Days pass and the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles. May our eyes be filled with seeing and our minds be filled with knowing; let there be moments when Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk. Help us to see, wherever we gaze, the beauty, the wonder and the miracles all around us.
(Adapted from A Jewish Sabbath Prayer)
"Again, you have the idea that only certain people hold the key to the Kingdom of Happiness. No one holds it. No one has the authority to hold that key. That key is your own self, and in the development and the purification and in the incorruptibility of that self alone is the Kingdom of Eternity." (Krishnamurti)
“The goal of yoga is to encourage us to be a little better than we were before. We become better by making an effort and practising patience. When we do this we will not see ourselves beset by so many problems. Our efforts may change in intensity, but over a period of time we will gradually progress. We must actively seize any opportunity that helps us progress.”
The Heart of Yoga, Desikachar 1995 p105 Thoughts on the Yamas and Niyamas
"You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowoing it to master you." Swami Rama
"Man is shut up at present in his surface individual consciousness and knows the world only through his outward mind and senses and by interpreting their contacts with the world. By Yoga there can open in him a consciousness which becomes one with that of the world; he becomes directly aware of a universal Being, universal states, universal Force and Power, universal Mind, Life, Matter and lives in conscious relations with these things. He is then said to have cosmic consciousness." Sri Aurobindo
"You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." C.S. Lewis
"How do you let your children know how much you love them? Can they understand their quirks, vulnerabilities and mistakes make them even more deeply cherished? ...our lives pass like the flash of a falling star. A little zap of energy and then we vanish. All that lasts is what we pass on to our children and those we love." Daughter Father Canoe by Rob Kesserlring
Place your burden
At the feet of the Lord of the Universe
who accomplishes everything.
Remain all the time steadfast in the heart,
In the Transcendental Absolute.
God knows the past, present, and future.
He will determine the future for you
and accomplish the work.
What is to be done will be done
at the proper time. Don't worry.
Abide in the heart and surrender your acts
to the divine.
Ramana Maharshi
"A non-dower is very often a critic - that is, someone who sits back and watches doers, and then waxes philosophically about how the doers are doing. It is easy to be a critic, but being a doer requires effort, risk, and change."
Dr Wayne Dyer
Self-observation without judgement
by Danna Faulds
Release the harsh and pointed inner
voice. It's just a throwback to the past,
and holds no truth about this moment.
Let go of self-judgment, the old,
learned ways of beating yourself up
for each imagined inadequacy.
Allow the dialogue within the mind
to grow friendlier, and quiet. Shift
out of inner criticism and life
suddenly looks very different.
I can say this only because I make
the choice a hundred times a day to release the voice that refuses to
acknowledge the real me.
What's needed here isn't more prodding toward perfection, but
intimacy - seeing clearly, and
embracing what I see.
Love, not judgment, sows the
seeds of tranquillity and change.
Limitless
by Danna Faulds
Sun says, “Be your own
illumination.” Wren says,
“Sing your heart out,
all day long.” Stream says,
“Do not stop for any
obstacle.” Oak says,
“When the wind blows,
bend easily, and trust
your roots to hold.”
Stars say, “What you see
is one small slice of a
single modest galaxy.
Remember that vastness
cannot be grasped by mind.”
Ant says, “Small does not
mean powerless.” Silence
says nothing. In the quiet,
everything comes clear.
I say, “Limitless.” I say,
“Yes.”
Allow
By Danna Faulds
There is no controlling life.
Try corralling a lightning bolt,
containing a tornado. Dam a
stream and it will create a new
channel. Resist, and the tide
will sweep you off your feet.
Allow, and grace will carry
you to higher ground. The only
safety lies in letting it all in –
the wild and the weak; fear,
fantasies, failures and success.
When loss rips off the doors of
the heart, or sadness veils your
vision with despair, practice
becomes simply bearing the truth.
In the choice to let go of your
known way of being, the whole
world is revealed to your new eyes.
When Your World Moves Too Fast
When your world moves too fast
and you lose yourself in the chaos,
introduce yourself
to each color of the sunset.
Reacquaint yourself with the earth
beneath your feet.
Thank the air that surrounds you
with every breath you take.
Find yourself in the appreciation of life.
by Christy Ann Martine
A Beauty of a Day
Let the beauty of this day wash over you,
Fill you up,
Glue broken piece by piece together,
Until the mosaic of your life coalesces into wholeness.
Let the beauty of this day be a reflection
Of your own unity.
May you walk into it with a deep knowing:
All is well.
I am home. (Beach, Z., (2019) 108 Savasana Poems)
Energy, matter and flow
Without the sun,
The mountains,
And the rivers,
(all conspiring together)
You simply would not be.
Feel light not on you, but in you.
Feel the wind not over you, but through you.
Feel the Earth’s oceans beating through your veins.
Feel an eternal springtime blossoming inside you.
Rest
In life’s endless embrace,
As it carries you in
And beyond.
At the intersection of
Energy, matter, and flow,
Mind, senses, and soul,
Let it all go
And come to know
Lasting peace. (Beach, ND)
Leave No Traces
"Leave no traces with your thoughts.
