All Of Life Is One and We Are That

Just as body, mind, and soul are intricately intertwined, so it is with body, mind, soul, and nature. All of it—everyone and every form of life—is our neighborhood. Only one cosmic neighborhood—that is a fundamental principle of yoga. All of life is one, and we are That. One Supreme Consciousness expresses as all that is.
~Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, from her blog Yoga, Consciousness and Climate Change

During this week of celebrating the earth with Earth Day, we are reminded that we are nature and it is us. In this quote Yogacharya is reminding us that all of nature gives to us and we, as beings in nature, give back. It is all One and we are not separate from that One. We have all had experiences of being in nature and feeling at peace with life. By having a regular meditation practice we can more easily stay connected to that peace. Remembering our connection with nature supports all of life including ourselves. We remember that we are not here to use the benefits of nature but to honor and cooperate with it. In her blog post Yogacharya quotes ancient Vedic wisdom that says "Take care of nature, and nature will take care of you." In this time of so much upheaval in our world let us remember our connection to all of life and do what we can to take care of nature.