In this modern age we are all scientific minded, but we should not accept a science which does not give us the vision of the whole. A science which separates us from the source of our existence is of no use. The basic concept given in yoga is that everything is interconnected, for yoga means unity, the unified field.
The individual does not exist as a separate entity, as he is connected to everything in his environment. That is the ecosystem or the unified field. If there is any disturbance anywhere in that ecosystem everything suffers. There is no creature on this earth, except for human beings, who has misused nature.
When we talk about ecology we should not understand it just in a technical way, but also in the yogic way. It is not just about planting trees, watering the plants, listening to the birds and sitting on the lawn. No. Ecology is respecting, understanding and living in accordance with the laws of nature.
Yoga ecology does not only show you the interdependence of all creation but also the basic unity within nature. This is the important contribution of yoga to ecology. Yogis were the original ecologists. Today, there is a superficial and selfish understanding of ecology.
Due to the diseases that are spreading, and the disharmony and destruction in nature, we are forced to think about ecology; otherwise we would not care. The individual has lost his link with nature and his sense of time in relation to nature.
The only possible way to reconnect is through yoga. When we start practicing yoga, we begin to understand our role in the environment. We begin to understand the elements we are composed of. As long as we live in the world of senses we will live in duality and never be able to understand our nature.
To understand nature we have to rise above duality. We have to be able to understand the oneness of ourselves with creation, and there is no science other than yoga that can give us that knowledge in such a perfect and systematic way.
4 June 2010, Bija Yoga, Brittany, France