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Interconnectedness

Here’s a thought I’d like to share…

I am the Earth And the Earth is me. Each blade of grass, Each lovely tree, Each bit of mud, And stick and stone Is blood and muscle, Skin and bone. And just as I Need every bit Of me to make My body fit, So Earth needs grass And stone and tree, And sun and rain, And land and sea. The parts of Earth And the parts of me All must live In harmony. We are all one – Interdependent are we. I am the Earth And the Earth is me. ~ adapted from Jane Yolen’s “Earth Day”

It makes me happy every time someone receives a Coming Back Token! The Champion of Commitment Bowl is the ultimate token in the series of Coming Back Tokens given for Saturday Morning Yoga. After that, you start back at the beginning of the token series – after all, yoga is about beginning again and again. 🙂

I chose a hand-carved wooden bowl as the “trophy” for the Champion of Commitment award because a bowl is a perfect symbol of giving and receiving, and yoga is a practice of giving and receiving. We may originally come to the practice of yoga to get what we need, but if we stay with it, we unlock a deep desire to serve and connect and to give back. (Also, it makes a great container for all those previously received Coming Back Tokens – coins, stones, agate slices, marbles and troopers!)

Another reason I chose this hand-carved, solid wooden bowl, is because its beauty is not “in spite of its imperfections,” but because of them. The natural texture and coloration of the wood make the bowl unique while also reflecting the nature of the tree from which it was carved. And like the wave that is part of the ocean, this bowl is a part of the tree, which is part of the forest, which is part of the Earth.

May this bowl serve as a reminder of the importance of getting what we need, giving what we can, and the interconnectedness of these two elements. May it also be a reminder of the unique gift each of us is as an individual and yet, the ultimate connection that we all share. And finally, may it serve as a symbol of the Earth herself, both her bounty and her beauty– and our responsibility to her.

Wishing you a day filled with the awareness of the interconnectedness of everything,

Namasté Augusta

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