May Sarton-- The Work of Happiness

I thought of happiness, how it is woven
Out of the silence in the empty house each day
And how it is not sudden and it is not given
But is creation itself like the growth of a tree.
No one has seen it happen, but inside the bark
Another circle is growing in the expanding ring.
No one has heard the root go deeper in the dark,
But the tree is lifted by this inward work
And its plumes shine, and its leaves are glittering.

So happiness is woven out of the peace of hours
And strikes its roots deep in the house alone:
The old chest in the corner, cool waxed floors,
White curtains softly and continually blown
As the free air moves quietly about the room;
A shelf of books, a table, and the white-washed wall —
These are the dear familiar gods of home,
And here the work of faith can best be done,
The growing tree is green and musical.

For what is happiness but growth in peace,
The timeless sense of time when furniture
Has stood a life’s span in a single place,
And as the air moves, so the old dreams stir
The shining leaves of present happiness?
No one has heard thought or listened to a mind,
But where people have lived in inwardness
The air is charged with blessing and does bless;
Windows look out on mountains and the walls are kind.

Spontaneous Contemplation

I want you to ask yourself “What are your daily practices of which you may be unaware?”

Do your shoulders fold slightly forward?

Do you shift one hip upwards bringing imbalance to your lower spine?

Do you have a continuing drama playing in your head?

Do you sit, repeatedly crossing right leg over left, inhibiting flow to different parts of each leg?

We tend to think of practices as intentional & positive— things we choose to do that nourish.

That is true and I encourage those.

But in reality bad habits are nothing more than depleting practices of which we are unaware.

Pay attention— honor your being by eliminating negative postural patterns and draining mindsets that deplete.

Observe without judgment.

Recognize the inclinations and begin to shift away from the detrimental, and towards the nourishing.

It will take time— changes that hold usually do.

Slowly but surely bad habits fade and are replaced with intentional practices that honor and nourish.

You will feel uplifted.

The “whole” of you will rejoice!

I promise.

Be good to yourself…………………… Tricia


Take No Shit

Good Morning,

I grateful you are in this world— that you bring your vital energy to this experience that is life. And that I get to practice with you! I intend daily, to make living in love, integrity and authenticity a practice, just like coming to the mat. Some days I am more resistant than others, even unsuccessful, but I keep practicing. Moving through the backside of life has helped me to focus on what is important— love, compassion, gratitude and taking no shit. Is taking no shit worthy of being aligned with love compassion and gratitude? Absolutely. Taking no shit means valuing yourself enough to dissipate the farce someone is throwing your way. I would argue that calling people out is strength and shows care of self as much as exercising or making nutrition a priority. It also honors your voice, nourishing and balancing the throat chakra, clearing out energy that gets stuck in the narrow pathway between the heart and the mind. Don’t let truth get stuck in your throat. Freely release it with loving intention.

Love, stay strong, breathe deeply and speak your mind. You never know— it may just ease your neck pain :O

Tricia