Trees Swaying in the Breeze

Today in class, Jenn offered the option in tree pose to “sway in the breeze” as a way to challenge our balance. We all moved our arms or fingers in our own way, like trees in a forest. When you walk in a forest, you see that each tree is separate, just as we stood, one foot on the ground, in our individual poses. Yet underneath the forest floor, trees are connected via a vast, mycelial web that helps them communicate and share resources. In a community, in the forest, trees are more than the sum of their parts. The older taller trees share energy with the younger shaded ones. A single tree may be felled under the force of strong winds alone, but together the trees in the forest provide strength for each other in the storm.

Anyone who comes to yoga regularly knows enough to do yoga on their own or follow a video online. But being in a community of yogis offers so much more than a solitary practice. Collectively, we share our intention just by walking in the door. As we move and breathe our way through poses, our individual efforts join into a communal pool of energy. Tapping into that energy, just as a young tree taps into the web of life with its roots, elevates the experience of yoga from a physical endeavor to a holistic practice. 

Humans are also part of the interconnected web of life. Consider the act of drinking a cup of coffee by yourself: The beans were planted and picked by others; someone roasted and ground the coffee beans. What about the mug? Who made that? Who invented coffee anyway? In drinking your coffee, in smelling the aroma, you are a part of the web of humans who take part in the coffee industry and all who enjoy it. 

Yoga is a powerful microcosm of that human connection, where we have the opportunity to be present for the collective experience of being human. As we share in-breaths and out-breaths, we can remember the trees, the forest that breathes for us, sharing oxygen. When I leave class, I try to take that energy with me even when I am “alone.” In this way, yoga becomes not just a personal practice, but a profound reminder of our interconnectedness with all living beings, inspiring us to carry that sense of unity and shared existence into our daily lives, even in moments of solitude.