Sucker Holes and Pure Outdoor Freshness

My annual Yoga in the Park classes continue this summer.  Not sure how many years I have been running the classes in the park.  Seventeen years is what comes to mind!  We meet on Tuesdays from 6-7pm during the months of June, July, and August in Meridian Park, Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle.

The first Tuesday of June was the most lovely of evenings, not too hot, not too cool, around 77 degrees.  We were graced with magical breezes and then bursts of calm, yoga under a big blue sky.  People showed up in large numbers and the session felt dreamy.  That was the first Tuesday this summer.

The second Tuesday, however, was different.  The weather called for thunder storms and showers.  And it was rather cool out.  All day, I fretted over the dark clouds, not knowing if I should cancel or hold class.  I’d look up at the brooding sky and sometimes I’d detect a promising patch of blue.  I kept thinking about my father-in-law and how he calls those “promising” patches of blue “sucker holes”!  “They get you every time!  Don’t plan anything anything grand.”  Only a “sucker”, one easily duped by a false promise, would trust those patches of blue!  This is Seattle after all. I know it rained that day in some areas like on Mercer Island, but it did not rain downtown or in Wallingford.

Warriors We Are

Well, since I didn’t cancel class, I went to the park in the hopes that at least a few hearty souls would show up.  And, much to my surprise and delight, three people showed up for yoga!  Tina Koyama, sketcher extraordinaire (Tina’s BLOG), also showed up to sketch the class.  Not sure how she managed to sketch us.  It was so cold out that I just kept everyone moving.  No long holds, just keep moving.  And Tina had to capture our moves.  Her hands were cold and, somehow, she had to keep sketching to keep her fingers from stiffening up!  It was 48 degrees out.  By moving, we yogis managed to stay warm-ish!  Like the Tibetan yogis, we used breath to generate heat and prana.  We practiced the yogi’s adage: “The true yogi feels the cold but does not feel cold.”  Yes, this is why we have come up with the month of June-uary here in Seattle!

Reach for the Sky!

Below are Tina’s lovely sketches and a wonderful poem Larry Iwafuchi wrote.

Local readers, please note that there is NO CLASS on Tuesday, June 21st, but YES, there WILL BE class on June 28th and forward until and including the last Tuesday of August (last class followed by a potluck!)

Double Trees Sprouting from the Earth

Bridge of Friendship

It happened!
Yoga In The Park on Tuesday,
despite the threat of storms.
Kept checking for a cancelling e-mail,
hoping there wouldn’t be one.
There wasn’t.
So there we were.
Just four of us, a small but mighty group.
Big groups have power and spirit.
Small groups have intimacy and connection.
Dark clouds surrounding us,
a ‘sucker hole’ of blue sky above.
Feeling the outside cold
offset by the warmth within.
Sitting back to back,
close yet apart,
reaching upward.
Looking up
and seeing the sky,
my hand,
leaves and branches
bent by the wind.
Out of the corner of my eye,
seeing my partner’s hand,
reaching upward alongside mine,
We are apart in our individual efforts,
and yet
we are connected.

Back to Back Meditation (instead of Shavasana) kept our backs warm!