what i say {poetry thursday}
Ocean Creation
I find both my feet wondering when last I
noticed how it felt to stand and feel every toe.
Inhaling as instructed, with reaching arms
I seek the space that forms around my heart.
Navel toward the spine, the exhale begins
then my body folds in half, head toward knees.
Always a friend, gravity completes the journey
as hamstrings greet my jumbled thoughts.
“Find the pause, then the breath.”
Inhale, the heart leads as my body rises, all toes
connected, firmly grounded feet retain my balance.
Exhale, movement begins, hands slide down
my thighs, fingers wrap around my calves.
The invitation to hear the body is received;
I stay with my crown to the turning earth.
The struggle as I seek to find a pathway clear of clutter
and boxes piled high with all that I am not.
“Let go of judgment; find the breath.”
A crack in the top of my head, shame, fear,
doubt rush out to form an ocean on the earth below.
I close my eyes and find the breath,
permission to feel the space inside.
Oxygen moves stillness through the veins,
as energy pulsates from fingertips and toes.
Inhale, the heart opens and uprights my view;
exhale, the body settles as the mind finds the quiet.
“Feel the effects of the pose
on the body,
on the breath,
on the mind,
on the heart.”
This poem shares some of the phrases I use when I teach yoga. Over the last two weeks, I have tried to observe myself as I teach, noticing the phrases that pass my lips. This poem also shares what it feels like to have a moment in the midst of a pose, a moment when you realize yoga is about a lot more than just stretching the body. (And the post above is me reading this poem. I am still trying to figure out audioblogger but thought I would give it a try.)
This week, I also brought poetry into an everyday moment when I read a poem at the end of class this evening. After the students rest in savasana, they come back to a seated position and I share something with them. A meditation, blessing, chant, "words of wisdom," a poem. Tonight I read "Threading the Needle" from Yoga Poems: Lines to Unfold By by Leza Lowitz. This poet is a writer and yoga teacher who shares images of asana poses, moments in her life, how yoga affects the mind and soul through the poems in this book. I highly recommend it.
poetry
Reader Comments (17)
lovely poem. i was trying to compose a savasana poem sometime last year - i may get back to it - i'm never sure how much you need to work at it, or whether you should just let it come to you. often if you attack it, nothing happens. often nothing happens if you let it be. mostly nothing happens.
my teacher says if it came easy it wouldn't be worth doing. :o)
wow, love, this is exactly what i needed this morning. i feel so jumbled, so erratic emotionally, and then i hear your calming voice (which i already love from our wonderful phone calls) and i slow down a little... i just listen. sweetie, you really are my yoga guru... you make me want to learn it... in fact, i'm going to investigate the classes in my area today. i think this is what i need. you have reminded me - thank you xx
PS....one of my most favorite things to do is thread the needle. My favorite yoga instructor almost always has us threading at some point and she always reads something at the end....this is when/why I cry during savasana and she often shares Mary Oliver. I wrote that about savasana up in the other post before reading this one....syncronicity. (=
xo
i could feel myself
pulling in
inhaling
exhaling
letting go
straightening
and strengthening
as i read your words.
wow...
:)
Splendid, "heart opens and uprights my view." To have that in both a poem and a pose!
I loved your words Liz, I never found I could clear my thoughts through yoga. Loved the poses though. Maybe I should try harder
"I seek the space that forms around my heart." Lovely.
Not sure which is better, the poem or hearing your voice with the poem. Glad I don't have to choose.
Very soothing voice and the words flowed. I really wish I could do yoga :) Great job!
I loved this...it really captured that "moving peace" of yoga. :)
"Oxygen moves stillness through the veins" Oh, to be granted this moment of "stillness", this is peace. Beautiful poem.
Om Japa
If I knew you "for reals". I can tell I would be in awe. I've always envyed the graceful and fluid. I enjoyed hearing your godess words. I know how srtong and centered you yogites(not to be confused with yogurts) are...he he he.as you can see, my strength comes from being always a LIITLE off balance...and tilted to one side! I enjoyed your entry. alot.
I think I could just use the recording of this fantastic poem as a way to relax every day!
I recently started yoga a month ago, and you captured the experience of it for me exactly! The moment of self-doubt, then the letting go into the breath...Thank you!
Okay, yes, this is definitely poetry I can not only handle but appreciate.
I have never really gotten into yoga. I suspect it had to do with my state of mind and body the few times I tried. I wish there were classes here in Mozambique that I could attend. Unfortunatley I don't have the discipline to practice myself.
What I did discover while living in Austin, TX is Nia. Have you heard of it? This poem made me think immediately of Nia and everything I love about its blend of martial arts, healing arts and dance arts. I recently got certified as a Nia teacher, but once again am up against the stumbling blocks of no self-discipline and a lack of proper spaces here in which I could potentially teach a class.
Okay, this got a bit long, but I've loved reading this post and the rest of your archives I've gotten through so far.
I love, love, love this!!! How wonderful to hear your voice and words fill me so grandly!! Thank you so very much for this! I feel so at peace in this moment.
I imagine that this is what yoga feels like for people who can really give themselves to it.
Very effective. Fantastic melody.