The Boxer Rebellion

No Harm - The Boxer Rebellion on The Cold Still

Maybe there's no use Things been like they used to And maybe there's no use The way it was before And if I found time Go away the old way And if we found time But wanted more, more...

[Chorus] Maybe there's no harm, There's no harm, There's no harm in Maybe there's no harm There's no harm in you An' maybe there's no harm, There's no harm, There's no harm in So watch what you say, There's a beast that's in me

I'm the true recluse, Blissful as a loner, And all that we have left Is never lied for Delivered on a word Never near the target Seen for what it was And never eye to eye

[Chorus]

You stand by Watching the world Then you down And maybe there's no harm, There's no harm, There's no harm in Maybe there's no harm, There's no harm in you, And maybe there's no harm, There's no harm, There's no harm in So watch what you say, There's a beat that's in me

Being a Spiritual Warrior

Until the heart becomes an inlet, it cannot be free.

It is true, there is such sadness in the world. But there is a difference between feeling the pain of things breaking, ending, or drifting apart, and the sharper pain that comes from measuring the inevitable events of life against some ideal of how we imagine things are supposed to be. In receiving hardships this way, life is always falling off. Life is hard enough without viewing all our pain as evidence of some basic insufficiency we must endure.

There is a beautiful Tibetan myth that helps us to accept our sadness as a threshold to all that is life - changing and lasting. This myth affirms that all spiritual warriors have a broken heart - alas, must have a broken heart - because it is only through the break that the wonder and mysteries of life can enter us.

So what does it mean to be a spiritual warrior? It is far from being a soldier, but more the sincerity with which a soul faces itself in a daily way. It is the courage to be authentic that keeps us strong enough to withstand the heartbreak through which enlightenment can occur. And it is by honoring how life comes through us that we get the most out of living, not by keeping ourselves out of the way. The goal is to mix our hands in the earth, not to stay clean.

-Mark Nepo, from The Book of Awakening

meditation and an iron rich breakfast - yay!

Daunting

My yoga teacher today said, sometimes getting on your mat is daunting, but you show and breathe - so this is what I did today. Being pregnant is beautiful, amazing, incredible and ... it has changed - at least temporarily the way I am in my body. My body's main purpose right now is to grow the child in my womb and all my needs, everything I'm currently experiencing, is in support of this mission. For me, it feels strange narrowing my focus down so much, having to readjust and rearrange and ... show up and breathe. Show up and breathe - isn't that the whole point of a yoga practice anyway?Show up and breathe and pay attention and watch and listen and learn about yourself - to see where you are connecting and disconnecting from yourself, your friends and family, your community, the Divine. Show up and breathe and be a present to and as accepting of what is as possible, without judgement and with love.  My body as always been my experiential vehicle and now it is so much more - it belongs to another being as well and I must remember that .. and show up and breathe.