Is the pandemic teaching us to appreciate nature? When we are forced to stay indoors, is it teaching us to appreciate the feel of the bare ground that we miss? (Earth). When we find it difficult to breathe is it teaching us to appreciate the breath that we take for granted? (Air). When we are forced to stay indoors, is it teaching us to appreciate the wide space of the outdoors that is beyond our reach? (Space). When we are forced to stay indoors, is it teaching us to appreciate the sun and its natural light and heat? (Fire). When we are forced to stay indoors, is it teaching us to appreciate the dew, mist, and wet grass in the plains and a dip in the river and sea? (Water).
Why do we rejoice in stepping outdoors into the open field, under the open skies, and taking a swim in the lake or ocean? When the Atma that is a portion of the Akaayam (Space) in us connects with the larger counterpart, as when two buddies meet after a long absence, naturally rejoice in dance. The body that is constituted of Earth, Air, Space, Fire, and Water connects with its cousins in nature, rejoicing having met up with them again. We are indeed connected to nature as in a blood relationship.
The naturalist John Muir once wrote about the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California: “We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.” (https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_happens_when_we_reconnect_with_nature)
We also learn that from the article that,
Over 100 studies have shown that being in nature, living near nature, or even viewing nature in paintings and videos can have positive impacts on our brains, bodies, feelings, thought processes, and social interactions. In particular, viewing nature seems to be inherently rewarding, producing a cascade of position emotions and calming our nervous systems. These in turn help us to cultivate greater openness, creativity, connection, generosity, and resilience.
We learn that even if we are not able to venture out, sitting on the couch and watching documentaries on nature get us connected.
For example, in one study participants either viewed a few minutes of the inspiring documentary Planet Earth, a neutral video from a news program, or funny footage from Walk on the Wild Side. Watching a few minutes of Planet Earth led people to feel 46 percent more awe and 31 percent more gratitude than those in the other groups. This study and others like it tell us that even brief nature videos are a powerful way to feel awe, wonder, gratitude, and reverence
Brian Mertins shares the upliftment to his soul in connecting with nature at https://nature-mentor.com/about/,
When I was 15, I had an experience of sudden lucid clarity while hiking in the woods. I became aware of my senses in a way I had never before experienced. The trees seemed to shimmer as sounds of rushing water & bird song filled my ears. The air entering my lungs was electric. I realized that something about being in that environment had stimulated my mind into an altered state of consciousness where I could think more clearly. Every moment we spend in nature is an opportunity to make amazing discoveries about ourselves and the world we live in.
Nature is possibly the world’s best teacher of how to be truly present & have awareness in daily life. All you have to do is sit quietly & observe your surroundings. One of the biggest lessons I ever learned from nature was that it’s possible to increase the capacity of human sensory awareness. Along with the increases in overall awareness that come from being surrounded by nature, you’ll notice that your ability to focus will also really improve. One of the simplest things to do outside is be still & meditate.
Nature teaches authenticity by giving you opportunities to be alone with yourself in a truly non-judgemental environment. But immersing our senses in nature is an opportunity to bring back that genuine sense of amazement and magical wonder. Nature teaches us how to be grateful and appreciate the positive things in life. Sometimes when life gets overwhelming, the best solution is simply to take a break and go connect with nature. Nature is the essence of simplicity. As you become more sensitive and empathetic to nature, your interpersonal relationships also improve. Being surrounded by nature provides a mental spaciousness & opportunity for self healing. Nature teaches unconditional love by allowing you to be yourself without judgement.
"And now the true journey starts." With that statement, Tavayogi turned back to look at me with a smile on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes as he led me on a life-changing journey to various Siddha spots and samadhis. Though he was supposedly 69, and I was 46 years of age then, Tavayogi, I noticed took larger steps and never panted for his age as he went much ahead of me as if being pulled by a magnetic force that emerged from nature in the jungles, hills, and caves he took me to. He simply got connected to nature the moment we alighted from the car and began the walk into the interiors of the jungles not looking back even a second to see if I was following. He began pointing me to all of nature and the impression it had made on him during his earlier travels on the discovery of his Self.
Pico Iyer quotes Henry David Thoreau at https://tricycle.org/magazine/long-road-sitting-still/ ,
... the very act of taking off on a journey speaks for a kind of openness and ripeness that is in fact the first step on the road to transformation. It’s a public recognition that you don’t know everything and that some of those things can come to you as readily on the road as on the mat; it’s a way of setting your senses at the level marked “ON,” slapping yourself awake and trying to join that much larger sense of self—or non-self—we sometimes lose when we’re sleepwalking through our lives.
I am glad Agathiyar set me off on this pilgrimage of a different kind and had Tavayogi bring me places. He told me later upon my return from the pilgrimage of his abodes that he wanted me to get to know him better. Just as Yogi Ramsuratkumar traveled seven times throughout the length and breadth of India, Tavayogi too took a long walk of discovery. He showed me the small and narrow cave that could hardly fit both of us in Uthiyur hills. Ramalinga Adigal who left home at 12 came back to his Chennai home when 24. Where did he go? Tavayogi brought me to a cave in the jungles of Kutralam where Ramalinga Adigal had meditated. He too had traveled vastly though there is no record of it. After taking long strides in nature, they all came out of their enclosure and hibernation at some point in time to be with society. I guess having stayed close to nature they imbibed the very energy in nature and became vessels of transmission of these energies to people in society. Agathiyar tells travelers on the Siddha path, that on reaching the destination "Puranamum Kude Pesum", that would translate loosely to mean Nature then speaks to you. Rather than imply that we have control of Nature, which would show our arrogance to control and rule everything under the sky and even the skies now, that shows our superiority over Nature, I would say that Nature abides by our wishes when we begin to align with it. Nature cooperates with us. Nature works with us in unison. That is the nature of a Siddha. This was the lesson shown to me at the end of my travels with Tavayogi.
A friend who was a chartered accountant and had held many regional managerial posts in several companies had traveled to Kailash in the Tibetan Himalayas in 2011. He told me he felt insignificant and small before the majesty of nature. He realized that he who moved people and organizations felt helpless once there as he could not even move a single boulder. He saw himself as an infant before the surging mountains that had stood the test of time. It should teach us to be resilient too to all the tests we face in life.
Just like him,
In one study, participants who spent a minute looking up into a beautiful stand of eucalyptus trees reported feeling less entitled and self-important.
A friend whose home was inundated by the recent flood waters is back on his feet in high spirits ready to continue or rather build from scratch his life. Nature showed its force that day. If the latter came through the covid infection unscathed, the former was "critically ill with multi-organ involvement." Both of them came through their ordeal with fighting spirit. That is the way to go.
Fear sets in many a time in our lives for numerous reasons and also for no reason at all. Here we should learn to emulate nature. We should be like the river as Khalil Gibran says.
Similarly sitting alone in meditation brings on fear, fear of the unknown, fear of the unexpected, fear of losing our "I", etc. Maybe there was a reason our saints chose to go deep into the jungles to confront the fears in them that arise out of isolation. Does nature become a support group to us as we spend time with it? Gnana Jothiamma was asked by Agathiyar to sit at a cemetery and chant the Mrityunjaya mantra to help her lose her fear. She did just that. Has this mantra the capacity to align our thoughts and emotions to the larger divine presence that shall then come to soothe the pain and calm the nerves? Do the vibrations that go out in reciting mantras realign us to the source?