optimize the moment
Downward Facing Tree (Adho Mukha Vrksasana) in the forest.
It’s been a busy spring. In April, Nina Pileggi and I taught a weeklong yoga retreat in Mexico. We had a lovely group of people together for the week. We all had a wonderful time—walking on the beach, ice cream in town, swimming in the ocean, singing at night, oh, and yoga twice a day. We are happy to announce that we’ll be returning next year: March 15 - 22.
Teaching at Mar de Jade in April
On May 10th, the Warbling Yogis* were found flittering about in several Portland area parks seeking out birds high and low and doing a few yoga poses along the way. We saw a total of 58 species of bird. My favorite birding moments include seeing three Great Horned Owlets in their downy fluff. We also saw a Warbling Vireo catch an insect over the Columbia Slough, land on a tree branch and make a meal out of the insect. There were fun moments of yoga too. I’ve been eyeing the many downed trees at Mt Tabor these last few weeks. Diane and I managed a side-lying tree pose on top of a side-lying tree. It’s hard to balance on the edge of a trunk!
Diane Jacobs with Tonya in side-lying tree pose on a side-lying tree.
We made use of park benches for downward and upward facing dogs to stretch the neck and shoulders. Fences along the trails were used for a standing twist and to aid our balance in Eagle Pose (Garudasana). At our last stop, I couldn’t help but see the drum used for back bending in Pune as I came upon a tree log. While my body was far from ready for a back bend after walking all day, it felt good to drape myself over this log*. Even team member Bob wanted in on the back bending!
When we head out into the field to see birds, we never know what we’ll happen upon. We are surprised by what we see and what we don’t see. This year we saw owlets; last year we didn’t see a single chickadee! We have to be open to what’s in front of us—logs!—and optimize what we find to suit the moment. This is how we need to practice yoga, too. We need to approach our practice with curiosity and wonder. Who knew the forest duff would make a fine cushion for the hands to stand on? I didn’t know until I kicked up to full arm balance against a tree.
Next week a new term of yoga classes begins at Jewel Yoga. You can sign up for the 10-week term here. As the weather gets warm, I’ll adapt the classes to suit the weather. Summer is a fine time to focus on hip work. I won’t be teaching any special classes over the summer so if you have requests for a workshop this fall, send me an email and let me know what you’re interested in learning.
* The Warbling Yogis is my Birdathon team, part of Bird Alliance of Oregon’s annual fundraiser. I’ll be sending out a link to all donors with photos and a report from our day in the field. Join me in supporting a local organization committed to conservation efforts, education, and caring for wildlife that is harmed by our existence. Birdathon donations are accepted through June 7.