When all the world is closing in

The curtains sheer

The walls too thin

And fingernails scratch

Down the backbone of your life

Notice the spine

How it bends and twists

And notice the gaps

The space between

Notice the breath how it moves within

Noticing noticing everything

Now

My friend

My very best friend

What has got us in this state we’re in

Again ?

(Stand back

Because there could be an explosion!)

This is what I notice

With me

Is that I build and build and build

intensity

About a thing

Or several things

An issue, a topic a problem a conundrum

Winding tighter and tighter until my guts are in a muddle

That I can’t see around

And nothing flows right

That’s the worst thing

Being out of step, lost the tune, everything in the room

Becomes

Murky

And a sense of impending doom

Turns the whole world a dirty

Shade of brown

Those two lines in my brow

Above my nose

Etch deeper

And my husband suddenly can’t be found

Anywhere near

Which is when I need my best friend, I really need her

To hear me instead

She tells me to get out of my head

And into my heart

I sit down

Folding inwards on my mat

Touch my brow to the ground

In child’s pose

And listen

Knees to chest

To the wisdom

That she whispers

Lighten up

Lighten up

Lighten up

And I realise – I’ve been doing it again

Being too serious

They’re just things

Let them go

And breathe

My arms drop their load

Straight into Gods hands

And as the bands loosen around my chest

A small smile forms

Around grateful thanks

Whispered softly again and again

Thankyou

Thankyou

Thankyou

The power of yoga and meditation. The power of gratitude and releasing the load to a higher power.

Accepting we are telling ourselves stories – and they are stories that we don’t have to believe in. Participate in.

Fiction.

It’s all just fiction.

Put it down like a book you’ve grown tired of

The bravery to sit with ourselves at our very worst moments instead of escaping – as others do – into distraction or addiction or ignoring our own inner wisdom.

This has been a great practice for me – and practice – the very word itself means we don’t have to be perfect at it. We may never be perfect enlightened beings.

It’s a daily thing.

Like waking up. Brushing your teeth.

Choosing your clothes

Choosing your thoughts

And always returning to the breath when we feel lost

I hope it might bring something to you.

Namastay – an overused word but truly the light in me sees the light in you – even though we can’t sometimes see it ourselves – it is always there.

All humans are connected through that thing that we share (and I wrote about it here in the poem Universal Truth)

We are dying

Ram Dass says “we’re all just walking one another home” and I believe that.

Blessings to your day, write on, write on and keep on keeping on