Last
Saturday was Earth Day, but really every day is Earth Day. Without our
beautiful blue planet, we would not exist. Our Earth provides air to breathe,
water to drink, food to eat and endless wondrous materials with which to create.
We always have everything we need.
Many
people marched on behalf of science last weekend or will march for climate
change awareness this weekend. Perhaps you are called to summon the warrior
within to honor both the power and fragility of nature. As you contemplate your
relationship to the Earth, flow through this short warrior sequence. Use it to gather
strength and energy for your commitments to the environment as well as to
generate inner peace and gratitude for our planet’s innumerable gifts.
Begin in Warrior 1
(Virabhadrasana A). Start standing in Mountain Pose. Breathe deeply, then exhale and take
a big step backward. Bend your front knee so you can see your toes. Stretch
your back leg straight behind you on your tiptoes, then turn your back heel
down while keeping your hips facing forward.
Widen your stance if you need more stability. Breathe in and reach your
hands high in the sky with your thumbs pointing backwards. Make yourself tall
like a mountain. Lean back just a
little. Breathe deeply and feel the energy drawing up through your feet from
the Earth.
Flow to Warrior 2
(Virabhadrasana B). From Warrior 1, keep your knee over your ankle and
breathe out while you turn your hips and shoulders to the side. Stretch your arm forward over your bent knee
and reach the other arm behind you in a straight line. Your palms face down. Press
your inner legs apart. Look over your front hand. Breathe deeply and surf the
waves of strength.
Fly into Warrior 3 (Virabhadrasana
C). Inhale back to Warrior 1. Lean forward to shift your weight to your front foot. Ground your
front foot then breathe out as you lean forward to balance with your back leg
stretched out behind you. Point your toes down. Reach your arms forward, hold
them next to your body or stretch them out to your sides like airplane wings.
Breathe deeply while you imagine all the places you will fly. Fly high above
the clouds like a grateful superhero.
Transition to Peaceful Warrior (Parsva Virabhadrasana)
L/R. From Warrior 3, bend your front knee and gracefully return your
back foot behind you. Inhale to Warrior 1, then exhale to Warrior 2. Turn your
front palm up and reach forward just a little.
Breathe in as you gently see-saw your arms by lifting your front arm to
the sky and sliding your back arm down your leg. Make sure your front knee stays over your
ankle by pressing your inner legs apart. Look up at the sky and breathe. Feel
your side ribs stretch open. Breathe deeply and feel peaceful inside.
To finish, inhale to Warrior 1. Breathe out as you step forward
into Mountain Pose. Repeat the sequence stepping your other foot back. Spend
the same amount of time on the second side. Once you feel confident with the
flow, move through the sequence in time with your breath, creating a rhythm in
time with the ebb and flow of life. Namaste!
Photos and video by Robert Oakley featuring K. Mae Copham in New Paltz, NY on Earth Day, April 22, 2017. Check out the video here.
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