Good morning…I would like to introduce you to Tree Tuesday! I often start my day in this lovely balance posture called Tree Pose, or Vrksasana and this morning, I was inspired by nature to strike a pose outdoors. This can be a calming posture, as your eyes focus on the external world, the internal chatter halts, and the body stands strong on one leg. Did I mention that practicing in 27 degrees F can be invigorating too? Brrrr
Seems I was destined to practice yoga, as I used to wash dishes with one foot tucked up into my thigh, like a flamingo. Who knew that all that practice would come in handy. Today, I absolutely love balance postures as they are such a good metaphor for the delicate life balance we all seek to achieve between work and play, movement and rest, doing and being…
And I will tell you that doing a pose for the thousandth time is never the same or boring, but many times we are on automatic pilot. And one of the things I love about yoga is that I strive to come to each pose fresh, and present to THIS pose TODAY, not what I did or didn’t do yesterday. So each Tuesday, I endeavor to bring you a fresh new version of Tree Pose, as a reminder to stay in the present, no matter how long you have been practicing or how far you are away from home. Afterall, one of thrills of travel is to taste and delight in experiencing new food, language, scenery, history, and people.
One of the ways I stay fresh in this practice of Tree is to plant my standing leg into the ground, like a tree sends its roots into the earth, and gently fix my gaze on something that will not move. Inhale a deep full belly breath, exhaling through the mouth. For an added challenge, I will close my eyes. Lately, some of my students have been closing their eyes with me on our second round of Tree and almost invariably everyone falls over, including myself. Not only does it remind me of the importance of staying with beginner mind, it also puts all my senses at full intake capacity, much like the smell of curry or the sound of a foreign tongue when traveling abroad.
Yoga can be so much more than achieving a perfect physical position. “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without” says the Buddha. How can I bring more presence to one thing today that I have done “a million” times?
Sending you peace, joy and balance!