on the mat
Every morning, I lovelovelove my coffee/rosary time. I have said the rosary every singlesinglesingle morning for years now. The mind boggles at just how MANY Hail Marys have been spoken in the early morning dark over here.
And just recently, I went to the library where I just walked. Walked around in plain joy at the feeling of books. Rows and rows of them. I do not even know how long I was there, but it was certainly an hour or two. I held books, set them down. Sat on the floor. I mean...it was a little wandering-around gift to myself.
And amidst these rows and rows of books I came across a slim little red volume. Small, dwarfed by many other books in design and in stature. It was old. Published in the 60s, I believe.
It was a book of Tibetan Heart Yoga. A little manual, of sorts. Odd fonts. Terrible drawings. Their art department did not have Will Mudd on staff, I'll tell you that.
But.
I simply couldn't resist it.
And so now--I have the whole NEW THING going on at dawn at well. And I'm not good at it. Well--the parts that intersect well with Reiki I am good at. And my meager practice of yoga helps. But the parts where I have to concentrate WHILE learning a new (old) series of poses is a little wonky. It's a lot of one handed reach-for-the book types of poses. I break the poses, sit on the floor. Reread. Lay on my belly, whisper-read it out loud to try to embed it in my brain. But--I'm trying.
Yoga has a certain flavor, so it isn't unfamiliar, so much as it is not the order my muscles remember. Where my muscles want to be in a plank, I am supposed to press back to downward dog--that kind of thing.
But the point is--it adds a half hour to my routine, but it absolutely has been a magnificent thing in my life. Almost like the book found me. You know?
So, every morning (except today--the Tibetans believe in a day off)--I start this process. Cross-legged, comfortable. Hands at heart center. There is part one, part two...all the way up to part ten. Part 3 is my favorite. In part three you begin to fold the physical part of yoga into the meditative part (which still continues), and you focus on one little soul. One person throughout the rest.
The gift of giving has certain yoga movements, the gifts of kindness, others. Patience, stillness and more. All meditative, but all very intentional. It's all a whole thing and it requires a discipline I am working hard to cultivate.
But the best part of part 3 is that--whoever this soul is who needs all this love and intention just sort of--shows up! It's not magical or anything. Just somehow I think of this person organically. And sometimes it is someone on Facebook, and sometimes it is someone even closer to my real life, sometimes it is someone I don't like very much. But if they show up and sit down--then here we are. Together.
And I love that. So many people are probably even still asleep, but I love that the soul shows up. The connection among souls...it's absolutely breathtaking.
So if you'd like a little love and care and intention, you don't even have to do a thing but think it. And, if your soul shows up on the mat tomorrow... I'll see you then! If you would like to enjoy the practice for yourself, follow the link to begin at t.h.y. beginnings!
And just recently, I went to the library where I just walked. Walked around in plain joy at the feeling of books. Rows and rows of them. I do not even know how long I was there, but it was certainly an hour or two. I held books, set them down. Sat on the floor. I mean...it was a little wandering-around gift to myself.
And amidst these rows and rows of books I came across a slim little red volume. Small, dwarfed by many other books in design and in stature. It was old. Published in the 60s, I believe.
It was a book of Tibetan Heart Yoga. A little manual, of sorts. Odd fonts. Terrible drawings. Their art department did not have Will Mudd on staff, I'll tell you that.
But.
I simply couldn't resist it.
And so now--I have the whole NEW THING going on at dawn at well. And I'm not good at it. Well--the parts that intersect well with Reiki I am good at. And my meager practice of yoga helps. But the parts where I have to concentrate WHILE learning a new (old) series of poses is a little wonky. It's a lot of one handed reach-for-the book types of poses. I break the poses, sit on the floor. Reread. Lay on my belly, whisper-read it out loud to try to embed it in my brain. But--I'm trying.
Yoga has a certain flavor, so it isn't unfamiliar, so much as it is not the order my muscles remember. Where my muscles want to be in a plank, I am supposed to press back to downward dog--that kind of thing.
But the point is--it adds a half hour to my routine, but it absolutely has been a magnificent thing in my life. Almost like the book found me. You know?
So, every morning (except today--the Tibetans believe in a day off)--I start this process. Cross-legged, comfortable. Hands at heart center. There is part one, part two...all the way up to part ten. Part 3 is my favorite. In part three you begin to fold the physical part of yoga into the meditative part (which still continues), and you focus on one little soul. One person throughout the rest.
The gift of giving has certain yoga movements, the gifts of kindness, others. Patience, stillness and more. All meditative, but all very intentional. It's all a whole thing and it requires a discipline I am working hard to cultivate.
But the best part of part 3 is that--whoever this soul is who needs all this love and intention just sort of--shows up! It's not magical or anything. Just somehow I think of this person organically. And sometimes it is someone on Facebook, and sometimes it is someone even closer to my real life, sometimes it is someone I don't like very much. But if they show up and sit down--then here we are. Together.
And I love that. So many people are probably even still asleep, but I love that the soul shows up. The connection among souls...it's absolutely breathtaking.
So if you'd like a little love and care and intention, you don't even have to do a thing but think it. And, if your soul shows up on the mat tomorrow... I'll see you then! If you would like to enjoy the practice for yourself, follow the link to begin at t.h.y. beginnings!