inner and outer color

After an unusually warm winter, during the yoga class I was teaching this morning, I had to stop the flow of the class to have everyone gaze out the window - it was snowing!! Brilliant white flakes were falling in-front of the white blooming magnolia tree... was it really snow or just the blossoms falling?

A couple of hours later, en-route to visit my folks, my sense of sight seemed particularly heightened as the sun shown brilliantly in a saphire blue sky. The white of the puffy cumulous clouds, the tree blossoms, and the swans on the farmer's dark brown fields looked luminous. The green of the trees budding and the grasses sprouting along the edge of the highway and distant fields was vibrant beyond words in the sunlight.

Driving through Skagit county I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the fertile valley, and was drawn to detour off the highway, destination unknown, questing for a daily dance location. I love the challenge of being spontaneous and not knowing where the inspiration will come and then capturing that moment's inner and outer landscape and weather (as best as my ability is able to). Not far from the highway a bridge intersected a dike and there was a pullout to park. A wind was blowing with the damp smell of the earth within it, but what inspired me to move my body into dancing initially was the movement of the clouds and then the swaying of the budding weeping willows by the nearby barn. The uprising grasses continued to inspire movement until my inner body weather of dancing took over. I was visualizing what the expansive blue sky felt like on the inside.

The singular and cheerful life

of any flower

in anyone's garden

or any still unowned field -

if there are any -

catches me by the heart,

by it's color,

by it's obedience of the holiest of laws:

be alive

until you are not...

and those princes of everything green -

the grasses

of which there are truly

an uncountable company

each on it's singular stem

striving

to rise and ripen.

What, in the earth world,

is there not to be amazed by

and to be steadied by

and to cherish?

Oh, my dear brave heart,

my own dear heart,

full of hesitations,

questions, choice of directions,

Look at the world...

Look at the grass.

Mary Oliver

What moved me also were three Clydesdale horses across the creek that walked closer and closer to where I was dancing and seemed to be riveted by my practice. I love how nature's beings seem to be drawn to the dance as has happened so many times over the months of dancing outdoors in the wildness. Their curiosity is fascinating to me - a cross species (winged ones and four legged ones) interest in viewing a woman dancing... is it the unfamiliar movements or ??? I feel honored to have my dances witnessed by these amazing other-beings.

The practice today was one of feeling gratitude for the beauty of our mama earth...

As I entered Vancouver I heard on the local co-op radio station that today is International Women's Day. I'm not exactly sure how this day is typically acknowledged and of course I think everyday should be 'women's day,' 'men's day,' 'children's day,' earth day...' etc. :~)

However, on reflection, I would like to dedicate my practice today to women everywhere and the challenges we all face...

May all women have enough... enough food and water, and a safe place to sleep...

May we all experience contentment and peace in our hearts and in our lives...

May we be surrounded by love and may we ride the waves of life between joy and sorrow with grace and humour supported by our own backbones, the women who have gone before us and also by those around us who we love and who we are loved by...

May we have the opportunity in our lives to live our life's dreams and follow our hearts...

I hope this film captures the feeling I had of being there at that moment and of feeling the big beauty that surrounds and abounds, so you can share this moment with me...

Thank you for viewing / reading... I hope this blog may be inspiring for you in some way - perhaps to find a place close to where you live to drop into the body and dance your own dance...

There is a film in the black space below:

Music: Deuter

Visit my butoh mentor's inspiring blog here: Maureen 'Momo' Freehill