Prune

In my yard I have quite a few citrus trees.  Two of these trees are Meyer lemons—my favorite. These lemon trees have not been looking so great. We have had some issues with our well not working and a wonky timer that seemed to either not water or over water. This might  explain why my beloved trees are not producing right now and why they look sad. The other day I went to trim back one of them and discovered dead branches intertwined with healthy ones. I had to dig my way in get the dead branches out. My arms got scratched, and my shoulders were getting sore from chopping away the tough, dead branches.  I was getting frustrated and impatient. Then I began to think. This tree is like me right now.  It has made it through a tough season. It’s still thriving, not dead, but yet not producing fruit like it should. 

Deep in the thick of the tree, the dead branches were hard to break off. It was as if they wanted to stay with the tree. But I knew if I wanted this tree to produce any fruit, I had to get those dead branches off, even though my arms were being scratched, and I was using all my strength to break them off.  In life I think we can get comfortable with our "dead branches.” We can get used to having parts of our lives that don't serve us well, but yet we are too uncomfortable or scared to cut them off.  We want to hold on to the things that we know even though they do not produce fruit in our lives. I ask myself, what do I need to let go of so that new life can grow? Fear is a big dead branch. It makes us not want to step into the things we were made for. For me it is easier to keep quiet, to not say how I feel just so that I don't hurt anyone’s feelings. I hold onto my dead branch of insecurity because it is what I know best. My dead branches hold comparison, judgement, weariness , abandonment .  And now like my lemon tree, fruit in my life is not growing because I’ve left the dead branches. 

Is there an area in your life that you need to let go, need to cut off? What aspects of your life need to be pruned so that fruit can be produced? It’s really difficult, I know.

When you let go of your dead branches and allow yourself to be pruned, you can see what fruit you do produce. Let the dead branches fall, allow new ones to grow with fruit. I began to think how I could do this. I thought of what God has given me as far as fruit, and three words I can came up with are forgiveness, love and gratitude.  Knowing he has given me those fruits  helps give me strength to say the hard things, to not be so judgmental, and to not compare myself to others. To be secure in who we are is one of the hardest things in life.

Yoga found me when I needed it most. It is more than just stretching. I walked away from pruning my lemon tree and immediately began to think of a yoga pose that helps with pruning. The wonderful author Whitney  R. Simpson in her book Holy Listening with breath , body , and the spirit wrote about the pose Eagle or in sanskrit Garudasana.

this photo is of me with my RIGHT keg wrapped and my Right arm on top

Eagle pose is one for strength and it helps improve balance and focus.  It can be a difficult pose, and you HAVE to be warmed up before you attempt it. 

Benefits of Eagle Pose

• Stronger arms, legs, knees and ankles.
• Open shoulder joints, creating space between the shoulder blades.
• Open hips and IT band.
• Increased circulation to all joints.
• Improved digestion and elimination.
• Improved balance.
• Improved focus.

Getting into this pose:

Wrap your top leg around your standing leg. Touch your toes to the earth, or if you can hook your toe around your calf like in the photo. Then sit back in your hips, keeping your spine upright ( it is going to want to bend forward )  Then wrap your arms to touch your palms together. 

this is me with my LEFT leg wrapped and Left arm on top

When in this pose really stretch up towards the sky as you root down through your stranding foot. Keep your shoulders down, open your chest and contract your stomach muscles.

As you are in this pose, and shaking, think of what you need to let go of. As you inhale breathe in asking yourself this. Then as you exhale … let it go. Allow your self to be pruned. Then stand in mountain pose. Close your eyes, and take a few big deep breaths before you do go to the other leg. I love eagle because you have to squeeze your thighs together to hold your balance, and it’s hard. But then when you come out of it and stand tall in mountain pose, you can feel the rush of blood flow through your body. When I teach this, I always make a swoosh noise with my mouth so my class can visualize fresh blood being pumped thru their body. 

May you find balance and focus with this. May you find the strength you need to be pruned in this pose. May you be like the lemon tree and allow your dead branches be cut so that fruit may grow. May you find comfort in knowing that you are not alone.

*Beth shows yoga fit , by Beth Shaw copyright 2009 was referenced