Clutter of the Mind - a poem about my yoga practice
My practice is a practice, with no prize to claim.
Each day I ride the swing from pleasure to pain.
I sit in the sorrow, the anger, the shame.
I tire of this, but it’s also the way
I’ve learned to tap into an energy that won’t fade
And see with joy the rise of each day.
So still I sit here: mind, body, spirit, and soul,
Existing together in a delicate alignment.
Peace is a seed, one I cherish and grow,
A flame I can see if I attend to its light.
I hold onto my resolve and let go of hope:
A tricky word for me, a reflection of my unknowing,
Looking outside to understand my purpose,
Hope for someone to tell me I’m worth it.
Seeing the path requires inward focus.
It turns out even the quiet holds distractions.
Knowledge requires less addition, more subtraction.
Bliss is just a moment in this human experience.
Moments of silence in between the breaths,
A place I can enter only with acceptance.
The seeking must not turn into a chase,
Grasping for truth in the ocean filled with waves.
Clarity lies in the emptiness of eternity,
Although I’m observing the nature of duality.
Instead I will fix my focus and find what is “I”,
Intercept the lonely process that leads to “mine”.
Consciousness is present in all, it does not bind.
And if my practice feels like a paradox,
That is my mind.
Still caught up in the turning of time.
My practice is a practice, with no prize to claim.
Each day I ride the swing from pleasure to pain.
I sit in the sorrow, the anger, the shame.
I tire of this, but it’s also the way
I’ve learned to tap into an energy that won’t fade
And see with joy the rise of each day.
So still I sit here: mind, body, spirit, and soul,
Existing together in a delicate alignment.
Peace is a seed, one I cherish and grow,
A flame I can see if I attend to its light.
I hold onto my resolve and let go of hope:
A tricky word for me, a reflection of my unknowing,
Looking outside to understand my purpose,
Hope for someone to tell me I’m worth it.
Seeing the path requires inward focus.
It turns out even the quiet holds distractions.
Knowledge requires less addition, more subtraction.
Bliss is just a moment in this human experience.
Moments of silence in between the breaths,
A place I can enter only with acceptance.
The seeking must not turn into a chase,
Grasping for truth in the ocean filled with waves.
Clarity lies in the emptiness of eternity,
Although I’m observing the nature of duality.
Instead I will fix my focus and find what is “I”,
Intercept the lonely process that leads to “mine”.
Consciousness is present in all, it does not bind.
And if my practice feels like a paradox,
That is my mind.
Still caught up in the turning of time.
