I had heard of Storm King before, but it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I had the pleasure of taking it all in with my own eyes. A group of my girlfriends and I rented a minivan and drove north. It was the perfect sunny fall Saturday to experience nature and art on such a large scale. As far as you can see, there are fields, trees, hills, and a pond; absolute perfection!
While we were there, I began to think about connections. The way the sculptures connected with the earth, the way the clouds connected to the sky, the way my feet connected to the ground below me, and the way my breath felt deeper and actually connected to my whole body.
I think it was the large scale of the sculptures that kind of hit me over the head with this thought, "Balance is key." Life is all about balance and if you don't have that, everything seems out of whack. These cylinders need to balance on each other in a way that is stable. In order to feel calm, breath needs to flow. In order to balance in this yoga pose, my head needs to reach up while my standing leg stays rooted into the earth and I need to push my toes away from the same fingers that are pulling them toward my body.
I was listening to an interview in which a woman noted that ours in one of the only cultures in which people don't carry things on their heads. The cultures that do this have beautiful strong spines unlike many Americans who sit with their pelvis tucked underneath them and their shoulders rounded forward.
What would it feel like to walk as if you were balancing something on your head?
You would be opposing gravity and using your body in a way that is balanced instead of allowing gravity to push you down. I wouldn't take that from gravity, and neither should you!
You can try putting a book on your head and waving like a beauty queen or simply stand and pull your head as far away from your feet as possible and try to keep that posture while you walk. You'll notice that your belly button naturally moves toward your spine for support and balance. Amazing, isn't it? When we use our body the way that it's meant to be used, things are simpler and there is less work for us to do. It's time to push back against gravity and find your beautiful strong spine. Go get 'em beauty queen!