I DIDN'T KNOW by Mary McManus

Before I came to my yoga mat in January of 2011, I was not aware and awake…

I was still living under the cloud and delusion that growing up with violence and chaos created. As I began to surrender to the practice of yoga -letting go of my stranglehold on so many patterns that were necessary for me to survive- I began to reconnect with the Truth of my Being, feeling my Spirit grow and get stronger with each deep breath.

So many people, myself included before I began to study and understand the practice of yoga, believe that yoga is about poses and postures.

In yoga the poses are the vehicle we use to unearth the treasure of our true selves, as we move out of the past to experience the magnificence of living fully in the present moment.

Yoga helped me move out of a rigid black and white view of myself and the world into the rich textures and technicolor of vibrant living strong yet flexible, graceful and grounded and above all, free!

(The following poem titled "I Didn't Know" is from

Songs ofFreedom:Volume II Seasons of the Soul, released in 2013)

I Didn't Know

Before I rolled out my yoga mat

I didn't know

I had choices

Every moment I can choose to say yes or no

Go deeper or back out

What's right for my body at this moment and whatever I choose

celebrate!

I didn't know

pain doesn't last forever

finding strength and courage to bear the unbearable

the wall built of shame and unworthiness

container of heart breaking pain

no match for the power of breath

heart breaks open

delving into the darkest and deepest places within

I emerge a humble and victorious warrior.

I didn't know

I can be vulnerable and strong

grounded and light

years of struggle end finding effort and ease

steadiness and sustenance

gentle tears flow unattached to any one story

in surrender Spirit rises.

I know

what it means to be fully alive

to feel unconditional love course through my veins

the tonic of Spirit pours out

the antidote to the venom of hate infused into an innocent child

clouds of confusion dispel as the sun breaks forth

clarity and acceptance

the dawn of a new day

I know.

Mary McManus poet, blogger, and yogini left her award winning career as a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs in May 2007 to heal her own life. During the dark night of her soul she began to express herself through poetry. Her pen became a divining rod for light, love, hope, possibility, health and wholeness. She began her journey of transformation and healing which took her to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and, in 2011, to her yoga mat. Mary holds a BS in Public Relations from Boston University and an MSW from Boston College. In January 2013 she will be a graduate of South Boston Yoga's 200 hour Body Awakening Teacher Training Program. Be sure to visit her website here and follow her inspirational blog here To hear Mary read selections from “Songs of Freedom:Poems From a Healing Odyssey” visit her youtube channel here. Mary's books of poetry are available on Amazon here.

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~

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