Listen all night rain fell upon the thirsty earth. Parched dirt drank greedily. Trees plants took their share too. Listen satiated sigh. I to feel this as I stretch my body shapes. Tightness jamming unhinge. Rusty joints slide glistening synovial droplets. Listen my liberation sigh. Listen forgot art in our rush. Listen birds sing, earth whispers, listen.
As you are on your mat; sitting, lying or standing in stillness observe the threads of thoughts in your mind. I remember a plaque on my Grandmothers wall that read; “Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” So much time is spend planning out our tomorrows or dissecting our yesterdays that today’s moments pass by without notice. The threads of thoughts in our minds become tangled. Some without beginnings or ends. Gather these threads into one single thread that lives in this moment. This moment is rich with sound, smell, sight, taste, touch. Be aware of the emotions these senses evoke. Experience every aspect of this moment until the next moment begins.
Notice how your mind will wander away from your mat when in practice. In the beginning this happens often. Fleeting thoughts come in for chores needing attention, or past experiences not fully understood or what the person next to you is doing. Sometimes we are unaware that we have left the focus of the moment. Nudge your way back to the moment by staying with the one thread that is attached to it. A family member of mine, going thru a time of struggle, acknowledged they needed help. Their attention was all over the place, what I’ve termed as “inflight days.” Never completing tasks or thoughts. Their stress level was off the scale. They needed help so joined a meditation class. The first instruction given was to lie supine on the mat, being absolutely still and quiet for 7 minutes. It was the most challenging exercise they had ever done, the longest 7 minutes of their life and they wanted to run screaming for the exit door. “Their dog was totally out of control and off it’s leash!” But they knew this work had to be done so they could once again find balance, be in the moment and feel whole again.
Being in the moment, moving into the next moment and linking every moment afterwards together by a single thread cultivates balance in life. The body and mind work together in balance to face whatever life has in store for us. The gathering of all our threads of thoughts create one colorful blanket that is woven with stability, equilibrium and steadiness that fosters ease and compassion. Stillness found by connecting to one thread is the beginning of the journey to balance…my next post
Stillness while the waters around us move
The summer is rolling into fall. Feel it’s crisp touch on the air. Thus the ebb & flow of the seasons continues much like our lives. Once we accept and move with the ebb & flow life becomes easier and enjoyable. I find that my yoga practice is very much ebb & flow. After all the summer activities I am settling back into a yoga routine that my body craves. The tightness’ created thru building a rock patio, moving my parents into a new home and summer activities has left me with some needed work to do on my body. I welcome this. I begin my fall classes with a renewed energy, new idea’s to share and relationships to rekindle.
I plan to write this blog to share with my fellow yogi’s; my idea’s, thoughts, readings and maybe some pictures. I encourage feedback. I want to hear what people think, questions they may have, that if I can’t answer I will find the answers so that we all may learn. Never stop learning as long as there is breath.
My biggest challenge is portrayed in the above picture. To come into practice with a stillness and quietness. To let the moving waters of life flow past while staying focused on the experiences present in that moment. To fully absorb all aspects available of the experience. Let seeds of thought sprout and grow into the next moment and every moment after that…never to end the learning…
What brings most of us to the mat is pain. What keeps us on the mat is pain. With patience, focus, compassion and understanding the pain is released. From it comes joy. Our bodies move with ease. We adapt to the ebb & flow. Stillness & quietness come in. Balance & breath are found. Effort & ease brings an awareness forgotten but found again…
