Written by Ainslee Cunningham
As humans, we interact with the world through our senses. The information we “sense” cues us about the external environment. Thus, we communicate with our environment. We can communicate with plants with all our senses to experience a plant meditation. Any gardener or lover of the outdoors will agree that nature communicates to us through the senses, can have a calming impact on the body, mind, and heart, and allows us to enter into a state of simple presence. We can understand this as a yogic experience.
Plants, in and out of the garden, can communicate to us and provide insight and story about “who” they are as beings. This occurs on a physical, energetic, and spiritual level. In herbalism, across different modalities, plants are described by their intrinsic energetics, or how their vital force (prana) acts on human tissues. In yoga, we are practicing asana, meditation, and pranayama to influence our intrinsic vitality (prana or chi). When we invite a plant into our bodies, we are inviting the interaction and communication of a plant’s pranic force with our own. This experience can be directly explored when we bring in the awareness of the mind in a plant meditation.
Plants can communicate through our sense of sight. An interesting theory utilized by herbalists of old is the doctrine of signatures. This theory holds that a plant’s physical characteristics correlate to their medicinal function. For example, the yellow of a dandelion flower reveals that it is supportive of the liver. While the doctrine of signatures has limitations and is not a scientific approach, this practice speaks to the symbolism of a plant and the story that a plant can tell us, one we must interpret for ourselves. When we connect with a plant with the deep presence we seek to cultivate in our yoga practice, we can open our minds and hearts to this symbolism and wisdom.
Plant communication can also occur through the sense of taste. Renowned herbalist David Winston describes 10 tastes that plants may exhibit, and what phytochemical constituents and physiological actions these tastes signify. For example, a bitter taste signifies the presence of alkaloid compounds which stimulate the liver to secrete bile. An astringent taste signifies the presence of tannins that can tonify tissues and membranes in the body. In a plant meditation, taste is a gateway to interacting with a plant and learning about how it may communicate to your body on a physiological level.
Join me in the conversation with plants in my new 6-week Herbal Yoga class series.
Sundays, 4-5:30 p.m. EST starting Sunday May 15
Sign up for one, some or the entire series.
Attend In Person or online
Applicable subscriptions and class packages can be used
Learn more on our website
If you want to attending all 6 weeks, sign up for the course!
You can also deepen your communication with plants by practicing yoga outdoors. Starting Tuesday May 10th, we will have Tuesday morning classes at the Streamside Meadow at NC Botanical Garden. The shade of the forest, the gentle flow of the stream and a 10am start time makes it easy to stay cool as you practice outdoors. Sign up for the Tuesday at 10am class on the Garden Website.
We love hearing from you. Let us know how we can best support you. Feel free to reach out via email with any questions or comments at info@dogwoodstudioyoga.com.
Ainslee Cunningham is a 200 hour registered yoga teacher (RYT) who is deeply inspired and influenced by nature. Ainslee aspires to support people with the mind-body connection of yoga, especially those affected by addiction and trauma. She is committed to exploring how we embody the elements of the natural world and how we can deepen our connection to the Earth’s natural rhythms.
SAM Sather, founder of Dogwood Studios, is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT), individualizes the yoga practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers several live, online and in person yoga classes as well as private sessions so you can focus on your needs one-on-one.