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!~
Beautiful....thank you Mary!
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