Resilience of Life

I recently attended a seminar held by my Aikido dojo. It was a unique opportunity to train with people again, but stay distant. We practiced outdoors, with masks on, apart from each other in a large yard. It was not the traditional contact practice you typically see with Aikido. We focused on zen meditation and weapons training, so it was easier to keep a distance from others. But, it was still really great to see my training partners, even if we weren’t exactly training together as usual. It’s been months since I’ve stepped into the dojo because of the pandemic, but we’ve been able to connect virtually online, and now, outdoors for this zen practice.

During our morning meditation before we started the weapons training, I breathed deeply, listening to the bell, taking in this different sort of environment. Usually we practice together within the dojo walls, but this time, we were outside, among trees, grass, flowers, dirt, bugs, and birds. In zen meditation, your eyes remain open, looking about 45 degrees in front of you, in a relaxed gaze. My gaze was cast down at the grass, which had obviously been mowed fairly recently. There was one particular blade of grass that stood out to me because it was a brighter shade of green than the rest, and sticking up a little bit more.

My mind then began to wander, as it often does with meditation, despite the best intentions to stay focused on the present moment. I started to think about the grass and its ability to grow and thrive. Despite being cut down again and again an again, it still grows. Just like with people. 

You may find yourself in a situation in life where you feel that you are cut down again and again, be it emotionally, mentally, or in some other trying and difficult way. It may be that financial hardships have cut you down time and time again. Or that people in your work or life try to cut you down emotionally with their words and behavior. But, people are resilient, just like the grass. Perhaps you’ve been cut down so much that you fear you have little left to grow from. But, if you’re given a chance to grow and be nurtured by yourself and hopefully some others in your life, you may surprise yourself with your ability to bounce back.

When you feel cut down by circumstances of life, stop to give yourself the nurturing you need to grow back up again. Just like grass needs light, water, and fertile soil, we too have specific things we need to remain mentally and emotionally resilient. We need rest, exercise, sunlight, a healthy diet, encouragement, and love, just to name a few. If pieces of your life are not providing the things you need to thrive, or are actively cutting you down, try to give yourself these things as much as you are able to. 

It’s difficult when we are also caring for the wellbeing of others to make time for ourselves. You may need to ask those who are closest to you in your life for some extra special support. And you may even need to remove yourself from something in your life in order to feel like you can thrive again. After all, grass that is covered by a solid object for an extended period of time cannot be expected to grow. When circumstances make that all difficult, try breathing, even if just for a few minutes. Deep breathing can bring calm and clarity in even the most trying of circumstances. You may also say this mantra to yourself, breathing between each line:

I am a beautiful blade of grass.
My leaves are green and flexible.
With each beam of sun, I grow.
With each breath, my roots go deeper.
The earth nurtures my body.
My breath nurtures my soul.
I am resilient.
I am strong.