I’m sitting here writing this as the rain comes lashing down, soaking the garden and the trees beyond.
I take a moment to be grateful that yesterday I finally finished planting the spring bulbs and tucking the trees in for winter (also known as mulching around their trunks)
It looks like I did it just in time for the wet weather to wash over us.
My mind goes to those bulbs in the ground. Did I plant them right? Will they grow? Are they now getting too much water?
And all this beautifully reminds me of the fifth Yama in yoga philosophy; Aparigraha, or non-attachment, non-grasping.
It is easy to understand that action will equal outcome but how often do we find ourselves doing something in the hope of a desired or perceived outcome?
Take my planting of the bulbs as an example. I have placed these in the ground in the hope that in spring we’ll see an abundance of beautiful flowers around the trees.
The same goes with continual studying of the yoga lineage. I learn so I can experience yoga in different ways and in turn pass this on to others.
But how would it be if I let go of the desired outcomes and indeed of the idea of outcomes at all.
The bulbs may or may not grow into flowers in spring. Yet during my time nurturing the earth yesterday and planting them I gained a valuable rest from my studies and truly connected to nature.
I may not find a clever or concise way to consolidate my learnings to pass on to others and yet every time I pick up a book or attend a course, I feel a part of me growing stronger and even more curious.
In fact the more I study the less I realise I actually know and that excites me.
Perhaps some of the bulbs will just help to nurture the tree roots, perhaps some will grow.
The moment I allow myself to let go of those desired outcomes I feel it in my body. The muscles soften, my mind settles and a smile spreads across my face.
I believe Doris Day sang about this so beautifully (if you can let go of the association to the Hitchcock movie)
Que Sera Sera, whatever will be will be.
So, as we embark on November, we take the practice of non-attachment onto our mats and into our daily lives.
Come and join us, who knows what the outcome will be but the actual experience will be worth it.
[Apologies for the rain face, but I tried to take a picture of the garden and realised how funny that was considering the above, so gave up and took a selfie of my wet windswept face instead!]