close to home and farther afield

Parsva Bakasana in the wild

On May 23rd the Warbling Yogis spent the day wandering a few local parks looking for birds as part of Portland Audubon’s annual fundraiser, Birdathon. Over the course of the day, we took short yoga breaks to ease our hands, shoulders and necks while seeking birds high and low. We saw a total of 64 different species! In addition to the actual birds, there was a convocation of Garudasanas (Eagle pose), a rare glimpse in the wild of Parsva Bakasana (side flank of a Crane pose) and a Krounchasana (Heron pose) perched on a shoe. As serious as I am about my study of yoga, I thoroughly enjoy these opportunities to be playful.

In an effort to spend more time seeing birds and less time driving, we purposefully selected three parks on the east side with different habitats. It’s not news to me that there is so much to see so close to my urban home. Just last week, I witnessed an Osprey fishing in a very manicured Laurelhurst Park. If we just open our eyes and pay attention, there is so much to see right in front of us.

But a change of scenery can do wonders to help us open our eyes—if for no other reason that we get to see and experience something new. I’m excited to announce that next spring I will be offering a retreat farther afield—a week-long yoga retreat in Mexico with my friend and colleague Nina Pileggi. I’m looking forward to returning to Mar de Jade, where I spent a week last winter. It’s a delightful place, where we can enjoy each other’s company while rejuvenating our practice in the fresh ocean air. I hope you’ll consider joining us!

June 4, 2022