Planting the Seeds of Wisdom by Gabe Hopp

You will likely be unsurprised to hear that I am once again enrolled in some yoga training. This go-round, I am studying the philosophy of yoga with Cindy Lusk and somatic psychology with Livia Shapiro, both under the umbrella of an advanced training with Christina Sell. A little context!!

You may also not be shocked to hear that yoga philosophy is kinda my jam. If I had to pick one yoga lane to stay in for the rest of my life (thank god I don’t have to do that, I want it all!) I would pick yoga philosophy. Through the exploration and study of the teachings, you learn how to do yoga. You learn the point of doing yoga. You learn the evolution of what yoga has been and how it has become what it is today. To me, this is fascinating stuff and I love diving into it and then sharing it with you.

Today, I want to bring you a teaching from Cindy Lusk and her amazing book Align and Refine: The Journey of Yoga and Meditation. In chapter 4, entitled “The Seed and the Tree,” she shares the teaching that “the seed holds the potential for a tree to sprout, grow, blossom, fruit and create more seeds.” She goes on to say “throughout this journey of considering the teachings of yoga, we are planting seeds into our awareness.” (p. 26 of Align and Refine)

I have been thinking about and exploring this teaching all month. Within each experience of yoga, we do so many components of the practice — breath work, focus, movement, stillness, meditation, embodiment work. And, each of these experiences is a seed that we plant in our body, consciousness, wisdom mind. Each time we come to our mat or our cushion, we not only plant the seed, but also nourish that seed through practice and effort. And then, over time, with continued commitment, it (hopefully) bears fruit and we feel a little better in our bodies, or have a little more clarity in our heart mind or know ourselves a little bit better.

Incidentally, this month I (perhaps subconsciously!) chose a correlating mudra (hand gesture) and mantra (chant) to the seed theme. The mudra we’ve been working with this month is samputa mudra which expresses the seed of potential. We’ve been visualizing holding inside the mudra a seed or a ball of light or a gem as a way to feel the innate potential of the prana (energy) of the hand position. Furthermore, our chant, the Gayatri Mantra is an ancient chant to the god of the sun that he may shine down on the crops (seeds) that they may grow and produce mightily (!!).

As we move into the season of dormancy in the natural world, there is an increased potential for deep internal work. What are the seeds that you plant in your practice? How do you tend/water/nourish them to grow and bear fruit for you?