haiku and yoga

November 4, 2011

Haiku Yoga

It could be said that haiku is the yoga of poetry. The art of this traditionally seventeen-syllable piece rests in words that flow into a focused, present, meditative form. The beauty of yoga lies in the mind-body that flow into a focused, present, meditative form. I like to read poetry in yoga class, weaving the heart of the quotation or stanza through our asana practice. Today in class, we created our own words to move by. At the start of class, we took turns around the circle. Each of us listed one word that, to us, represents yoga. We moved through the warm-ups and poses, the adjectives and verbs in the air around us. Following savasana, they were turned into pure poetry: Council on Aging Yoga Class Haiku #1: Fun concentration focuses on opening, stretching attitude Council on Aging Yoga Class Haiku #2: Relax into peace, movement brings serenity pleasure, […]
March 5, 2012

The Art of Spring Cleaning

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” -Pablo Picasso If someone told me my Parkinson’s was all in my head, I just might agree. Because not only does the dopamine-producing mix-up/miscommunication/mishap reside there, so too does my 24/7 symptom awareness factor. For the first, I take meds. (I also exercise and stay positive. For the times when ‘positive’ can’t be found in my vocabulary, there are brownies. With ice cream.) For the second, life offers attractions that cut through the haze of perpetual mental check-ins, such as: When did I take my last dose of meds? Will I need to run any errands (or otherwise be required to function in public) during off times? If so, might I encounter someone who views me as walking like a drunk? More importantly, will there be a bathroom nearby? Does that bagel/sandwich/dinner entree have protein in it? Did I replenish […]
August 26, 2019

The Yoga of Travel

I’m not a light packer. A weekend getaway requires a giant duffel. Forget shoes, there’s the sack of daily Parkinson’s meds, service dog paraphernalia–bed, harness, food–more food–and of course, my yoga mat. Now, imagine a month-long vacation in a compact RV. Fortunately, James (the RV) feels roomy due to lots of nooks and cubbies (and a wee bit of cramming) to store the four weeks’ worth of supplies. But I forgot about  the extra 165 pounds of Great Dane—and his bed and food, and more food–on board. It wasn’t looking good for unrolling my yoga mat. That concerned me. Vacation time away doesn’t mean time away from yoga. Hours of sitting on James, no matter how glorious the views, would be an open door to lurking rigidity.  No space? No problem, I decided. By pairing upward salutes with seated half dogs in my co-pilot seat, I created a rendition of […]