Here I am doing tree pose on the black rocky shoreline of Wai’anapanapa State park in east Maui. I had been there once before, and ever since I longed to return. I imagined myself doing yoga one day along this shoreline, standing amiss the inhospitable edges of the volcanic rock and turbulent seas. So here I am, an intention unfolded… a friend asks me why I want to do a serene practice like yoga in such a rough and violent setting? “I’m not sure”, I said. Perhaps I loved the contrast, no, perhaps I longed for the fear, the feeling of being alive and humble alongside nature’s raw power.
The experience was edgy (pun intended); my feet hurt, the wind blew, the water sprayed. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was where I needed to be. And so I did yoga, on the edge of somewhere in between, ready for the next step with fear and vulnerability as I knew it would be a leap and then a dive into waters less calm. That day, I left Wai’anapanapa State Park, grateful for its unease, and ready to step.
Change never happens when you’re standing still, but shift does.