For the 20 years I lived in NYC, the sole green thing in my apartment was a snake plant. With my move to a place that literally has “Green” in the name, I decided I needed more of that. Enter the Lowe’s garden center.
In Ayurveda and yogic philosophy, “prana” refers to life force. It’s a universal energy flowing through our body that connects to the universal energy surrounding us.
Plants have lots of prana, and it’s palpable. If you are on the fence about this, please go for a walk in a forest or park, or pick up a copy of Leaves of Grass.
I like to have plants in my meditation space because they remind me of the energetic interconnectedness of everything. I like to have plants scattered around the apartment because the air feels cleaner. I like to have plants on the balcony because my cats like them.
One day I learned you can’t water plants in direct sun because they will combust (well, kinda. But they definitely burn at the edges). Two plants suffered for my sins. They are still in ICU, but alive. The incident made me question what I knew about ‘conscious living’ when I could be so callous. Even writing about it now makes my heart ache and reminds me that awareness is moment to moment.
Recently, one of my philodendron’s vines invaded and took root in a neighboring succulent’s pot. Which is both fascinating and alarming, because whether they will coexist or whether this will be a hostile take over remains to be seen. It also gave me pause because i realized plants can be kind of ruthless. But it’s not because they’re jerks; it’s because they’re plants.
At the end of the day, the good I see in them is the good I choose to see. The energy they give me, is the energy I choose to feel. My plant family reminds me daily that what I nurture grows, and that life in all its complexities and pain is still a miracle. All love.