The Book of Marlie

Yoga is the stilling

of the changing states of mind~

The act and policy of

No chitta* left behind.

Yoga is the re-channeling

of habits of the mind~

Capacity for Contentment grows

And Vrittis* get declined.

Yoga is the resolution of

the agitations of the mind.

A uniting of consciousness in the

heart of all mankind.

Yoga is the settling of the

mind into silence.

Nirodha* the misconceptions,

And ignorant defiance.

Yoga is the deepness

In the lake of tranquility~

Out of the surface ripples~

And into heart’s reality.

Yoga is a gentle

Process of release~

A settling into the

Natural state of peace.

Each inhale think calm~

Each exhale think peace.

Favor these words~

Your distractions will decrease~

Or
The map to LUCIDITY
Inspired by Yoga Sutra 1.33 which reads:

maitri karuna mudita upeksanam sukha duhkha punya apunya
visayanam bhavanatah cittaprasadanam

The map to LUCIDITY?
YES! Have you heard?
Takes four states to get there~
Not that absurd.

The first is of FRIENDSHIP
toward those who are happy.
Even when you feel distant,
resistance and slappy.

The second is of COMPASSION
toward those in distress.
Tough when annoyed,
imposed on and stressed.

The third is of JOY
toward those who are good
through roadblocks of useless
and misunderstood.

The fourth is of EQUANIMITY
toward those who are foul
who are lacking in virtue,
and react with a growl.

Here in our mapping
Four residents are mentioned.
How we perceive them
Is our fierce contention.

Our attitudes we go for
From composure to kind~
Get us closer to LUCIDITY
Where we STABILIZE our mind.

Memorize these four~
And observe in daily life.
During times of quiet,
Noise, and even strife.

So buckle up~
And prepare for a ride~
To align your attitude,
And try the untried.

Close your eyes~
Feel the state you are in~
Soften your heart~
your throat, and your skin.

Drop your breath
right into your heart~
It’s made up of LOVE~
And that’s where you start.

Inhale with the thought~
May I be friendly~
Exhale with the thought~
May I give friendship.
.

May I be COMPASSIONATE
with your next inhale
May I give COMPASSION
with your next exhale.

Inhale with the thought~
May I have JOY~
Exhale with the thought~
May I give JOY.

May I have EQUANIMITY
with your inhale.
May I give CALMNESS
with your exhale.

When someone comes to mind
Offer these prayers
No matter their issues,
Their stains, or their stares.

May you be LOVING~
May you be LOVED ~
May you be PEACEFUL~
May you give PEACE~

Your states of envy and mean
Get smaller each time~
Intolerance is removed
You get closer to SUBLIME.

Once your mind is CLEAR,
And you’re CENTERED and FREE
Skillfulness in ACTION
Will be … Will be~

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

“I suppose you are real?” said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive.

But the Skin Horse only smiled

–  From the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams  –

Humpty Dumpty was Inner Body Dull,

Humpty Dumpty was contracted, not full;

We teach kids and teens how to find humor in every day life and how awareness leads to amusement in even the most mundane places. This event took place this morning and it’s what I taught in my Grounded class this afternoon. I shared the story, taught the poses and we had an awesome, authentic experience. The kids were inspired to write down their own personal stories and the poses that prepared them to handle real life with ease. They loved using the pose stickers to illustrate their writing. Find all the details about these poses and more in our box of 84 Grounded Elevator Series Pose Cards. Enjoy!