I have been practicing berry yoga almost every day for a month now. It is a practice in patience and endurance. I work my way into the blackberry bushes as gracefully as I can to collect every bit of fruit. Sometimes I find that I am working a great spine twist while reaching for that berry in the sky. Other times I mentally pat myself on the back for such great balance while reaching and leaning. Although, if I move too hastily I will inevitably get myself caught on any one of the many thorns reaching out at me. Sometimes I must slow down, breath in, and tighten that core (as I lean over another thorny arm).
Today, I not only practiced early morning berry yoga, I went for a bike ride just so that I could forage along the way. It is hard to concentrate on exercising when you are enjoying the ride. My main goal was to collect more sumac so that I can stock pile juice (hopefully while burning off calories from jelly). What I somehow did not anticipate was how to get the soft finds home. I only brought bags, and when confronted with a monster raspberry bush I became quite distressed. There was no way the raspberries would ever hold up at the bottom of the plastic bag swinging from my handlebars. I was forced to eat as many as I could reach, once again employing berry yoga. I was blissed out or slightly nauseous, tough to tell.
My ride back was lazy and unconcerned. I am reminded to bring a soft fruit container next time and to keep up my yoga practice because berry yoga is only for one month out of the year.
Nancy Warner 