There will be no book study on April 30th due to lack of RSVPs. Stay tuned for May events to be posted next week!

As I was practicing yoga among a small group yesterday, we practiced a few balancing poses throughout a sequence. Balancing poses have always felt a bit challenging to me, especially before I developed a daily practice. Now, in addition to having gained some strength and muscle memory, I know well that there are some simple techniques that help: such as an awareness of the way the foot is meeting the floor, a micro-bend in the knee, and a gaze toward a low, still point, also referred to in yoga and meditation as a Drishti (a Sanskrit word for focused gaze). Often, as soon as I let my sight wander to someone else in the room, especially if they are a bit wobbly, I tend to lose my balance, too. Looking into a still place really helps me still my mind, too.

As I find and practice my Drishti in yoga, I often consider what it represents metaphorically. To more generally find and maintain my center, presence, and balance in life, I find that I need to consistently bring my attention back to what is directly in front of me. When I get too distracted by the busyness of my surroundings, particularly the happenings of others that do not involve or concern me, I tend to stumble much more.

When I bring awareness to the foot that is in contact with the floor or ground beneath me, I also often will imagine how it would feel to grow roots from that place. I deeply feel that growing rooted in and committed to the authentic truth of our values, as well, allows us to show up in community in a more consistent, steady way.

Similar to the way that trees communicate and share resources through the mycorrhizal network that reaches them through their roots, may we, too, find that the deeper we root in place and practice provide what is needed to both us and our communities. May our abundance prompt us to recognize how we might branch out, give generously, and care deeply, and may that process be a joyful one!