Allow everything to come and go.
Just as birds leave no tracks in the sky,
let your thoughts float off into the distance
without a trace.
Allow yourself to be.
Like the motionless frog on the lily pad,
blinking once, blinking twice
before a jump, and a ‘plop’
disappearing into still clarity." (Beach, ND)
Yield
Allow yourself to yield;
allow yourself to slow down.
Allow yourself to find
a new pace of life.
The more you slow down,
the more you can see and notice.
As birds quiet their song when darkness falls,
as the catepillar wraps itself in the warmth of a death,
as winds decide they have blown enough seeds off the trees
and the lakes become clear again,
Find your calm.
There is an "I" in the storm;
it is found in the centre,
where the winds of change do not disturb you.
There is no more need to take ammunition
to the sculpture of your life.
Your purpose is not a project to be pummeled
and molded into some small0minded picture,
but invited to blossom.
To open before you, in a miracle of unfolding vision.
As the river opens its mouth to the ocean,
relax and listen to your soul's song." (Beach, ND)
Waves and Wind
The lighter you become,
the more becomes possible.
Water released from its bonds of the ocean
can swirl around the entire world.
But once trapped in a cloud,
upon gaining weight again,
it returns to the earth.
So, become even lighter.
Be like smoke:
dissolve into spaciousness,
slip into nothingness,
be carried through the wind,
tasting rice paddies
and mountain peaks
and sand dunes.
And become even lighter.
Be the photon, for which time does not exist,
travelling to outer realms of knowing.
If you wish to go beyond this universe,
to break free of worldly tribulations,
shed your armor,
release heavy tension,
dissolve your very soul,
discover love and light
and let go into the true beyond. (Beach, Z. (ND) page 9)
This Moment
This moment was made for you,
to discover the perfection
that you already are,
always have been,
and still have time to be. (Beach, ND, p41)
Deepen
Deepen.
Deepen your breath.
Deepen your appreciation of this breath,
Of this body,
Of this life. (Beach, p79)
Inhabit the temple of your body
We are rarely where our body is.
At the office, our mind is at home.
At home, our mind is at the office.
Holding our children,
We are wondering
Which emails to reply to first.
Make the choice to
Inhabit the temple of your body.
Be in your feet as you wake up your toes;
Be in your hands as you wiggle each finger.
Every path home
Passes through the heart.
It’s the strongest muscle that we have –
It lifts our love.
Let your palms be a stethoscope –
Place them on your chest,
Listen to the vibrational pulse inside you,
And bring the world’s
Most gentle word to your lips:
Smile. (Beach, page 89)
Beach, Z. (ND) 108 Savasana Poems Blissful Words From the Heart of Yoga
Let go and flow
Let go and flow.
Don’t just be here now;
go with the now,
flow with the now.
See how it changes
with each moment and turbulent turn.
Let the river of now take you,
wash over you,
carry you forward.
Through its unfolding grace
there are no wrong turns.
Around every bend,
lies a new landscape of infinite potential.
Go with this now,
Now…
Now…
Now…
Surrender into divine energy.
The force of creation,
where everything arises,
and everything returns.
Feel surpise between your ears,
wonder behind your eyes,
and the unfolding smile
of a new dawn behind your lips.
Go with this now,
and this now,
and this now.
(Beach, Z., (2019) 108 Savasana Poems, page 52)
Open to the Rain by Deborah Anne Quibell
Find a moment to be still
And in that moment, allow an unfolding – wide, tender and striking
I have long awaited an opening to place my palm
I have long awaited a vulnerability that softens under my gaze
and does not collapse with my touch
Unfold the petals and you will see.
The receptive soil of your heart is the precious land upon which I buried your purpose
Your task now, my love, is simply to open to the rain.
Joy
Joy does not arrive with a fanfare,
on a red carpet strewn with the flowers of a perfect life.
Joy sneaks in, as you pour a cup of coffee,
watching the sun hit your favourite tree, just right.
And you usher joy away,
because you are not ready for it.
Your house is not as it must be,
for such a distinguished guest.
But joy cares nothing for your messy home,
or your bank-balance,
or your waistline, you see.
Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life,
that’s how joy works.
You cannot invite her, you can only be ready when she appears.
And hug her with meaning,
because in this very moment,
joy chose you.
Donna Ashworth
Let go and flow
Let go and flow.
Don’t just be here now;
go with the now,
flow with the now.
See how it changes
with each moment and turbulent turn.
Let the river of now take you,
wash over you,
carry you forward.
Through its unfolding grace
there are no wrong turns.
Around every bend,
lies a new landscape of infinite potential.
Go with this now,
Now…
Now…
Now…
Surrender into divine energy.
The force of creation,
where everything arises,
and everything returns.
Feel surprise prema
between your ears,
wonder behind your eyes,
and the unfolding smile
of a new dawn behind your lips.
Go with this now,
and this now,
and this now.
(Beach, 2019, page 52)
Beach, Z., (2019) 108 Savasana Poems
“Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there – buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day.” – Deepak Chopra
