Good day, Steemians!

Fall is a great time to be alive:

I'm in a transitional phase.
I used to seriously resist life changes,
causing myself quite a bit of discomfort,
but now I dig it and go with the flow.
Yoga gives me something to anchor myself in
and I really appreciate a daily practice in these times.
(Speaking of daily practices, these are awesome opportunities
to reconnect with your yogi friends across time and space - just
give a little thanks for everyone who's been a part of your journey
at the beginning or end of your session, and enjoy surfing the waves
that eradicate distance between us!)
Sometimes you have to release that which no longer serves you,
and I'm there right now, dropping off excess left and right.
It's way better than burning up all my energy on schlepping around dead weight.
I'm grateful that yoga brings my attention to such matters
and gives me an outlet for letting go.
I share my yoga in thanks for this community,
and in hopes that my experience helps you be your very best!
UNITY ૐ

This is Tree Pose

AKA Vrkasana in Sanskrit

(vrksa = tree, asana = pose/posture)

Tree pose is all about balance and centering.

This is a classic.
You can improve coordination by practicing this one.
I like to send love to the trees in this pose
(thanks for all the oxygen, buddies!),
and imagine myself rooting into the Earth
while growing up tall.
Rooting is muy importante for stability;
grip into the ground and you can be unshakeable. 

It strengthens the legs, ankles, thighs, and groins,
stabilizes the core including the abdomen and spine,
and opens the chest and shoulders.
It's another good one for sciatica!
Plus you can do it almost anywhere without
weirding out the people around you too much.

Balancing poses can be a challenge from one day to the next:
today you've got it, tomorrow you're wobbling all over.
Of course there's no right or wrong, it's just something to observe
in a day to day practice.
Why are you off-balance? Is it something you can change?
Yes? Change it.
No? Let it go.
Yoga is practice for staying chill when the sands are shifting. 

Balancing poses bring your focus to a single point;
there's no time to be running through your to-do list
or whatever usually takes up your brain space
when you're trying not to fall over.
Come to a single point for a few breaths and let everything else fall away.

How to TREE POSE:

• From mountain pose, shift your weight into your left leg.
• Draw the sole of the right foot to the inner left leg.
• It doesn't matter where your foot falls - inner thigh, shin, even resting against the right ankle at first, it's all fine. Come to the appropriate spot for your body, but avoid the knee directly.
• Press the right foot into the left leg, while you press your left leg into the right foot. Everything squeezes to the midline.
• Draw the chest open by rolling the shoulders up towards the ears then down the back.
• Extend up through the crown while anchoring in the foot. 
• Hands can come anywhere it feels good - prayer in the front or behind the back, overhead, or extended towards the ground. You could even clasp the hands behind you with arms extended and go for a forward fold if you feel saucy. Each placement actually means something, but we can get into that later. 
• You can practice against a wall if you need to.
• If you want more of a challenge, do this in the dark by candlelight or with your eyes closed. 
• Take as much time as you need. 

Breathe in, breathe out. 

Breathe in, breathe out. 

Breathe in, breathe out.

💛  Sara!
and some thanks to keep my mind correct:

• @everlove thanks for the yoga shot! 
• thanks for the quotey image this source
• thanks @quinneaker for all things
• thanks forever to the devs and founders of @steemit - you're doing awesome things, and I'm so grateful for this space to express and connect

I like to listen to music when I practice, so I think I'll include a song that's inspiring me in my daily posts. This is Trevor Hall - I invited him to join Steemit yesterday. I hope he accepts! 

                                               

Please share some music suggestions with me!