Yoga and the Art of Returning to Your True Nature, Which is Something Beautiful

Sanibel Island, March 25, 2023. Nature always knows what it needs to do to survive.

Last week, my husband and I returned to Sanibel Island, which as I wrote about in my September 2022 blog, was devastated by Hurricane Ian. We arrived to the island before sunrise, and had no idea what we would see. As the sun rose, we were saddened to see numerous trees fallen and many businesses still not up and running. Yet, we were also heartened to see some homes and businesses being restored and green shoots of new life appearing on the soil and trees. As we walked along the beach, which had very little human traffic at that early morning hour, I had a sense that even after a major upheaval and if left alone by human encroachment long enough, nature has a way of restoring itself to its former glory. Similarly, if we can get out of own ways for long enough, we can return to our True Nature, which is something beautiful.

Yoga and meditation practices and philosophy can help us. Here is one of the Buddha’s core teachings that I have been reflecting on recently:

With gentleness overcome anger.
With generosity overcome meanness.
With truth overcome deceit.
- The Buddha

This teaching reminds me to be gentle with myself when I make mistakes. It reminds me to be generously kind to myself by seeing that the “me” that I am is actually a good person with good intentions, even when my actions are perceived to be mistakes by others. And it reminds me to try to remain as clear-headed as possible through yoga, meditation and healthy habits so that I can see the truth in sticky life situations as clearly as possible.

I really like this quote by Pema Chödrön:

Respecting Ourselves
The whole process of meditation is one of creating that good ground, that cradle of loving-kindness where we actually are nurtured. What’s being nurtured is our confidence in our own wisdom, our own health, and our own courage, our own goodheartedness. We develop some sense that the way we are—the kind of personality that we have and the way we express life—is good, and that by being who we are completely and by totally accepting that and having respect for ourselves, we are standing on the ground of warriorship.

Just as the upheaval on Sanibel Island is giving way to Nature replenishing itself with fertile soil, our meditation practice is creating “good ground” and guiding us back home to our own wisdom, our own health, and our own courage, [and] our own goodheartedness. Who we are in our Natural state is basically good. It's just that we forget that and often others conspire to help us to continue to forget that. Coming back over and over again to remembering that, as Pema reminds us, is an act worthy of being deemed a warrior.

Treading lightly into the political world, what with Trump’s indictment yesterday, I think we as yogis are particularly called upon at this time to know that there will be anger and meanness, but we can counter that with as much gentleness and generosity as we can give. And patience too, as ultimately the truth will come out and overwhelm the deceit.

I have no doubt that Sanibel will return to its natural state of beauty. And, I have no doubt that in the face of all the hurricanes life will throw at you that you will return over and over again to your True Nature, which is something beautiful.

May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May you be gentle, generous, and truthful with yourself, …
May your True Nature, which is something beautiful, somehow affect someone near to you and spread out from there, … for the benefit of ALL Beings everywhere. 

Aloha and Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun

Sanibel Island, March 25, 2023. Green shoots are starting to appear on the tree brnaches. Somehow, i have no doubt, nature will find a way to replenish itself and thrive again. Gently over time, so can we.