The Nature of Relationships

Afternoon Yoga
at the National Museum of Wildlife Art
Jackson Hole, WY

A day off.

It brings a gentler focus in the Tetons...and a warm, July afternoon at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole.

A summer series of free afternoon yoga classes on the Museum's newly built three-quarter-mile Sculpture Trail drew me in that Thursday - allowing me and others an opportunity to connect to the uniqueness of this place and to forge our own connections between nature, art, and health.

The class was designed with a mindfulness to overlook the National Elk Refuge and the distant Bridger- Teton National Forest, just East of the Tetons.

In 1984, 10 founding trustees chose Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with its abundant wildlife, amazing mountain setting, and proximity to National Parks as the stage for art that focused on images of wildlife.

It was just as easy to get lost inside as it was outside.

The Jackson community itself with its old western flare ("Cowgirl Up"), its wild natural access, it's powerful hold on outdoor health and fitness, and the obvious draw toward arts and culture forges relationships between all of these resources.

The concept of that interdependency carries over.

What defines our communities? What resources exist within them? Can we see the potential of linking these resources to benefit our existing communities and local economies?

I live in a Town and a State that is rich in local, state, and natural resources and strong in tradition. With exposures to the Maine ocean, lakes, and mountains, as well as extensions into farming, fishing, the arts, conservation, healthy living and outdoor recreation - my home seems ripe for such a formation of partnership.

Is yours?