The trunk of the big Sacred Fig tree stands still while its branches and leaves dance in the strong breeze. Is it really still? Food and water from the soil are flowing up through multiple tiny channels within that stem and the sun’s energy, transformed, is flowing down into the roots. The bark is hardening, rings are forming, insects are making homes, woodpeckers are digging holes, the roots are deepening, new leaves are waiting to burgeon. When I sit with it and take a close look, I sense amazing vitality and wisdom within its stillness.
Sitting on a bench under the tree, I take my shoes and socks off, to feel the grass under my feet. My tiredness runs off into the ground. The soles of my feet are soothed and ticked by the feathery grass. I notice the slouch in my back and correct it. The wooden seat has a gentle curve that takes some of my weight. As I relax, it puts just the right amount of pressure on my back. I notice the tension in my shoulders and jaw as I place my hands on my lap, trying to ease into my posture. The body is still but the heart is beating, the birdsong is falling on the eardrums, the back and neck muscles are actively keeping me upright, the breath is moving, the thoughts are flowing, the tips of my fingers and toes are twitching every now and then without my permission and the eyes are closing and opening, all be themselves. This apparent stillness is dynamic.
On a closer look, the inbreath pauses at a point and turns around. Then it starts moving out and at one point turns around again. Movement and stillness alternate. They are inseparable. It’s a matter taking the time to notice. Look for the subtle and sublime with the eyes of the heart.
Three B’s are always available to soothe us if we know how, and all for free – body, breath, big trees.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
- Lao Tzu