Do you know that feeling when you’re overwhelmed, juggling too many things and feeling on edge? When you’ve forgotten about all the tools that help you feel connected and at ease? Even after nearly 20 years of practicing Yoga I still have moments where I forget the simple power of the breath and the backdrop of Being that’s actually always there. I often turn to poetry as a way of finding prescence and perspective. Usually I turn to my poetry books and read some inspiring truths but every now and again a poem arrives into my penned hand an makes it’s way onto paper. This is a short poem that I wrote for myself in one of those anxious times as a little antidote. It invites my whole body to shift away from the Sympathetic Nervous System and into the safety of the Parasympathetic. I sometimes share it in classes and I’d like to share it with you.
On Edge
Are you on the edge of your seat
gaze at the front of your eyes
urgently trying to get through
this one precious life
as if you’ve forgotten something?
Fall into the waiting
armchair behind you.
Allow your self to be held
by a safe motherly lap
and synchronise
your breath
to hers.
by Sam Loe