I find myself fascinated by trees. I always thought that if I was a tree, I’d be a weeping willow tree. Now I’m not so sure of an exact tree I’d like to be. I’m really enjoying the majestic and wise redwoods here.
Looking back about what I wrote about the limbs of astanga yoga, in reference to BKS Iyengar’s book, Tree of Yoga: The roots and stability of the trunk grow from this stable base upward and reach towards the light of the sky. If you find yourself sitting or standing AND slouching, (which Mr. Iyengar equates to a narcotic), for some, it can be so addicting to slouch…catch yourself. Sit up straight, stand up and while keeping the eyes soft, observe how the eyes lighten and brighten. And feel the energy of the body changing. Think of your base, whether from your feet or your sitting bones and perceive how the stability of your base allows for freedom in the spine and the possibility of lightness in the body and mind. As you have heard me say, oh…well, more than a thousand times: As you lift the spine move the dorsal spine in. Draw the space in between the shoulder blades into the body and lift the sternum from the alertness of the back body. Just that simple movement, though effortful for some, can be so liberating.
Locate your breath and feel where the breath moves and touches the body, whether moving below the surface of the body or the touch of the breath through the nose.
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