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Sacred Fertiliser
Making Deserts Bloom
Cormorant fishing
The Tulip festival
Iditarod
Being Nature
The Tree Beaters
Orange Blossoms for the Bride
Insects are Not Welcome!
Coconuts and Cedars

Being Nature

By Rani Iyer

Close your eyes and imagine a beautiful scenery. Relax in there. What did you imagine? Perhaps it was something like this: A mountain in the background clothed in green, a meandering stream, a large tree under whose shade you are sitting, an eagle circling the skies, and a few butterflies fluttering around. Too bad you can't bring them home with you!
But you can! Even in the ancient days when people lived closer to nature than we do today, thinkers developed a strategy to remember the lessons nature can teach us. Gradually, it developed into a system of regulated movement called Yoga, meaning the union of the individual with the cosmic soul. Yoga has been practiced for at least 5000 years.

Pantajali composed the classic work, Yoga sutra, in which more than 1000 asanas (postures) are described. More than 900 asanas are practiced even today. At least 10% of the asanas are inspired by nature.
Yoga gives you a way to become every element in the peaceful image in your scenery through postures. Tadasana or mountain posture is one of the easiest postures that can be executed standing. Vrishasana or tree pose is another standing posture. If you wish to sit or stand, you could still be an eagle when you execute the Garudasana. You will definitely have to sit to become a butterfly in Fatingasana.
A number of animals are observed and postures based on them are incorporated into the Yoga routine. Consider these common examples: fish pose, cow pose, locust pose, cobra pose, dog pose, peacock pose, camel pose, crocodile pose, and crow pose. The lotus pose (Padmasana) is the most famous flower to be included in the list. Yoga also incorporates aspects of daily life with poses like: warrior, plough, bow, and bridge. Some postures are named after the sages who probably first discovered them. A few examples are Gorakshakasana, Matysendrasana, and Marichyasana. Deities like: Surya, Chandra, and Hanuman, are also included in the list.
Not only can you take home the scenery, you can choose to be each element in the scenery everyday. Yoga can be used towards self-improvement, and to attain one's full potential. This is possible because of controlled breathing which relaxes the mind and body at the same time. Superconsciousness is achieved at higher stages of Yoga. Nature always inspires timeless classics. Yoga is one fine example, a living testimony for that.

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Last updated on :9/22/2003