Good day, Steemians! 

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. ~ Martin Luther

I read an article today that said the Great Barrier Reef is dead.

We did it, humans!! We killed the Great Barrier Reef!! Way to go, homo sapiens! Way. To. Go.

With all of our brawn and all of our will and all of our mental capacities--with ALL of our powers combined--we DID IT!!!

And we keep doing it. As horrible as a dead Great Barrier Reef is, it's only one more thing in a long, long, loooooooong list of how humans are destroying the world around them at an incredible rate. Chemtrails, pedophilia, consumerism, the global military-industrial complex, mass extinction...these are all very real elements that exist in this environment.

Humans are awful to the planet, they are awful to each other, and they are awful to themselves. 

People are seriously broken and disconnected. 

The mainstream system does a terrible job at nurturing humanity; people are not happier or healthier, and our living planet is far from thriving. 

So why do we participate in the mainstream system?

I choose not to and instead devoted my life to finding a more satisfying alternative. I share the perspective I have learned from visionary teachers like @quinneaker, @gardenofeden, and @everlove in hopes of creating a better world for ALL. 

"As below, so above"--I believe the external landscape is a reflection of the energetics we hold internally. Beliefs, thoughts, and emotions become chemical reactions and electrical impulses in the body, creating vibrations that resonate through the ether to shape our world and experience. In this way, the energy of beliefs, thoughts, and emotions directly effect the matter around us. 

We are programmed to operate with fear, guilt, blame, shame, jealousy, judgment, lack, doubt, compulsion to conform--it's built into our neural circuits. This creates energy with measurable frequency, and the matter around us responds to that frequency. We live in a world of conflict because we are conflicted internally.

To me, the only chance we have is to revolutionize our inner landscape. 

I believe it is every human's responsibility and duty to save the world, and the only way to do that is to upgrade the individual.

The dysfunctional mainstream system built our foundational operating system, and now it's up to us to use consciousness to rewrite the code. 

I share yoga with the revolutionary Steemit community, because I know it to be a valuable tool for doing the dirty work of looking within. If you could bring all those dead parts of yourself back to life through the accessible & powerful practice of yoga, then maybe there's hope for the Great Barrier Reef too.

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 that improves coordination.

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.

This pose strengthens the legs, ankles, thighs, and groins, stabilizes the core including the abdomen and spine, and opens the chest and shoulders. It's another great pose for sciatica too!

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 a dead Great Barrier Reef or whatever usually takes up your brain space when you're trying not to fall over.

I suggest you 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 directly on the knee.
• 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. 

💛 Sara!