Consider the Bristlecone Pine...

Older even than Lao Tsu, some of the world's oldest trees have stood for nearly 8000 years.  Bristlecone pines live at high altitude under harsh conditions.

I was reminded of their story, of all places, on a recent flight to Canada.  I read the story with wonder at the natural world, at the full spectrum of the Tao. And then realized that this story has meaning for us humans, too.

Bristlecones have engineered a longevity strategy that confounds human expectations...

The harsher the circumstances the longer the pines seem to live...Given ideal growing circumstances, the pines are shorter lived...

The more rugged the environment, the longer the bristlecone needles live, up to 30 years...

How do they do it? By growing very, very, very slowly...

In an incredibly bad year, bristlecones meet the imperative to grow or die by laying down an annual growth ring consisting of just one cell.

So, when you have the chance to move in super slow motion while practicing Tai Chi or to suspend the breath during the Ba Duan Jin, channel your inner bristlecone pine. Survive in the harshest climates and highest altitudes of life by moving slowly towards immortality.

And if you'd like to read the entire article and learn much more about bristlecone pines, click this link to read the digital edition of Alaska Airlines Magazine.