centre of her web, even when the wind and rain have buffeted her masterpiece. Then this morning, all traces of her and her web were gone.
This is not the Blog I had spent ages writing and trying to finish over the last couple of weeks, very likely there will be little trace of it here. What this morning taught me was that it’s ok to let go of something that doesn’t quite work, or doesn’t hold together effectively, and start again.
I realised that her web, as a symbol, represented the intention of synergy that I wanted to cultivate in our practice this month.
Web: a complicated pattern of things that are closely connected to each other.
Synergy: the combined power of a group of things when they are working together that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately.
Each line of silken thread individually has a very limited purpose, however when woven together in an intentional way, a far greater potential is created. The web becomes a source of nourishment, communication and protection.
My original inspiration for this month’s practice were mushrooms and the mycelium network; a vast web beneath the earth which is a source of nourishment, communication and protection.
Beneath our feet, trees and plants communicate with each other through symbiotic relationships (mutually beneficial relationships) nevertheless there are also inter species relationships that are not mutually beneficial! Our energy body is much like the mycelium web. How we interact and relate to other energetic beings (humans, animals, plants, everything in nature) influences, and is influenced by, our energetic field.
Certain relationships or activities may have a mutually beneficial effect, some will drain or deplete our energy, whilst others may be depleted by us.
We can learn a lot from the spider in terms of maintaining our energetic well-being. A spider maintains their web daily, ensuring its functional effectiveness. Constantly taking it down and rebuilding it so that they have the greatest chance at success. If there is damage to the web, they quickly patch it up. If left without attention it would gather dust and turn into a useless, dusty cobweb.
The spider isn’t afraid of change, constantly taking down and rebuilding.
The essence of Autumn is change, an opportunity to reflect on the past year, release what no longer serves you, and to set intentions for the future. Coming back to the centre of our web essentially, noticing where the holes are. Choosing to repair those holes, or to take it down and start again. It’s the time of year to scratch habits and routines, to start over and find a new design that supports, nourishes and protects you during Autumn/Winter. The design of that energetic web will differ from summer, our needs are different in different seasons. A well maintained web provides support and nourishment for the spider, if it’s too big, has too many holes or has debris caught in it, it becomes ineffective. It’s important to maintain our energetic web so that it nourishes rather than depletes us. It’s ok to keep starting over, asking ourselves ‘what do I need’ and to design our day/week/practice from there. Noticing how the different elements of your life contribute to how you feel, contributing to your overall wellbeing.
I have always loved Autumn but I don’t adjust as easily as I used to! I find I have a lot less energy than I’d like to admit as we transition through Autumn into Winter but often I find there is little room to ‘do less’! I have learnt to not commit myself to too much in the way of ‘extra’ stuff however just managing the usual commitments can be hard work and I often feel overwhelmed. In creating a practice for this month I had gone off in too many different directions, scattering my attention and overwhelming my thought process! Like the spider, I needed to come back to centre, be still for a while and return to the core of what it was I wanted to explore and share.
Autumn is a time to reflect, observing where things didn't nourish us and to plant seeds for the year to come, choosing how and where to direct our ideas and energy.
It was reflecting on the past year that the idea of synergy came to me. Thinking how much I loved co-hosting my first weekend retreat during the summer. Recognising that what occurred was beyond expectation. All the individual elements and individual attendees were carefully considered, but what was created was more special than anticipated.
"The whole is more than the sum of its parts." Aristotle
This insightful quote by Aristotle encapsulates the concept that when several elements come together, they create something greater and more significant than their individual contributions.
So much of our human experience speaks of separateness. Different cultures, different beliefs, fighting one another over lines drawn on a map....... heart-breaking.
On a smaller scale, when we just consider ourselves individually, modern medicine deals with separate systems within the body, different specialists for different systems: cardiology, dermatology, urology and so on.
However our experience as a human is more connected than all these parts, more connected than mind and body, them and us. Our humanness is intrinsically connected to all humans, all animals , all plants…all nature.
Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was a man who believed all of nature was interconnected; formed a living whole, and that by affecting one aspect of nature, other parts of nature would be affected, too—for good or ill. Humboldt believed that one’s own emotions and subjective views were necessary in order to completely experience nature. He described a breath of life that came from the earth—not from divinity—and was intrinsic in all living things.
The more we remember we are all connected the more mutually beneficial relationships we can enter into.
We generally think of yoga as a solitary practice. Whether we go to a class or practice at home, we intentionally go within. Tuning into our physical sensations, witnessing our thoughts and feelings, sensing our energy. Even though we may practice as a group we won't all leave having had the same experience. It depends on what we bring to the mat; our limitations, expectations and so on. So whilst yoga seems like a solo practice, it isn’t.
The word yoga means to yoke; connect, unite.
Connecting breath and moment through synchronisation, bringing the mind and body into balance, a form of symmetry and exploring the 8 limbs of yoga (truly living yoga off the mat) is a process of synthesis.
Ultimately this term’s intention is to create
S Y N E R G Y
Connection | Relationships | Wholeness
I hope we will create that within ourselves as well as within the room. Hopefully once creating it in ourselves and in the room, we will create it off the mat in other areas of our lives. So that this network of connection spreads far and wide like the mycelial network; forming deeper relationships with all, all humans, all creatures, all plants, all weather, all words, all sounds……all.
I can’t be a yoga teacher without students to share a practice with; we are in a symbiotic relationship.
There wouldn't be a yoga ‘class’ without other yoga students to create a group; you are in a symbiotic relationship with everyone else in class.
Much like the trees we live longer, happier, healthier lives when we work together rather than in isolation. I do however realise that many people come to yoga because it might be the only opportunity they really have time for themselves, however we can still have a deeply personal experience within a mutually beneficial group yoga practice. It’s not about socialising or talking, so much communication is done non verbally, it’s more the act of being present and acknowledging one another. Giving that space and silence to another student is also a way of supporting one another and forming connections. Sometimes it’s more about what we let go of than what we do more of.
Autumn through Winter is a time of withdrawing, for deeper personal reflection. Nature shows us that to find balance and harmony we need to complete the cycle in order to emerge renewed in Spring. It’s the season to conserve our energy and nourish our roots. Letting go of activities or relationships that drain us. Instead focusing on activities or relationships that nourish us deeply whilst also being aware of how we drain or nourish others around us; maintaining our energetic web.
Keep returning to centre, staying motionless for a while, get a well rounded view of our network or web, to clearly see what areas need our attention or perhaps whether we need to clear the old and start anew.
As Autumn turns to Winter we are entering the darkest phase of the year. This dark phase of withdrawing can feel difficult or isolating for some. This is one of the reasons why I feel it’s so important to remember our deep connection to the greater wholeness, through our relationships, with each other, our environment and the natural cycles we are all part of.
Our practice this month will explore synergy through:
Our energetic body; the network of the nadis (energy channels) and the seven chakras (major energy centres)
Synchronising breath and movement,
Using balances to find our roots and connect us to the earth element. (Mooladhara/Root chakra)
Core work practices to help us return to centre. (Manipura/Navel chakra)
Creating symmetry within the practice,
Exploring ways we can connect with each other in a group practice
Experience synthesis as the combination of elements of the practice form a connected sense of wholeness during Savasana.
If you want to expand your connection beyond your regular weekly class and deepen your experience of yoga on and off the mat, there are several ways you can do that:
Or for a truly special experience.....
(Password: SEASONALSOUL)
I’m excited to practice with you this month as we move towards Mid-Winter.
💛
Lokah Samastah Sukino Bhavantu
An invocation for personal and collective peace that translates as:
“May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.”
❤️
Om shanti
🙏
Sophia