poems of the heart

My Beloved Child

 

My beloved child, break your heart no longer.

 

Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart;

 

you stop feeding on the love which is the wellspring of your vitality.

 

The time has come. Your time to live, to celebrate.

 

And to see the goodness that you are.

 

Do not fight the dark, just turn on the light.

 

Let go and Breathe in to Goodness that you are.

 

~Swami Kripalu

 

 

Leap of Faith

 

Standing before a fork
in the road
there is not a right answer

or truth cast in stone, there are
choices and plans and desire,

there is the heart of fire and
twist of fate,
there is the unveiling

of who you are and who you
are becoming.

This I have found after
bargaining with my hopes

and my destiny. There is only
a still quiet voice within

that tells me trust what you
know and then surrender,

leap if you must, let your wings
unfurl, let your angels play catch.

We drink dreams from a
sliver of moon.

 

~Wendy Brown

 

 

 

 

I am a willow tree

me and my mom :)

“When I am a willow tree, I can be with another and can still stand my ground — I don’t change and become a different kind of tree just to please the other. I stand as myself even when the other pushes up against me. But I can bend when I want to, and I can grow when I need to." ~ Janet Luhrs

My Momma taught me this.

But sometimes I forget this and I go through the day trying to be a magnolia tree because they are beautiful; or an apple tree because people need apple trees; or an evergreen because they are constant and don't seem to change with the seasons.

This is dangerous because in trying to be all of these things I miss the whole point.  And the point is that being a willow tree is pretty fucking great!  I'm strong with gnarly bark. I have these huge branches that create amazing shade for people to take solace under.  And my leaves make the most beautiful sound as the wind rustles through them.

I am a willow tree, and "I can bend when I want to and I can grow when I need to."

Last year for Christmas, Mike gave me an angel.  A Willow Tree angel named happiness.  She sits in my yoga room and her purpose is to encourage the freedom to sing, laugh, dance and create.  I love her.  She is my reminder to be who I am, quirks and all.  And to not get caught up in the humdrum of life but to keep on dancing and flowing and creating.

This month is all about mindfulness.  I have flirted with meditation on and off since Bali and now I am ready to give it a serious go. There was a moment during my yoga teacher training when I felt it, or I guess in feeling it I didn't really feel anything at all.  I don't really know.  But the point is I've been longing for it ever since.

This whole experiment started out of a burning feeling that there is more to it than this.  It being life and this being the daily going on of eat, sleep, work, gossip, play, repeat.  Meditation, says, Bhante Gunaratana, is an "investigation and an experiment, an adventure every time".  Well I'm up for some adventure.  Especially an adventure where "the goal is liberation".  

This month isn't so much about the search for happiness but about that burning desire for greater awareness.  For a deeper connection to everything and the comfort in knowing that there is really nothing. And a true acceptance to be who I am as I am, standing tall as a willow tree in the middle of the forrest. 

Me and the unicorns.


Resolutions:

~ Meditate every day.  Start at 15 mins and go up 5 mins each week finishing the month at a full 30 minutes.
~ Every week try a different meditation technique
~ Read Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana
~ Keep a meditation journal
~ Don't expect anything, don't over analyze anything, except everything that comes up and just notice.

Bhante Gunartana says that the mind is like a cup of muddy water. Mix it all up and it gets cloudy and you can’t make out any of the parts. But let it sit, and the mud will settle to the bottom and what you have left is clear water. Meditation stills the mind, settling the mud and allowing us to see more clearly.

I want to see more clearly

"I want to unfold, let no place in me hold itself closed, for where I am closed I am false." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

15 quotes on waking up

One of my favourite things in a yoga class is when the instructor reads a poem or shares a quote either at the beginning or the end of the class.  Something to get you thinking, something to take home with you.  I try to do this in most of my classes and through doing the reading and the research to find little drops of inspiration, I've come across some real gems.

Here are my favourites.

On opening your heart

Stop the words now. 
Open the window in the centre of your chest,
and let the spirits fly in and out.
~Rumi

On opening your mind

I want to unfold. 
Let no place in me hold itself closed, for where I am closed,
I am false.
~ Ranier Maria Rilke

Full circle

We are here to do. 
And through doing to learn.
And through learning to know.
And through knowing to experience wonder.
And through wonder to attain wisdom.
And through wisdom to find simplicity.
And through simplicity to give attention.
And through attention to see what needs to be done.
~ Ben Hei Hei

On Feelings

Feel your emotions, live true your passions, keep still your mind.
~Geoffrey M. Gluckman

On Stillness

Be still.
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity.
~Lao Tzu

On Yoga

Yoga is the study of balance, and balance is the aim of all living creatures:
It is our home.
~Rolf Gates

On Gratitude

The best things in life are nearest.
Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet,
duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.
Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain work as it comes,
certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.
~Robert Louis Stevenson

On acceptance

Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing, there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
~Rumi

On angels

Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers "Grow, Grow".
~The Talmud

On Peace

Peace is every step.
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles at me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

On Waking Up

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.
~Rumi

Because Rumi said so

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
~Rumi

Because Patanjali said so

The mind becomes clear and serene when these qualities of the heart are cultivated.

Friendliness toward the joyful
Compassion toward the suffering
Happiness toward the pure
and understanding toward the impure

Peacefulness towards all beings.
I am blessed with peace.
I am peace itself

Joyfullness towards all beings.
I am blessed with joy.
I am joy itself.

Kindness towards all beings.
I am blessed with loving kindness.
I am loving kindness itself.

Compassion towards all beings.
I am blessed with compassion.
I am compassion itself in action.
~Yoga Sutra of Patanjali 1:33

Because St. Theresa said so

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you
are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing,
dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.
~St. Theresa's Prayer

Because Gandhi said so

Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.
~Mahatma Gandhi

What are your favourite droppings?  Please share in comments.