Just for Now, without asking how, let yourself sink into stillness.
Just for now, lay down the weight you so patiently bear upon your shoulders. Feel the earth receive you, and the infinite expanse of the sky grow even wider as your awareness reaches up to meet it.
Just for now, allow a wave of breath to enliven your experience. Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth.
Just for now, be boundless, free, with awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet. Drink in the possibility of being who and what you really are – so fully alive that the world looks different, newly born and vibrant, just for now. ~ Danna Faulds, Poet & Kripalu Yoga Practitioner
I read this poem during relaxation at a restorative Yoga class I taught this week. As the students rose up from their rest, it was fun to see the looks on the students’ faces as they contemplated these words. My hope is that they took this message with them, this sense of being fully alive and open. I love to think that each time I practice Yoga, whether it’s in a class or on my own, I have an opportunity to change my day, transform, and even change my life in some subtle (or perhaps profound) way. This can be a really powerful message to your mind and body.
As I prepare to give birth, I have been thinking a lot about my Yoga practice and how to balance all the strong sensations with periods of letting go and resting. The challenge of sitting with discomfort, disturbing thoughts and exhaustion and the sweetness that usually follows extremely hard work and effort. Regarding birth, I have no idea what to expect or how I’ll feel. It’s all a mystery as to how it will all unfold. I can make a plan, but can’t control the events so to speak.
We can learn a lot in childbirth classes and practice how to breathe and position our bodies, but my sense is that the actual experience will be so powerful and full of aliveness that I’ll have to “relax into the position” and let my instincts take over. By truly believing that my body is designed to do this and that I have all the knowledge inside of me already is both comforting and empowering. I’m so grateful to have my Yoga practice. Both the physical parts that help my body to be ready, strong and supple, and the emotional pieces that allow me to tap into the more esoteric parts of the life experience.
The next time you practice Yoga, or wake up first thing in the morning, I encourage you to read this poem and notice your breathing. Allow your breath to slow and deepen as you meditate on this concept of being fully alive and open to the new day ahead. I love the framework of “Just for Now” because it makes this process seem more tangible and within our reach. We don’t have to change or transform overnight–a totally unrealistic expectation. However, just for now, we all can embrace a greater awareness and openness in our lives. It can feel so powerful, even if just for a fleeting moment.
A. Andiorio, 2011: Tuscon, AZ