Yoga’s Autumnal Equinox

Trees Think of Birds That Will Come To Sleep Inside Their Bodies

...And don’t you think
the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,
warm caves, begin to think
of the birds that will come – six, a dozen – to sleep
inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
vanishes, and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its
bellows. And at evening especially,
the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
– Mary Oliver "Song For Autumn"

Dear Bro

This image of a tree with mossy hollows where birds might come to sleep for a time resonates with my sensibility. In each of my yoga classes, I work to create an opportunity for people to unite their body with their breath attending less to their preoccupations and more to the moment at hand. In our asanas, we stretch and work with our limbs, and head, and torso. With various pranayama techniques, we resound and resonate with our breath more fully in time with movement. I work to make a safe and welcoming space for the deep surrender that can come in final relaxation or savasana. In corpse pose, we “let go like a leaf.” The autumnal metaphor is a promise of rest and renewal. A “letting go” of what it is we need to leave behind, the unnecessary. And an opening to recreate or invent what is essential to move forward.

You too trained as a yoga teacher and you have an ongoing practice. In my mind’s eye, I send you a nest in a tree where you can rest. Come West!

Thinking of you with love as you heal dear brother,
your big sister Nan.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. — Pema Chodron