“Mother Earth I honour you, I bare my soul and pray for rain.”

For those living in Cape Town, we have been heaved, flung, flown and thrown through so many emotions over the last few days that life feels confusing, unstable, helpless and very emotional. The beauty of it? The community has come together as one, showing the true meaning of the word Yoga. People from all walks of life have helped in every which way that they can. 

The fires that started on Sunday have been relentless, Mother Nature has shown her true force of what happens when fire and air come together in a fury and an imbalanced way. Remember that the same happens within us, we are a microcosm of the macrocosm, so maybe it’s time to look inwards and see how we deal with our own ravaging fires. Each one of us is composed of a unique amount of all the elements found in nature, namely earth, water, fire, air and ether. When one of our elements goes out of whack we experience an imbalance, (e.g. too much fire causes irritation, rashes and anger, too little causes poor digestion and sluggishness), when another element comes into play it can either help to balance or it can cause the opposite. If there is too much fire and we add some light water it can help cool things down, however, if we add air, (and a hell of a lot of it like on Sunday), it causes the fire to get out of hand and burn everything in its way. This happens to many of us and leads to burnout and adrenal fatigue. 

So what to do now? The way forward is to nurture lovingly and with patience, taking care each day and letting the seeds, (of love, peace, hope, enthusiasm, happiness, laughter, kindness etc…), that have been sown in the past, to revive and come to life. In Yoga nothing just “ends” there is just a transferal of energy to allow for that something new to grow. No matter how destructive something may seem, there is always something positive that can be gained. This is why the interplay of all the elements needs to be specific for each individual’s constitution so that you are kept in a state of balance and homeostasis. Remember to always work towards your balance point. 

May this outward display of nature remind us to take care of ourselves so that we manage to keep moving towards that place of balance through this journey called life!

With deepest respect to the Earth and all who dwell on her.

Namaste,

Nina

The Yoga Awakening Africa team has made a financial donation of R550 to the Volunteer Wildfire Services and we would like other yoga studios, teachers and practitioners to do the same with a figure that feels intuitively right to you, be it half, be it the same or double, no amount is too small or big.

Remember that sitting around moping, worrying and complaining has never done anyone any good. Be proactive and contribute in a way that works for you and your lifestyle. This could be via:

• financial donations to the Volunteer Wildfire Services- http://www.vws.org.za/?page_id=338  or connect with them on FB https://www.facebook.com/VolunteerWildfireServices?fref=nf
  Bank Details:
  Bank Deposits or EFT Payments can be made to: Volunteer Wildfire Services
  Nedbank | Branch: Foreshore | Branch Code: 108309 | Account Number: 1083321226
  If you make a donation, please use your name as a unique reference as well as sending us an email so we can thank you for your valued contribution. (It also helps us keep track of incoming funding for the auditors). Email: finance@vws.org.za

• food vouchers that can be dropped off at fire-stations, (they have enough food and water at present and can at least use the vouchers for exactly what it is they need)
• helping at animal shelters or taking in pets
• keeping your garden, (and your neighbours’), well watered, filling bird baths and putting out drip trays for smaller animals
• rather than worry, meditate – use cooling visualisations, chanting, peaceful proactive thoughts.
• if you find snakes in your garden, call a professional – Imhoff Snake Park – 083 643 3103

Remember there are many other places around the Western Cape that are also experiencing hectic uncontrollable fires, we are not the only ones here in the Cape, please take a moment to send your thoughts to them as well. Thank you!

Thanks to Andrea Nixon for her awesome images. View more by clicking here.