Song for a Snowy Day

My Soul

by Peter Mayer
There are a hundred billion snowflakes swirling in the cosmic storm
And each one is a galaxy, a billion stars or more
And each star is a million earths, a giant fiery sun
High up in some sky, maybe shining on someone

And deep inside a snowflake, I am floating quietly
I am infinitesimal, impossible to see
Sitting in my tiny kitchen in my tiny home
Staring out my window at a universe of snow

But my soul is so much bigger than the very tiny me
It reaches out into the snowstorm like a net into the sea
Out to all the lovely places where my body cannot go
I touch that beauty and embrace it in the bosom of my soul

And so brief and fleeting is this tiny life of mine
Like a single quarter note in the march of time
But my soul is like the music, it goes back to ancient days
Back before it wore a human face, long before it bore my name

Because my soul is so much older than the evanescent me
It can describe the dawn of time like a childhood memory
It is a spark that was begotten of the darkness long ago
What my body has forgotten, I remember in my soul

So we live this life together, my giant soul and tiny me
One resembling forever, one like smoke upon the breeze
One the deep abiding ocean, one a sudden flashing wave
And counting galaxies like snowflakes, I would swear we were the same

Oh my soul belongs to beauty, takes me up to lofty heights
Teaches sacred stories to me, sanctifies my tiny life
Lays a bridge across the ages, melts the boundaries of my bones
Paints a bold eternal face on this passing moment, oh my soul

~*~

Wishing you beauty and a happy forever.

Beneath the Surface: A Dance to Memoirs of a Geisha

An en is a karmic bond lasting a lifetime.  Nowadays many people seem to believe their lives are entirely a matter of choice; but in my day we viewed ourselves as pieces of clay that forever show the fingerprints of everyone who has touched them.

Adversity is like a strong wind…[it] tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be.

Friendship is a precious thing…one mustn’t throw it away.

Memoirs of a Geisha 

John Williams’ score for Memoirs of a Geisha is a pretty awesome accompaniment to yoga.  The music is relaxing, fluid, soul-stirring and it works well with a restorative, evening class.  It reminds me of the book, also a soul-wrenching work. The movie is among my favorites.

And so today, when I discovered this video by the beautiful Izzy, my favorite dancer, fusion artist, and teacher, I was moved to tears:

 

Book, score, and dancer in one beautiful work of art.

Happy Morning Songs – Yoga Playlist I

Noelle of Be the Breath shared her yoga playlist in a recent blog post. As she pointed out in her post, our yogi is a strong proponent of hatha practice without musical accompaniment. I disregarded that directive entirely and went off bending to the bleat of a different trumpeter.

My “happy morning songs” playlist is the one I often play for my 8:00 a.m. Saturday class.  One of her picks is definitely going to be used for that class:

And here are a few songs that I’m currently using for Saturday morning class.

…and my Happy Morning savasana:

 

What songs get you up and inspired?