Kurmasana

As we entered the tortoise pose, our teacher asked us, "When is withdrawal helpful in life? How can you create sacred space in your daily life?"

The harmonium broke the silence of the dark early morning; the voices of my classmates rose in response. We chanted AUM as we relaxed forward, taking refuge under our tortoise-backs in the safe cradles created by our opened legs and hips. OM...

I withdraw when I need the support and cradling of my ancient animal body self, the one that has been passed down to me through the vastest span of intergenerational time, from when we first were single-celled organisms pulsing and living and dying in rhythm with the eternal Ocean, and the tides would cycle with the Moon, and the Sun would rise and set just as it still does today with my now-human breaths to echo it, along with the four-chambered pulsing of my mammal heart. I can create my body as a sacred space by tuning in to the rhythms of Nature, to its timeless cycles that my body has evolved to mirror, to reflect, to pay tribute to. If Nature is the Mother, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then my Body is a living breathing upright-walking temple to Her. I myself am a form of worship, as is each creature who shares the gift of Life: we are an hommage to our sacred origins. We've been creating ourselves and each other in Her image since before time began.


And we're gonna keep on doin' it! Yeah!!!!