A Garland in Mom’s Garden

I think this is my favorite photo from our July trip out west, and I’ve been mulling over what to write about it ever since we got back. For me it has some perfection and yet some contradiction. The pose I’m taking there is called Garland pose, or Malasana. Some yoga traditions have called it frog pose, or yogi squat. Two out of those three line up right, for me: I’m in my mother’s garden, where flowers (i.e. what tends to go into garlands) and frogs are plentiful.

On the other hand, “squatting” in a place of such beauty, and one that is tended by my mom is what seems a little impolite, but at least I’m smiling there, if not laughing. And I was comfortable, aside from the fact that this photo shoot was a challenge. No other pose seemed to work that evening, though perhaps it was due to the fact that Steve couldn’t find a good vantage point to take with his camera. Mom’s garden is a full one!

A squat also seemed off in another way: Malasana is a pose more often taken to help stimulate flow through/clear out congestion in the sacral chakra, which has more to do with creativity and opening to pleasure. Letting go. At my mom’s? Awkward. Most of the other poses I’d tried that evening related to the root chakra, which had a lot more to do with … mom. Security, grounding. Or to the heart chakra: love, compassion.

Ah well. Sometimes a garland is just a ring of flowers. Or a really good-feeling hip stretch. This fun shot captured a lot of mom’s beloved, raucous and gorgeous garden, with me smiling in it.