The Poetry of Balance
I have discovered a powerful practice of being in physical alignment. Dana Davis instructs clients in how to sit, stand, walk, and sleep in balance at her Balance Center in Petaluma and in San Rafael. Students experience less tension and pain in their backs and joints. One 82 year-old gentleman even added 2 1/2 inches to his height! I have had an individual session and I am looking forward to taking Dana’s five week course.
Dana writes, “Why do people in some countries have no back pain? 80% of the population in the United States suffers from back pain, compared to only 5% in many other countries, such as Portugal and Greece. These healthy people move slightly differently than we do. The teaching of the Balance Center is based on more than 35 years of research on these healthy populations. When you stand, bend, sit, walk, and sleep as these people do, your pain can be significantly reduced or eliminated.”
Dana has a web site that explains her teaching in greater detail. I highly recommend her work. www.sonomabodybalance.com
You can also email Dana and sign up for her informative monthly newsletter at dana@sonomabodybalance.com
When Trees Dance
I pause to write and my heart soars.
Wings of angels brush my awareness,
fill the fresh air with sweetness.
The sky pours rain with constant zeal.
The trees soak up the moisture,
wriggle their roots like toes
for beyond their stillness is a joy that runs deep
and feels as if they’re quivering
with barely contained delight at being alive.
Looking closely, I imagine the bark
is trying not to crack wide smiles.
Surging life force fills unmoving branches
in readiness to burst forth
as bright new leaves in spring.
If trees could dance without the wind,
they’d stand on tippy-toed roots,
twirl in graceful pirouettes,
their boughs sweeping the sky
in flowing waves.
Oaks would laugh at being tickled
under arm-like branches
when squirrels scamper up their trunks.
Firs would leap with glorious abandon
over hills and down dales,
some with chattering squirrels clinging to limbs,
then bend to peek through our windows.
Though today, the trees are content
to envision willowy jetes,
simply joyous to be filled with the inner dance of life.
So don’t be fooled by inactive stances.
Look beyond their tranquil repose
to sense a vibrant ballet.
You may find yourself toe-tapping to lively rhythms,
even whirling around to sensed,
but unheard melodies.
Then, when trees can no longer stand still,
they invite the wind to play.
©2004 Star Kissed Shadows, Divining Poetry, Sher Lianne Christian
*You are invited to our Third Sunday Poetry Reading & Poetry Open Mic: Sunday, September 20, 12:30 to 1:30 P.M. Our featured reader is Jewel Mathieson, poet Laureate of 5 Rhythms International Dance Community, Gabrielle Roth. It’s hosted by Sher Lianne Christian, poet, accompanied by John Christian on piano & accordion. Share a poem you or someone else has written, if you like. Donation appreciated, $1 to $10. Coffee Catz, 6761 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707 829-6600.
Warmly,
Sher Lianne Christian
Coaching, Editing, Proofing, for Writers
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