Happy Earth Day from the Yoga Center of Columbia

This Earth Day, we invite you to slow down, step outside, and listen.

At the Yoga Center of Columbia, so much of what we practice — the stillness of meditation, the rooted strength of yoga and Pilates, the flowing breath of qigong — mirrors what the natural world has been teaching all along. To root deep. To keep flowing. To breathe deeper with each season.

We love this poem by Larry Butler because it speaks to the quiet wisdom our bodies already know. Every element of nature offers a lesson in presence, patience, and returning to what matters. We hope it moves you the way it moves us.

Happy Earth Day, friends. Now go outside and play with light and shadow.

The Earth Says

by Larry Butler

The earth says
keep still
stay put & listen to the roar of silence
hold on & root deep for treasure
feel the sap rising through your bones
wait & see what happens

The river says
keep flowing
into the lochs swirling & swelling & swishing
keep floating down down & down
falling & carving the mountains
down to the beautiful sea

The trees say
keep rooting rooting & rising into sky –
spread out your arms to embrace everything
breathe deep deeper with each falling leaf
gather fruit & nuts for winter

The sky says
keep looking
sniff the air & notice the small
changes moment by moment
breath by breath cloud by cloud
watching your thoughts float by

The birds say keep singing
sing from your heart fly from branch to branch
stay curious stay light
start fresh each year with a new nest
then be patient & sit on your eggs till they hatch

The sun says
keep smiling
smile at your reflection on still water
from dawn to dusk
go outside out to play with light & shadow
in the day long dazzle leaping through thin air

The compost heap says
keep rotting
decomposing turning burning
digest everything that comes your way
keep returning to the earth
& the earth returns tenfold to you

the earth says keep still
stay put
wait & see what happens next