for the love of pine

On this day of celebrating love, on our way to see the movie 'Avatar,' we stopped in the park for a short walk and to be inspired to find a spot to do my daily dance practice. After Momo's retreat yesterday, I was looking forward to connecting with dance to another being in nature.

An amazing bowing pine seemed to me to already be dancing and I was thrilled once again to be able to drop into my body and connect to the textures, smells, sights and taste of this magnificent tree - taking the time to connect deeply to other, in the form of a tree.

The beauty of having a tree as partner is their strength and their ability to be able to hold and support one's body weight allowing there to be an opportunity to change one's visual perspective and tune into things that one might normally miss - such as the texture of the bark and the pine cones. Hanging from trees is so energizing, revitalizing and nourishing to the soul.

Although I was challenged with the war theme of 'we must meet terror with terror', one of the things I loved about Avatar was the depiction of the energy that flows through all living things - which in yoga would be called 'prana.' I have had so many walks in the depth of local forests where there are so many species of plant life and fungi that are magical. During extraordinary scenes in Avatar of the forest plant life I kept thinking that it looked just like OUR mama earth if we had the sensitivity to see life force energy... However, this energy is often palpable in our ability to FEEL it...

I also loved how the clan lived deep within 'home tree' that provided protection and was a source of energy. Of course I appreciated how Avatar emphasizes our deeply rooted connection to nature and each other. An important reminder that it is our sacred duty to protect the environment, because if we don't, we are destined to perish from this Earth.

I believe trees are our lifeblood and I love the idea of how all tree's are interconnected to one another and if we love and honor one tree, we are doing the same for all the other trees of that species. Thank you pine tree and all the pine trees on the earth... teaching us to drop our roots deeply, to nourish our souls with connection, to stand tall, to remember our impermanence, to not to take life too seriously by reminding us of the importance of dancing in the wind...

Thank you for viewing / reading. I hope this blog has offered inspiration to you to dance with other - perhaps in the form of a tree.

The Other Kingdoms

Consider the other kingdoms. The

trees, for example, with their mellow-sounding

titles: oak, aspen, willow.

Or the snow, for which the peoples of the north

have dozens of words to describe its

different arrivals. Or the creatures, with their

thick fur, their shy and wordless gaze. Their

infallible sense of what their lives

are meant to be. Thus the world

grows rich, grows wild, and you too,

grow rich, grow sweetly wild, as you too

were born to be.

~ Mary Oliver ~

Music: Satowa

Filmed by Brooke

See my butoh mentor's beautiful blog here: Maureen 'Momo' Freehill

Also view Momo's blog on 'Avatar' here: 'Avatar - Feeding our Demons.'