Something to Take Home
One of my favorite 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 favorites.
On opening your heart
Stop the words now.
Open the window in the center 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
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