A Flamboyance of Flamingos

Hello friends,

There was an interesting news item this past week – wild flamingos, which normally live south of the United States, have been spotted up and down the East Coast. In fact, some people have reported finding flamingos as far north as Ohio and Pennsylvania! Bird watchers across the country are in a state of shock.

Hurricane Idalia is assumed to be responsible for this migration and relocation of the long-legged waders. The birds flew away to be in kinder climates during the storm. Audubon researchers say that eventually they will return to their homes. Flamingos are able to fly long distances and probably won’t want to winter up north. I feel the same way!

It’s fascinating to consider - the flamingos’ instincts told them to fly to safety. They left the area of danger and escaped the storm. They’ll return to their usual habitat when they are rested and ready for the return journey.

What a great lesson for all of us!

How can we better tune in to our own instincts and listen to the body’s messages?

You know that answer: yoga.

Yoga gives us the opportunity to tune in to the self. Using our breath, our body, our mind, and our movement, we listen to the wisdom within and we can find our center. We find balance. We are met with a constant barrage of obstacles in our day-to-day lives - some might even feel like category 3 hurricanes. Yoga can't get rid of those. Instead yoga gives us tools to help us find safety during the storm. And when that storm finally passes, yoga teaches us how to recover our sense of equilibrium - to rest and reset. To return to our usual habitat.

And it isn’t magic. It isn't easy. It doesn’t happen after just one yoga class. It’s our consistent practice that teaches us to listen to and trust our instincts. When we return to the mat and keep returning, that's when we are able to build our resilience.

When those storms come, we are ready. We needn’t travel far.

Please join me on your mat and let's turn within.

A flamboyance of love,

Nina G