Yo! Yoga for gardeners

Patti blogging:

I was scoping out the Old Dominion University Bookstore today after a visit to Norfolk Ice Cream Co. down the street on Monarch Way, and I naturally headed toward the section on gardening.

I located "You Grow Girl" by Gayla Trail, as I'd hoped, and as I browsed, another title caught my eye.

"Gardener's Yoga: Bend & Stretch, Dig & Grow," a 2005 title by Veronica D'Orazio, has this self-description:

"Gardening is considered a contemplative, gentle pastime, but it makes many demands on the human body. The 21 yoga positions in this colorful guide are intended to energize gardeners so they can enjoy planting, mulching, digging, and harvesting without the aching back and sore knees.

"The first section, 'Breaking Ground,' emphasizes warming up the spine and gently engaging the hips, back, and neck. Section two, 'Planting Seeds,' focuses on standing and balancing poses. The last section, 'Harvest,' covers relaxation, elongating tired muscles, and refocusing the spirit.

"... This guide draws on that ancient discipline [yoga] to transform taxing activities – from crawling between rows to weed and squatting for hours to plant seedlings to digging out new beds and watering – into rituals of rejuvenation for mind, body, and spirit."

I realize that I, as a container gardener, won't be exerting a lot, but my yard-gardening friends get aches and pains, especially when their excitement is in high gear and they forget to pace themselves. And I'm always up for a good stretch, gardening or no gardening.

If you garden or have a gardener in your life, this might be a great investment. Along with a gift cert for a nice massage.

patti.tims@pilotonline.com

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