Not all that long ago, everything we ate, wore or lived in was formed by human hands.  The rise of the industrial age transformed our lives from hand-crafted to machine-made.  Have we lost anything in the balance?

I’ve noticed in the past decade a rise of artisan bread or pastries, artisan cheeses, small-batch coffee roasters….hand-crafted culture is making a come-back. Could it be that the bread I buy from a local artisanal bakery tastes of more than just flour, salt and water?  Does the hand-woven hot pink scarf my son gave me for Christmas keep my neck warmer than one made by machines?

When I was writing The Glass Seed I worked with my hands a lot, sewing a quilt, trimming a skirt with heritage buttons and making jewelry. Something drew me to these projects as I sorted out how I felt about my mother, her illness and my role as a woman in the culture.  I found them meaningful and satisfying, an antidote and (yes, maybe even) a redemption for the struggle and suffering that can arise when any of us face loss.

There’s a fair bit of talk in the yoga world about the three main bandhas, energy locks that exist in the body’s core.  Less often discussed is the hasta bandha in the hands. This bandha draws up and makes use of the Earth’s energy.  Am I making full use of my hands, both as I practice the asana and as I find my way through this life?

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