The Daring Book for Girls - Andrea J. Buchanan [97]
The second hardest part is getting the rope up and over the branch. To forestall several hours of standing with a rope and squinting into the sun, we have a strategy to suggest:
Put a tennis ball in an old sock. Wrap twine around the sock and make a knot so the tennis ball stays put, and make sure you have enough twine on the skein so it can unfurl the length up to the tree branch, and back down again.
Stand under the tree and aim the tennis-ball-in-the-sock over the branch. It may take a few tries, but it is much easier than just flinging the rope up to the branch.
Once up-and-over, the tennis ball sock will land near your feet, trailed by a long strand of twine. Knot the twine to the rope to be used in the tree swing. (Try a sheetbend knot, it’s designed to join different sized-ropes.) Pull the twine until the rope is over the branch. You might want to toss the ball/rope combo over again, to double-loop the rope over the branch. When all is in place, detach the twine. The rope is set.
The easiest part is making the seat and procuring a long length of knot. Find or cut a 2-foot long piece of 2-by-8 wood. Draw a line down the center, lengthwise, and measure 2 inches in from either side. That’s where to drill the two holes. Put an eyebolt through each hole, with a washer above the wood and a washer and nut below it. Knot the two ends of the rope to the eyes of the eyebolt (a tautline hitch is handy here).
If you don’t want to use the bolts, you can push the ropes themselves through the holes and tie with strong stopper knots.
Yoga: Sun Salutation
(surya namaskara)
THE WORD yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, “to yoke,” or “to unite” and dates roughly from 5000 BC according to Vedic texts. In the Sun Salutation, as with all flowing or dynamic yoga postures, what is joined is your movement and your breathing. The Sun Salutation—surya namaskara in Sanskrit—is done differently depending on which style of yoga you choose to follow, but in its most basic form, it is a series of 12 or so postures (asanas) linking movement with inhalation and exhalation. Here is the Ashtanga yoga version of the most basic sun salutation.
The most important thing to keep in mind when doing any kind of yoga is your breathing: inhaling with each extension or stretch, and exhaling as you fold or contract. The best way to breathe during this exercise is to first suck in your stomach so that it feels like your belly button is pulled back toward your spine. Now keep it there and breathe—through your nose, with your mouth closed—deeply into your chest. Your chest should rise and fall with your breath as your stomach stays tight, and you should breathe this way through the entire series.
Traditionally, the sun salutation is performed at sunrise—if you’re really hard-core, it’s done just before dawn, facing the east, with mantras and libations in honor of the sun god, but you don’t have to go that far. First thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, is ideal enough. In fact, the sun salutation can be done any time you feel like taking a moment to breathe, move, and become energized. It can be a foundation for your yoga practice, or it can be a practice in and of itself. Either way, the sun salutation is something you can do for the rest of your life.
WHAT YOU NEED
If you have a yoga mat or yoga rug, use that—otherwise, take a large beach towel and lay it on the ground outside, or on the floor inside. (If you’re doing the sun salutation inside and are using a towel, make sure to do it on a non-slippery surface.)
Stand in tadasana, “mountain pose.” Your feet and toes should be firmly on the ground, your arms at your sides, your shoulders back and your neck long. Take a few breaths to prepare yourself (remember to breathe through your nose, with your belly button pulled in towards your spine).
Inhale and raise your arms out to the side, palms up, bringing them up overhead until your palms touch. This is hasta uttanasana, raised arm pose. Raise your gaze so that you look up at