This month we continue to explore the Yamas and Niyamas (social ethics and the practices that support them) from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, then continue on to the next of the 8 limbs of Yoga, Asana (the postures). Mindfulness is our companion along the way as we breathe and reflect on what is most meaningful to each of us at this sacred time of reentering the world. Poetry abundantly supports and uplifts our themes, and brings us to the present moment in beautiful ways.
Fire (Judy Brown)
What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs,
a breathing space. (entire poem here)
One Morning (Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer)
One morning
we will wake up
and forget to build
that wall we’ve been building,
the one between us
the one we’ve been building
for years, perhaps
out of some sense
of right and boundary,
perhaps out of habit. (read entire poem)
Surrender to Love (Marianne Williamson)
“Something amazing happens when we surrender and just love. We melt into another world, a realm of power already within us. The world changes when we change. The world softens when we soften. The world loves us when we choose to love the world.”
Quotes by Rumi (on Love, Trust and Acceptance)
Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.
Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.
Don’t worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?
Learn the alchemy true human beings know; The moment you accept what troubles you’ve been given, the door will open.
There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.
Showing Up (Scott Stabile)
Just show up, as you are. You don’t have to look or feel great. You don’t have to be prepared for each challenge or know all the hows of every situation. You don’t have to be fearless, or have all the answers, or be 100% ready. Nobody is any of these things. Nobody ever was. It’s not about being perfect at all. You just have to show up, as you are, despite all the objections and insecurities of your mind, despite each and every fear that threatens to hold you back, despite the limitations and criticisms others will place on you. The hell with it all. This is your life, your journey, your adventure, and all it’s asking of you is to show up for it, as you are. That’s enough. That’s more than enough. That’s everything.
JUN
2021