Promises to Keep

I will wake up today, I will breathe.
I promise to be breathe deeper.
I will stand on two feet and claim this body.
I will become who I already am.
Life will move me awake.
I will step onto a bed of coals and unveil the mystery.

I will believe lies and I will lie too.
I promise to discover the truth.
I will peel open the rind of my heart, because this time around, its okay.
I will love and be loved, it is a birthright.
I promise, I will.

I will laugh, cry, scream and be silent,

I promise to laugh a lot.

I will blame you for the way I am,

I will forgive.

I will remember who I am.

I promise, I will.

I will run like a gazelle, fast and keen, to the other side of the Earth and back again.

I will bow to the beggar and say thank you for asking.

I will bow to the teacher and say thank you for your light, now I see.

With my hand on my heart, I will bow to myself, and say I see you too.

I promise, I will do that.

I will change today, because the world needs me now.

When my voice shakes with fear,

I promise to speak up.

I will fall flat and short,

I will rise up, and hold myself tall, I am human after all.

I will fly.

I promise you that.

I will search for something, to find it is endless.

My child's eyes will bring me back.

I will play hide and seek with her.

I will hold her tiny hand and let her show me the way.
I promise I will.

My dreams cannot wait,
I will live them now.
I will believe that.
I will doubt it too.
I promise to dream big!

I cannot promise I will always be here.

I will return to dust,

I will return to the ocean, drown in its ecstasy.

but don't hold your breath.

I promise I will return.

I promise I will forget these promises.

I promise to remember.

Prepare for Take Off

Like a seed and all its potential, we are ready burst open with the next beautiful warm sunny day. But the seed does not. It is patient. It unfolds gradually. We too must have patience, nurture and provide the right conditions for the unfurling of the seed within our heart.

March is like this: we pull and stretch outward playing, rejoicing the sun, going in a million different directions. Next thing we know its blowing hail and were back inside waiting it out. Its good to get clear on the direction we wish to go, so that when we have that boost of energy and we want to fly out of the cave, we know exactly where we are going. Our boundless energy needs to be directed to something that sustains us, something that fills us up again and again, something good for ourself and the world. For me, it is often challenging to focus on one particular area of life. So, it requires a little digging. I clean my living space. Make some lists. Get organized. And do some yoga. All with the intention of clearing and cleaning my internal and external spaces (they reflect one another).
These are questions I am asking myself now:

What do I want to offer the world?
How do I want the world to see me?
What am I going to grow this season?

This month, in our sadhana, we first clear, give ourself permission to sweat out stickiness, create a lot of flow in the body; to gain clarity on our seed of intention to put forth into the "light" half of the year. We will become more familiar with mula bandha, our root; engage with it, seal any energetic leaks, and contain our own vitality. Finally towards end of March, knowing fully where we stand, we unfold, reach out, and take off!

Mula Bandha
Physical location of mula bandha is the cervix for women and perineum for men. To find mula bandha (in seated or standing) think of lifting your pubis bone upward, feel those subtle muscles contract? Or think of when you need to go pee, and you hold it in.

Mula bandha is responsible for re-directing the downward flow of prana, apana vayu. It seals prana in the body, preventing any energy leaks. We gain and sustain more vitality by doing this. (from Yoga Darshan, by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati)


Excercising mula bandha will enable us to learn to contain our energy. Just when we feel like letting it all out, bursting open...we need to pause. Pull it in. Seal any leaks.
Contain, sustain and than expand!