The trees bloomed suddenly in Sarasota, seemingly overnight. But I know it didn’t really happen that way. In fact, a vast number of small changes happened on a cellular level in the trees and soil slowly over the last several months.
It’s often the same with yoga. We fret we’ll never be able to straighten the knees in Boat Pose or balance in a Tree Pose, and completely miss all the subtle ways yoga is improving us on a very deep level.
Getting more skillful as a yoga practitioner, in my opinion, doesn’t mean being able to do difficult poses or meditate for an hour at a time. It means honing your awareness to the subtle warmth of your circulation as it flows back into your feet after Legs Up the Wall. It means rooting your energy down into the earth so deeply, you can easily sway from Reverse Warrior to Side Angle Pose. It means loving the quiet of Savasana because that’s when you can really feel your connectedness to everyone & everything in the entire Universe.
The picture above is the house where I grew up in Pittsburgh. My mom planted the trees in the foreground when I was little. In my memory, I still see them as little saplings. I didn’t notice them growing. It wasn’t visible on a daily basis. But there’s no denying how tall they are. The growth of the trees was invisible to my eyes, but profound nonetheless.
Concentrate on the sensations of your yoga practice. Wonder at the changes you perceive. Feel how yoga helps you move fluids through your tissues like a tree transports water from its roots to its leaves. Notice improvements in your digestion, complexion, immunity, sleep, energy level and mood. Grow lovelier each year, like a tree.
May you flourish and bloom in the coming Spring.
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