Saluting Summer

Most years I mark the summer solstice with a mala-108 or half mala-54 of sun salutations (surya namaskar). Often, I have done so as a participant or facilitator of a public group practice. This year I planned to salute solo. I had carved out some alone time in the middle of my day, just as the sun reached it’s highest point in the sky, to be in the studio. I am the slow and steady type. I would not be racing through but rather savoring the moments: just me and my breath. The truth is, this quiet ritual was the nourishment I thought I needed on that day. I shared my plans with Calie, my magical 15 year old daughter, and she asked to join. What a gift. The two of us. Breathing and moving, side by side looking out over the creek.

I experience both a sense of peace and power when attuned to the movements of earth relative to the sun. Sunrise, sunset, high-noon, midnight, longest day, longest night, equal day, and night. These moments are sublime opportunities to acknowledge what is always true. The light always returns. This planet is always spinning. Dawn is always breaking somewhere on this planet. Dusk is always falling. At times the sun shines so directly I might seek cover. At other angles I will have to turn to find it’s warmth. Always sun and earth are sustaining life together. Whether I am noticing it or not. And life is everything!

Still, my mind can get caught in critical analysis. Or auto-piloting through the mundane. Or, as of late, a little stuck in worry and sadness. Life is so very, very everything. So, I appreciate an invitation to pause and remember what is always true. To see myself a part of nature, not separate from the stars. Practicing meditative movement helps me to connect my physical, mental, and spiritual bodies to this universe we all inhabit. It makes me feel more myself and more in relationship with the natural world and my fellow human beings. Everything is connected.

108 is considered a sacred number in yogic tradition. There are several reasons for that but consider this amazingness... the distance between the sun and the earth is 108 times the sun’s diameter. And the diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the earth. And the earths diameter is 108 times the moon's. Everything is connected. Today, that is reason enough for me to reach my arms to the sky 108 times! Sacred numbers and celebrations of the tilt of the earth’s axis are helpful inspiration. But it is always true that any day is a good day to practice mindful movement. Such practices cultivate awareness of truth. And the truth is, I am more me when I practice. It's circular, spherical even... like the sun. I hope you do something today that brings you into your body and connects you to the radiance of the sun.