Red Bird Poems

I used these Red Bird poems by Mary Oliver as inspiration for the Winter Chi class. We learned a "chi dance" to "Red Bird" that begins with Opening the Door, a tai chi movement that is good for beginnings. Raise both arms out in front of you (Frankenstein style) as if you have strings attached to both wrists, then sink them gently back down . Red bird came all winter. . . From there we move into the bold, beautiful position of the cardinal in the photograph by raising our arms and turning to the right side, looking up, lifting the heart center, hands and fingers spread like feathers while sitting into the hip and bending the knees like a skiier schushing down a mountain, firing up the landscape Then we repeat this movement to the left, as nothing else could. That's the first stanza.

Second stanza: using both hands, we trace horizontal figure eights in the air before us, the sign of infinity. If we make them big and allow our weight to shift from side to side, we feel carefree and playful like birds at a bird feeder. We do about three of these, corresponding to each of the three phrases in the sentence: Of course I love the sparrows, those dun-colored darlings, so hungry and so many.

Third stanza: a tai chi movement called "Spreading Good Wishes," we lunge out to the right and offer our open right palms out and around in a circular pattern as if we are passing a tray, or scattering bird seed. We make two more circles, for a total of three, each one above the previous and a little smaller. We are creating a spiral movement that moves progressively higher. I am a God-fearing feeder of birds. We repeat the same movement to the right. I know He has many children, Then we "Sink the Chi" by raising arms out to the side, bringing them up, bringing them down in front of the body, palms facing the floor, not all of them bold in spirit.

Fourth stanza: we do Donna Eden's Celtic Weave as described in her book, Energy Healing. We stretch both arms out to the side, then bring them and "weave them," crossing one over the other in front of the heart center and reaching back out to the sides, Still, for whatever reason--then we weave them again at the level of the hips, perhaps because the winter is so long weave them again at the level of the ankles, and the sky so black-blue. Then we scoop the energy up from the earth and let it pour over our heads and down through our bodies.

Fifth stanza: a tai chi movement called "Smoothing Out the Difficulties," we step back on the right foot while simultaneously tracing the heart meridian by placing the left hand at the right armpit and smoothing down the inside of the right arm and off the pinkie finger. Then we step back on the left foot and trace the meridian on the left arm. Repeat once on both arms, stepping back each time for a total of four steps in the following rhythm: step back right or perhaps step back left because the heart narrows step back right as often as it opens step back left --I am grateful.

Last stanza: repeat the first stanza. "that red bird comes all winter firing up the landscape as nothing else can do."