This blog discusses the Netflix documentary, “My Octopus Teacher” and the power of connection. Sometimes, in the most unexpected ways, someone or something can come into our lives and help us remember that we are worthy of love! We can learn about ourselves through the power of connection and awaken and deepen the love for ourselves. This is a must see documentary!
Recently, I dove in! I went down into the depths of the ocean through an incredible documentary, “My Octopus Teacher.” I spent the weekend experiencing this documentary 3 X’s as it was completely moving and I was mesmerized by the true story of a man, Craig Foster’s healing journey through the unlikely connection to an octopus and what he discovered within himself. Here’s a quick summary from Wikipedia:
“The film shows how, in 2010, Foster began free-diving in a cold underwater kelp forest at the tip of South Africa. He started to film his experiences and, in time, a curious young octopus captured his attention. By visiting her den and tracking her movements every day for months, he won the animal’s trust. In the film, Foster describes the impact on his life of his relationship with the octopus.”
But this synopsis doesn’t even touch the surface of what this documentary was really about. When I re-watched, I wrote down many of Foster’s quotes to be sure I had them correctly. Here’s my summary:
Foster admits to being disconnected from himself and the love he had for the ocean as a child. He was a filmmaker, but no longer had the energy to pick up a camera and film. He admits to feeling lost. Instinctively, he knew that the way back to healing lay in his connection to come back to the ocean (to go “Home”, so to speak). He began the daily practice of snorkeling and free diving. He says, “ The cold of the ocean takes your breath away but you just have to relax. Then, you get this beautiful window of time, where suddenly, everything feels okay.” After about a year, he reports that you begin to crave the cold of the ocean.
One day, he happens upon an extraordinary animal…an octopus. He says, “Sometimes you just get a feeling and you know that there’s something to learn about here. There’s something special about her.” He admits that she ignited his curiosity in a way that he had not experienced before. This begins his journey of diving in exactly the same area every day for almost a year to study the octopus. The film is visually stunning of his interactions with the octopus, who shows incredible creativity in shape shifting her body to escape both predators as well as interact within her ocean home. “The octopus could look spiky, smooth, grow horns on it’s head, match color, texture, pattern, and skin,” said Foster. Over time, the octopus would not peak out through the kelp or hide under a rock with Foster’s arrival but actually started to reach out for connection through her tentacled arm to explore the hand of Foster. Trust was established and Connection had begun.
There is incredible footage of the octopus rushing toward Foster, all 8 arms fully expanded and “hugging” his chest while Foster simply just allows the interaction while respecting the wildness of the creature. “She was teaching me to become sensitized to the other, especially wild creatures.” He discusses how his life was changing as he was beginning to care for others in a different way including relating to his son on a more intimate level.
I love this quote by Foster, “People ask…why do you dive at the same place every day? But that’s when you see the subtle differences AND that’s when you get to know the WILD.” It’s true friends. By going to my mat, day after day, month after month, year after year, you develop a deep CONNECTION to the subtleties of breath and movement, the intricacies of your body within the movements and the true beauty of practice. The practice is about you and realizing the depth of beauty of who you are!!
Finally, Foster reflects at the end of the documentary about their connection. “She made me realize just how precious wild places are. I fell in love with her, but also with THAT amazing ‘wildness’ that she represents and how that changed me.” He goes on to say, “What she taught me…was to feel that I am a part of this place and not a visitor. And that’s a HUGE difference.” WOW!!!
It’s Connection friends! This documentary is a living example of yoga. Yoga is about relationship and our ability to see ourselves clearly and connect with what makes us whole…what makes us happy…what makes us come alive! And we can use this awareness and transformation to be of service to others…to be connected to a purpose. Foster went on to found the Sea Change Project in which he takes others into the kelp forest and teaches them about the subtleties of the ocean wild and the importance of not only the connection to these animals but also their connection to us.
I invite you to join me in this adventure and dive deep down into these teachings of yoga. After all, I noticed many years ago that “There’s something to learn here. There’s something special about her.”