In June 2012, a month before I made my big move across the country to Colorado, the High Park Fire occurred. I remember arriving in Colorado and seeing the destruction to the environment and lives of so many individuals. The devastation made my heart heavy. I was deeply struck by the sight of the charred trees and the immense amount of time it would take for regrowth. Even today the charred trees remain visible and my heart twinges slightly when I see them. Therefore, when I was invited to volunteer on Earth Day to plant trees and reforest the Four Mile Canyon Fire burn area in Boulder, I was beyond excited. Then I realized I would be out of the state over Earth Day and was bummed. Even though I couldn’t volunteer, I was still moved to participate in such a beautiful event. I decided I wanted to raise money to purchase trees that would later be planted. The organizers of the event, Pangea Organics & One Tree Planted, stated that each dollar donated would purchase one tree.
My Seva Project was the perfect opportunity to organize a fundraiser. I was so delighted when HYS agreed to help me in this endeavor. Since I was not to the point of teaching a class yet in my training, Haley generously offered to partner with me. I had a blast planning the event and creating a guided tree meditation script, facebook event, class description, and a flyer. It was so fun getting the creative juices flowing. I was inspired by nature’s example of the rejuvenation and new growth that follows destruction. It is such a beautiful metaphor for life and I incorporated the concept into the class. Haley and I also collaborated on other inspirations for the class which included the theme of “rooting down to rise to your full potential.”
Throughout the whole process of an idea becoming a reality I was filled with inspiration, joy, and gratitude. The day of the class finally arrived and I was beyond grateful to the eleven individuals who showed up to participate in the cause. I loved facilitating the guided meditation that encouraged individuals to sit with the beauty that trees have to offer and the lessons they hold as they transform through the seasons. Haley followed the meditation by guiding the class in a flow focused on rooting and grounding complete with fun facts about trees sprinkled throughout the class. I walked around and provided adjustments to the yogis throughout their practice. Everything went beautifully! Donations were collected that day and throughout the following week. We ended up raising $100 and contributing 100 trees to the Earth Day event. It was so invigorating to have been a part of such an amazing cause. I am so grateful for all those who helped make my Seva project a possibility. I will forever remember the experience and continue to learn from the beautiful wisdom and inspiration that nature holds.
-Laura Pasha
Hi, Laura! This is another great and inspirational article from you I really enjoyed reading. It`s admirable how you spread love and have a will to take some serious and straight actions to make your environment a better place. And it’s really nice to know that you had help along the way. I wish you even more successful actions in a future!