Nature, In All Its Glory

A newfound delight of mine is watching nature documentaries. It’s easy to become engrossed in the drama and the wonder of the wide world of nature (or prakriti, to use the Sanskrit), and that 90% of such films seem to be narrated by David Attenborough only adds to the joy. This weekend the particular documentary I became engaged in focused on the harsh environments and astonishing life to be found in the deepest depths of the oceans.

I can state without shame that my jaw hung agape throughout most of the documentary. The creatures that inhabit the deep seas are truly unimaginable—if they were described by a science fiction writer, you would think them simply too far-fetched. But these highly specialized creatures, that in no way resemble most of their terrestrial counterparts, least of all us, are absolutely real, and mind-blowing in their intricacy. Many of them have a trait called bioluminescence, wherein bacteria within the creatures’ bodies produce flashes of blue glowing light, or even a full spectrum of pulsating light. Some have specialized cells that can change color, making the creature invisible in the water. The variety is endless, and new species are discovered every time scientists dive to these depths.

After watching this documentary, I got on my mat to practice, filled with sheer awe at the immensity and diversity of nature, prakriti. In yogic philosophy, everything that exists—from caribou to earthworms to deep sea creatures, from stone to air to our thoughts and emotions—is part of prakriti. The Essence, what some have called the Soul, the Self, or the Seer, that which is aware of all of that prakriti—that Essence is called purusa. Purusa is the immortal, immutable, universal ground on which everything else is based. Yogic philosophy also teaches that all parts of prakriti, all of Nature, is one. And all of purusa is one. And prakriti and purusa are the two sides of the same coin.

I sat on my mat in ardha matsyendrasana (half Lord of the Fishes pose), trying to bring my awareness evenly to the muscles running between each vertebra on either side of my spine. And then I thought of the underlying unity between my spinal muscles (which most days are only barely accessible) and those other-worldly deep sea creatures… and my mind was utterly blown.  How magnificently vast the array of creatures and the subtle aspects (subtler even than tiny spinal muscles!) of their being! And how much vaster and more magnificent the Essence, the Ground underlying them all! What a wonderful world!