Saturday, February 19, 2011

Yoga Trees



“Find a focal point. Preferably find something that's not moving. Find something to focus on while we work on our balance.”

Whenever my yoga instructor says these words I look out the window at the trees in the outside garden. It is winter and the trees are bare of leaves. Their trunks and branches are unhidden. I focus on these bare trees and notice their shape. Like people, no two trees are just alike. One particular tree in the middle appears strong and straight. It has somehow withstood the storms of winter with little change in it's climb upward. I admire this tree, but I think I am more like the tree just to it's right. This tree is not quite so sturdy looking. It started growing up straight and tall, but then some unknown storm made it bend toward one side. Soon it regained it's course and grew back toward center. The storms of life have made it bend back and forth as it continues it's journey toward the sky. It seems to me that finding balance in life, as in yoga, means bending back and forth in the storms of life as we continue our journey toward the sky.

Spring will soon be here covering the trees with new green leaves. It will be harder to see their strong trunks. I will know though, that under the beauty of spring there is a trunk, strong and true, reaching toward the sky.

I am looking forward to spring and seeing the trees in another season.

6 comments:

poet said...

I am looking forward to green grass, trees with leaves on them, birds singing, and pavement. I'm so over this winter. :) have a wonderful day~

Miss Healthypants said...

Sigh...I love your blog...and I, too, feel like the other tree, the one that bent a little. Sometimes I think we're all more like that tree. :)

I'm so sorry I've been away from your blog, my friend. Life has been too hectic as of late...but I'm glad to be back here. :)

Middle Child said...

thats something true about trees - sometimes in the branches early in the morning it almost seems like the arrangement of branches and leaves makes faces appear if you look long enough that is

Ann said...

It is a beautiful view out those windows! Thanks for being a strong part of my root system!

Christine said...

Don't you think bends make things more interesting?

booda baby said...

It's comforting, to find our equivalent in nature, but it's also a ... a kind of challenge, too. A fun one. I wouldn't mind wondering what lessons the trees are getting from watching you, focusing and balancing, working so hard to stay still when you were gifted with so much motion.