On a day when things haven’t gone quite right … and the world seems to be spinning a bit out of control and I’m not hanging on too well …

… it’s nice to sit in my studio, safe and dry, watching the thunderstorm unfold outside.

And, I haven’t shared a blessing or a poem on this page in a long, long while. And, so here you go. This is from Rainer Maria Rilke, an early 20th century German poet. His poem for you today:

What is necessary, after all,
Is only this: solitude.
Vast inner solitude.
To walk inside yourself
and meet no one for hours —
that is what you must be able to attain.

Enjoy the quiet, peaceful place that is inside you. Ahh, paradise!

Meditation doesn’t always have to be about chanting Sanskrit mantras or adhering only to the words of an ancient swami or guru. Sometimes a meaningful prayer will come into your heart organically. Sometimes you’ll trip upon something you overhear … or perhaps a line of a poem will inspire you. And, of course, the most exhilarating meditations are often the ones that bring you into perfect quiet with no words or thoughts to weigh you down.

You simply need to let your meditation evolve into a practice that is beneficial and meaningful to you.

This line is from a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson (perhaps not the first person you think of when you are stretching out on your yoga mat or settling onto your meditation cushion). But, as our Meditation circle met last month just as winter was beginning, it seemed like just the right words to carry us through our practice.

Make Thou My Spirit Pure And Clear
As Are The Frosty Skies

The poem is from St. Agnes’ Eve. Perhaps it has a place in your next quiet time.

Namasté

In classes this week we explored the joy of balance … balancing warm and cool energies, right and left sides of the body, as well as exploring the balance of heaviness and lightness, and water and air, in the body. (Oh, and we stood on one leg too, which certainly counts as balance!)

When the weather turns so drastically hot (or cold), it’s good to remember that we need to adjust our internal energies and find that comfortable balance that will sustain us. (And, of course, your yoga mat is a good place to start balancing!)

Here is the quote from this week’s classes. I think it’s a good reminder …

“You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.” ~ Indira Gandhi

May your day be a balanced and happy one!

I was putting my yoga class together the other day when I happened upon an old, old class plan I had tucked in a book. The reading we used for that class had slipped my mind, and I’m so pleased it has been slipped back in! I share it with you today because I find it a wonderful reminder of the joy of turning inward and how nice it is to take the time to celebrate our unique and beautiful inner spirits. May it be a special reminder of your inner beauty, light, and wisdom, as well.

Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.
— St. Augustine

A few of you asked for the quote which we used in yoga class last week. It came from Swami Bua who offered this wisdom when he was 110 years old. I last read of him in The New Yorker a few years ago. He was living in New York and was, at the time, 117 years old and still teaching yoga classes.

As I searched further, I discovered that the last line of this quotation has been attributed to many people over the years, most notably Douglas MacArthur.

So, with thanks to Swami Bua and General MacArthur, here is their wisdom for you:

“Youth is not a time of life — it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips, and supple knees. It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions. It is freshness of the deep springs of life. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”

Namasté

This blessing was first taught to me as a Navajo blessing, but over the years I have seen it, in similar form, from many other cultures and heritages. But, I stay with this one, because it was the first I learned.

Energy follows intention. So, as you bring this intention to your heart, feel it bloom within you … and let that peacefulness radiate beyond your physical boundaries. Let peacefulness fill you and all those around you.

I use this blessing in yoga classes often and in my own practice. It helps remind me that peacefulness — in my heart, in my mind, in my life — is only a small intention away. But, the key is to first look within and then allow your inner peace to radiate outward.

May this blessing bring you the peace you need today!

Before me, peaceful.
Behind me, peaceful.
Under me, peaceful.
Over me, peaceful.
Around me, peaceful.

Namasté

As we focused on balance in our yoga classes on 2/26 and 2/27, this was the foundation of our relaxation and savasana … words from the Dalai Lama and a different way to look at balancing ourselves:

Peaceful living is about trusting those on whom we depend and caring for those who depend on us.

It isn’t one or the other. It’s achieving a natural balance of not only caring for others, but allowing ourselves to be cared for as well. And, sometimes it’s allowing ourselves to depend on others that is the most challenging part.

As in so many things, when we find that gentle balance, peace comes.

Namasté