We think about our bodies constantly; are they sufficienty strong, supple, and attractive? Are they aging? What is their state of health? Our bodies, these magnificent and efficient forms, are expressions of Mother Earth's creative force. They rise up from her and are nurtured, fed, and illuminated by her.
Yet no matter how much ruminate, the body's mysterious mini-cosmos of tissues, fluids, structures and space remains an endlessly fascinating playground of experience. In yoga - from the subtle body of energetics to the philosophy to the physical practices of asana and pranayama - we ground first to connect to the support we have available to us, and then we move into expansion and openness, as we are ready. It is through embodiment that we learn to quiet and soothe the mental chatter, to be curious, willing, and open to whatever arises and falls away.
Aligning to the midline, the middle path, the middle way, invokes the light, voluminous, airy quality of awareness. The tools you have gathered along the way are at your disposal. What lies there is for you to discover in your own time, your own way. As my seed teacher, Chuck Miller, says, "Develop the breath, go to the root, connect to the core." Yoga is, in every way, the practice of moving from the gross to the subtle.
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