take a tip from nature

lessons from kids + their edible schoolyard

Yoga is primarily a practice intended to make someone wiser, more able to understand things than they were before. If asanas help in this, terrific! If not, then some other means can be found instead. The goal is always bhakti or, to put it in my father’s [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Krishnamacharya] words, to approach the highest intelligence, namely, God.
-TKV Desikachar, The Heart Of Yoga

As you grow and age [not as in you are getting old, but as you move forward in life], do things sometimes feel more complicated than when you were a child? I certainly do – it’s almost as if the more I actively seek, the less I discover.

This isn’t always the case, but when we were younger it may have felt like we knew all we needed to know simply because we we didn’t know any different, and we weren’t necessarily seeking anything in particular [unless you had strong academic ambitions as a kindergartener…].

I often feel nostalgic when remembering the simpler life of elementary school days: wake up, eat when we feel like it, play when we feel like it, nap when we feel like it, go to bed, do it all again until someone or something conditions us not to.

As an “adult” who is now aware of my current state [how much I do/don’t know, what I should/shouldn’t know or be doing], it seems like the accumulation of knowledge can often lead to more confusion. Not that learning is bad – I love learning new things and encourage it on all fronts, but it can lead to relying more on facts and less on intuition if we’re not mindful in the process.

To be conflicted or unsure is also not a bad thing, until we make it a problem by putting that which we seek on a pedestal. When we are attached to what we feel we need to discover in order to achieve something, our actions feel less intuitive and more forced; less childlike and more “mature” or “civilized.”

I had the pleasure of teaching a yoga class in the Edible Schoolyard NYC garden at P.S. 216 last Saturday, and didn’t expect to learn so much within the few hours I spent there with my friends from Ohm K. It was their spring celebration, where children had the opportunity to explore, color, cook, and play. Watching them practice yoga and bounce around on the grounds was so joyful, because they moved intuitively and freely.

When I told them to close their eyes during tree pose, I slyly cracked my lids open to find one girl giggling ear to ear and flapping her arms like a bird as she balanced. I didn’t tell her to do this, but that’s what she felt in the pose. When a few kids ran by and we invited them to practice with us, they looked around curiously and simply shook their head, and went on with their day. No passive-aggressive apologies, just a simple “no” because they didn’t feel like it.

Being in the garden made this experience all the more fulfilling. I watched a group of siblings huddle excitedly around the chicken coop, I smelled the soil and flourishing herbs, felt the soft grass and spring dirt under my hands [of which the kids had absolutely no problem with, while I often hesitate to put bare skin on New York City ground]. In the kitchen there were posters about seed germination and the interior makeup of an egg, poems about food and recipes the kids wrote to take home after learning to cook the food themselves.

Because they are children, they embody the intuitive nature we are all born with and are able to maintain it as they learn about the connection from seed to table, as they feel the connection themselves by being outside and growing/cooking their own food.

It was exhilarating to watch all ages play in the garden, make silly noises or movements, get creative with the art station in the greenhouse or with recipes in the kitchen. This is how life is when we have the opportunity to learn without boundaries – we are unlimited in creativity and possibilities. As in the quote above: the “goal” is simply bhakti, or a connection to God [the universe, nature, higher power, our Selves].

Plants and kids grow on their own time, not because anyone tells them to. A plant’s “goal” might be to grow to become its fullest expression, which it does intuitively provided conditions support its development [food/sunlight, water, love]. I’m not saying we should treat kids and our Selves exactly like plants, but it does sound familiar, doesn’t it?

Here are a few takeaways that stuck with me which I plan on re-incorporating into my present-day life, or re-learning without resistance:

• Make noise in ways that feel good. Telling kids to open their mouths wide and stick out their tongues is easy, while adults will often opt out. When I asked my group of little yogis to make a cat sound during cat pose, some of them said “hiss” and some said “meow.” What’s your cat sound?
• Move in ways that feel good. Sometimes we go to class so someone can teach us how to move effectively, which is all well and good and incredibly important, but sometimes we just need to shake it out. Before we started with yoga poses, the group of kids and I jumped and shook around – each movement was unique, because we were all moving how we wanted at that moment, and I saw smiles all around. Jump, shake, dance, shimmy, kick and stretch.
• Explore what makes you curious. It was so much fun watching parents follow the intuitiveness of their kids at the garden – the roles can reverse, and we can learn so much from how kids find things out. Sometimes it’s without seeking anything in particular, and it’s certainly without first anticipating they’ll be afraid of what they discover.
• Don’t force yourself to do anything you don’t want to do, and say what you mean. Remember the kids who simply said “no” when I asked them to join yoga? I got no apologies, and I wasn’t offended. We all went on with or lives and everything worked out just fine.
• Grow wild and free, without inhibition. We have filters and common knowledge for a reason, but if and when it inhibits us from being true to our adult Selves, it’s time to check in with our childhood Selves and ask them what feels right.
• Put your feet and hands in the earth, if and when available. Feel it, listen to it, look at it, thank it. These kids gave zero cares when I told them to get on hands and knees in the garden, and a few of their parents even joined in. Physically touching nature feels so good.
• Look at things with your eyeballs. The siblings I mentioned earlier were so enthralled in these chickens, and I remember having staring contests with flowers and animals as a child myself – this is when the connection grows and remains if we practice it regularly. Let’s all take more time away from the backlight to look at trees, and if you feel so inclined perhaps even hug them [see my last newsletter for more on urban treehugging].
• Smile and play. ‘Nuff said.

I would love to hear if you try any of these out, or if any of it resonates with you. Let’s support each others’ growth and our intuitive, childlike, natural spirit.

What do you do to bring back your favorite childhood qualities? Share in the comments below!

Read the rest of the newsletter for a sweet giveaway with one of my dearest friends to celebrate creativity [it all starts from childhood], a healthy recipe, exciting upcoming events, good music and more.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]