Salutations

Full moon

Obscured by wind blown clouds

I stand watching

What shakes trees

Rattles the sheets of iron on the roof

Scatters my yoga mat

Off the deck

Unfurled like a tongue

Stopped mid sentence

It hits a wall

I stretch taller

My feet planted on the floor

The clouds part

My heart yawns and stretches

Anchored

I pin my thoughts

Like bugs on a needle

Skewering them in place

Hair slaps my face

The breeze lifts

Buffets my chest

Balance tested

I fix my gaze on the only thing unmoved by the gusting weather

The morning full moon

Faded but bright

Does not quiver

Nor take fright

She becomes my anchor

Gravity pulls

Dreams obscure

Thoughts blow away

She

Just

Doesn’t

Move

Not even an inch

I went out to our Shala this morning in gusting wind, still dark, I lit the sauna and then retreated to the deck, waiting for the stones to heat.

My yoga mat skittered across the floor and tumbled away

I thought, how am I supposed to do yoga this morning in this crazy wind ? I’ll have to go inside rather than be blown around like a leaf.

Then I realised that the moon, still hanging bright in the pre dawn sky, obscured by tumbling light clouds – was not moving .

Storms come and go in our reality all the time

We have to learn to anchor ourselves to something heavier, truer, deeper.

I began my salutations

Pinning thoughts in place

The wind was ridiculous

Inside the sauna the fire crackled

Red dancing up the cedar walls

Warm air mixing with the cool

Outside the branches swayed in the wind

The moon kept silently glinting through the temporary clouds

Sometimes fully seen

Sometimes the glow between

Always there

And behind me the colours of a new day began to paint themselves on the clouds

Life is so very alive

And so are we

Have a blessed day

41 thoughts on “Salutations

  1. This is beautiful. The contrast between the restless wind and the steady moon really captures that feeling of searching for something to anchor us when life feels chaotic. A very calming and meditative piece.

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