“Make nature your Guru” were the words of my Yoga Guru, Shashi, when she saw despair, fear, and hopelessness in my eyes. For the last few years, every time I bid bye to my Guru (after making my usual annual stop at her place in India for inspiration, education, and insight)—the thought that she is aging, will I ever see her again, grips me tight. She never, ever made me feel, said, or encouraged the idea that she is the Guru, she always points towards nature for inspiration.

Her words “Make nature your Guru” ring in my ears every single time I find myself hopelessly struggling with the fear of the unpredictable or when I am searching for inspiration, direction, and clarity in my Yoga practice and everyday life. I know it will take a lifetime, if not many, to completely realize this sutra of wisdom from her.

Today, I am looking at the trees outside the window, some that stand bare and some that are still in the process of shedding every single last leaf, to eventually stand bare, dry, and seemingly hopeless, yet tall and ready to spring back in action when it is time.

They are somehow at peace with the change, even if it looks hopeless to me from outside. I am realizing that they know in their core such is the nature of nature: cyclic, full of ups and down, growth and shedding, birth and dying. They are okay with winter taking over. Nature embraces all possibilities with full confidence to outgrow and outlast every single challenge. Why can’t we make Nature our Guru?

No change is constant, yet change is the only constant. It might be too much to swing on the opposite side of despair, but we can and we must microdose on hope. May we be inspired by nature and remember that it is cyclic—the nature of things and life. It is bound to change, whatever it is.

I am not suggesting that we internalize fear, worry, sadness, anxiety at all. In fact, it is important to vent, deal, and process these emotions. Let me share three practices that I learned from my Gurus, which are inspired from nature (steadiness of flame, unctuousness of oil, spirals of conch, and hiss of the cobra) that help me every single time I feel shaky, doubtful, and fearful. I am leaning into hope for myself, my family, my community, and for the world at large with eyes and arms wide open.

1. Breathe like a stream of oil: Bring awareness to your breath and make it even, smooth, quiet, and continuous, mimicking the unctuous stream of oil, establishing an unwavering-flame-like steadiness. Let it flow like an endless loop without a beginning, without an end. Do this practice for 2 minutes every couple hours.
2. Follow the spirals of the conch: Hold Shankha Mudra(the conch gesture) for a few minutes to connect with the unshakable peace. When we follow the spirals of the conch, it takes us to its very center/core/heart. In the same way, may the myriad spirals of emotions that we feel take us to the very center of our being that is peace. Shankha Mudra helps unveil, establish, and re-establish the innate, immutable, indestructible peace.
3. Hiss for Peace: I absolutely love Bhujangi Mudra Kriya [Recipe No. 23, SOMA] to let off steam, vent out the negative emotions, release the pent up anger, frustration, sadness, worry, anxiousness, and fear! Steps for the practice:

Prepare: Lie down on the belly/stand close facing the wall/sit on a chair placing a bolster on the thighs, and establish diaphragmatic breath.

Set Intention of ahimsa and satya: Consciously gather all the bothersome emotions (sadness, fear, anger, aversion, anxiety, and frustration) from the entire body as sensations, images, sounds in your belly. Take several breaths to sweep.

Main Practice: Rise up (if lying supine/ lift up the chest and head if standing next to the wall or seated on chair) like a serpent in Bhujanga Asana, with a fierce hissing sound accompanied by fierce expression on the face. Let go of all negativity, all venomous, angry, inflammatory, stagnating emotions, anxiousness.

Rest: Come back to a comfortable position and rest. Repeat Steps 1-3 until you feel the grip of the emotion is released or diluted.

Just Be: Take a position that feels like shavasana and just be. Do not suppress any tears, giggles, hiccups, belching, or any natural response from the body in the process.

BONUS: Want to learn more simple, powerful ways from Yoga, Ayurveda, and Tantra to work with emotions? Join the course on Harnessing the Superpowers of Emotions.

I sincerely believe that micro dosing on hope and taking inspiration from nature can help us put one step in front of the other to continue doing the work that we can do, that we must do and that is to be done. Do share if these practices, thoughts and insights have helped you.

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