SALUTE TO THE SUN IN THE INFINITE EMBRACE by Ruth Calder Murphy

Anyone who’s ever experienced yoga will almost certainly know the Salute to the Sun.

It’s one of the most all-encompassing and, for me at least, energizing and at the same time calming sequences. 

Every day, I try to set aside some time - at the same time early every morning - to be what I think of as “Physically Spiritual”. A time when I try to engage my body, mind and spirit together in a holistic activity that brings me to a better experience of wholeness than I awoke with. Sometimes, I run. Sometimes I work out. Almost always, I do some yoga - even just a few minutes.

Salute to the Sun is special...

As I stretch high, I connect to Spirit. As I bend low, I connect to Earth. Touching my toes, I’m reminded of the Ouroboros - the constant circle and cycle of birth and life and death and rebirth.

This poem is one of several that links with a painting of mine, called “The infinite Embrace”, that features the Ouroboros, the Sun, the moon and the Tree of Life - powerful symbols in many traditions. When I Salute the Sun, I feel connected to all these things - physical and metaphorical - and a part of something wonderful.

'Ouroboros' painting by Ruth Calder Murphy

Salute to the Sun in the Infinite Embrace

Stretching high,

I inhale

the metamorphosis

of today

and exhale every yesterday

that lingers

in cobwebbed sleep

and shadowed memory.

My fingers reach to the re-born sky,

exulting in the freedom of blossoming branches,

unfurling leaves

and deep,

mud-mothered roots,

where womb-red fire

pulses and warms.

Bending double,

mouth to tail,

I am the constant circle.

Another inhale,

I am

the infinite sky,

the profound

Eternal sigh.

Here I am,

ever I,

in the Infinite Embrace.

~

'Surya Namaskar' photography montage by Catherine Ghosh~

Ruth Calder Murphy is a writer, artist, music teacher, wife and mother living in London, UK. Her life is wonderfully full of creativity and low-level chaos. She is the author of one published novel, “The Scream,” several books of poetry and one or two as-yet unpublished novels. She is passionate about celebrating the uniqueness of people, questioning the unquestionable and discovering new perspectives on old wonders. She is learning to ride the waves that come along—peaks and troughs—and is waking up to just how wonderful life really is. You can visit Ruth and view more of her art on her website here, or on her Facebook page. Her latest book is available on Amazon here, and 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!~