“The third limb in ancient science
of Ashtanga is the yoga posture, known as Asana,
Asana, or yoga pose, many People think it means touching the toes,
but Asana is more about touching the soul
learning to be steel in the middle of it all.”
-M.C. Yogi, Eight Limbs
Dear Yoga Mamas and Friends! Today is Earth Day, and while I think every day should be Earth Day, I’ll take it as a nudge to shine some light on the link between yoga and the earth.
Sometimes yoga practice can be very solitary, and even a little lonely. Sometimes it might not be obvious what these crazy practices have to do with our lives. You might wonder why it might matter that you can or can’t touch your toes (spoiler alert: it doesn’t matter! And also, you can always bend your knees if you really want to touch your toes).
Let’s break out of our shy, yogi shells and touch the earth on this special day of appreciation. Maybe you’ll squat in Malasana and touch the earth. Maybe you’ll hang forward in Uttanasana and touch the earth. Or perhaps you’ll get really low in Bhujangasana and rest your belly on the earth.
Here’s an old post of mine on a sequence for getting down on the ground (a.k.a. cozying up to the earth).
Either way, I hope you get a moment to kick your shoes off and connect to the earth, with your hands and feet. In those moments, if you can think of the image of Earth as our Mama, then you’ll have taken another great step on the path of being a Yoga Mama.
I realize there are lots of people reading this newsletter who aren’t Mamas, so if that’s you, please share this post (and this publication) with some Mamas you know and care about. Or, maybe you’re here so you can tap into that motherly energy that comes from the earth, and perhaps from the Divine Feminine. Either way, I appreciate you for letting me be your Yoga Mama and supporting you on your path. Jai Ma!
Photo by Juliana Araujo the artist on Unsplash