Yoga As Self Care

Anoche cuando dormia

Anoche cuando dormía
soñé ¡bendita ilusión!
que una fontana fluía
dentro de mi corazón.
Dí: ¿por qué acequia escondida,
agua, vienes hasta mí,
manantial de nueva vida
en donde nunca bebí?

Anoche cuando dormía
soñé ¡bendita ilusión!
que una colmena tenía
dentro de mi corazón;
y las doradas abejas
iban fabricando en él,
con las amarguras viejas,
blanca cera y dulce miel.

Anoche cuando dormía
soñé ¡bendita ilusión!
que un ardiente sol lucía
dentro de mi corazón.
Era ardiente porque daba
calores de rojo hogar,
y era sol porque alumbraba
y porque hacía llorar.

Anoche cuando dormía
soñé ¡bendita ilusión!
que era Dios lo que tenía
dentro de mi corazón.

Antonio Machado

Last Night, As I Was Sleeping

Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt -- marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?

Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt -- marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt -- marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.

Last night, as I slept,
I dreamt -- marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.

~Antonio Machado
translated from the Spanish by Robert Bly

One of my absolute favorite poems. For those who read Spanish, i will post the Spanish version soon.

It is interesting to note the translation of the phrase "marvelous error." In Spanish, the line reads "bendita ilusion." While the word "ilusion" does include the idea of error, i feel that such a translation excludes some of the other possible meanings found in the word illusion. For me, in reading this poem, i find an element of hope--which i think is central to the piece--that is not captured with the repetition of the word "error." The word "bendita," means blessed or holy. I suggest reading the line as "holy illusion," thus maintaining the feeling of hope while keeping with the tension found in the Spanish version.

It's So Easy, A Child Can Do It

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
-Rumi

Often referred to as a resting pose in yoga, Balasana, or "child's pose," offers an opportunity to both turn inward and connect with the earth in a gesture of gratitude and prayer. Many times in class I have heard teachers tell their students (and I have said this too) that at any point during class, they should feel free to rest in child's pose if needed--if a pose becomes too difficult. And while this is great advice, Balasana can be a challenging pose all on its own.

Physically, this pose requires a certain amount of flexibility in the hips and ankles, knees (mostly) free from inury, and openness in the back of the body.

From a kneeling posture, sit back on your heels. Inhale, then as you exhale, begin to fold foward bringing your forehead to the floor (you can place a folded blanket, bolster or block and rest your forehead there). You can have your arms extended or let them rest along side your body. Variations for the legs include having knees and feet together; knees and feet apart; knees apart and feet together.

Breathing in this pose might feel quite challenging. Because the chest and belly are resting on the thighs, and gravity is pulling them down, breathing can feel resticted if there is tightness in the back of the body. This is a wonderful time to learn to consciously send breath into a specific are of the body--in this case, the back.

Emotionally and psychologically, it requires a certain amount of humility and an openness to bow down and merge with something that is both an extension of and greater than oneself. Questions to mediate on while in the pose are: "What supports and grounds me?" "What I am bowing to?" "What am I offering?"

All The Hemispheres

All the Hemispheres

by Hafiz

 

Leave the familiar for a while.

Let your senses and bodies stretch out

Like a welcomed season

Onto the meadows and shores and hills.

Open up to the Roof.

Make a new water-mark on your excitement

And love.

Like a blooming night flower,

Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness

And giving

Upon our intimate assembly.

Change rooms in your mind for a day.

All the hemispheres in existence

Lie beside an equator

In your heart.

Greet Yourself

In your thousand other forms

As you mount the hidden tide and travel

Back home.

All the hemispheres in heaven

Are sitting around a fire

Chatting

While stitching themselves together

Into the Great Circle inside of

You.

From: 'The Subject Tonight is Love'

Translated by Daniel Ladinsky

Kick Off Your Shoes!

Kick off your shoes and bare your so(u)les! Inhale: breathe in something yummy. Exhale: allow something inside of you to unfold.