Everybody Loves Trees!
We decorate our landscape with them, and enjoy the clean fresh oxygen they provide. Trees and humans have enjoyed a long history of give and take while sharing this lovely spinning ball of blue. I realize that you are probably thinking I am a tree huger based on the direction of this post, and you wouldn’t be completely wrong. I have been known to hug a tree or two in my day, and I am not ashamed to admit that. In fact, there are a lot of cliché’s that I can slide into quite comfortably, even when I attempt to remain on the outskirts of a label or idea. The truth is, trees are wonderful, magical, forms of life. Did you know that trees can communicate with each other? I have heard that repeatedly over the years and while it never seemed strange I recognize how fascinating this concept is. According to the University of British Columbia, they have made a major discovery regarding trees. They discovered an underground fungus that connects the trees not only to each other, but the Eco system as well. The large trees were able to subsidize the young trees through this network of fungi. It was discovered that the fungi had a beneficial symbiotic relationship with the trees roots, allowing nutrients, carbon, and water to pass from root to root. When people think of trees, they usually realize, even if just subconsciously that trees are the great provider of the oxygen our bodies need to survive. And Yogi’s would talk about this oxygen or life-force as a trifecta force connecting life, breath and energy. The word that ties these together is known as Pranayama. Our breath acts as the bridge connecting the mind to body and is especially beneficial as we explore the different poses or asana’s in our personal yoga practice. One of the great benefits of yoga that isn’t discussed as often as flexibility, is the improvement of balance it can bring to people. Balance is beneficial in so many ways, but the one that sticks out the most for me is safety. When it relates to the body’s ability to stop or save ourselves from a fall is where I really get excited about teaching people skills to improve balance. When our balance is cultivated, we have much better reaction skills so that if we do happen to trip and fall, we are better equipped to catch ourselves in a safe manner and hopefully avoid breaking something in a nasty spill. This becomes increasingly more important the older we get. One of the greatest balancing poses of all time is beautiful, simple Tree Pose, or Vrksasana. As we root down that stabilizing foot, we pull the connection from the ground up, allowing the spine to grow and either reaching the arms up, or keeping them at hearts center. There is a variety of ways to explore tree pose. Early on in your practice, you can utilize a chair, or the wall for safety, gradually deciding when you are ready to step away and into the wild. You can decide to keep one big toe on the ground and place the bottom of the foot against the inner ankle of the stabilizing leg, or, a more challenging option of placing the foot against the inner thigh. Whichever version you choose is your representation of a prefect tree. You can change a few things as your balance improves such as raising the arms above your head, while you grow your tree branches upwards toward the sun. You may decide to turn your head up slightly and gaze at the hands, and/or closing the eyes, bringing a very different feel into this balance pose. I am not sure if you are aware, but your eyes play a huge role in balance, and once removed, it becomes your body’s job to figure out where you are in space and time. Practice both sides in equal measure. As you cultivate tree pose into your yoga practice, see if in fact, you don’t notice the strength and magnitude of the trees that surround us in this beautiful Pacific Northwest with fresh and appreciative eyes. Allowing gratitude for the trees that provide us with a continual supply of oxygen, a beautiful landscape, and the occasional shelter from life’s storms. I suddenly have a gnawing urge to go hug a few trees.
Namaste!
