Quiet the Mind

Happy Monday! As my summer continues to fly by at a frenetic pace it ends with a crescendo; moving both kids to different states. With the logistics and emotions of all of that, last week my mind was feeling quite frenzied and I was struggling to settle it. This poem became my message for the week and sitting still and reading it aloud several times hopefully served my students as it served me. 


DEAR YOU, by Kaveri Patel

Dear you,

You who always have

so many things to do

so many places to be

your mind spinning like

fan blades at high speed

each moment always a blur

because you’re never still.

I know you’re tired.

I also know it’s not your fault.

The constant brain-buzz is like

a swarm of bees threatening

to sting if you close your eyes.

You’ve forgotten something again.

You need to prepare for that or else.

You should have done that differently.

What if you closed your eyes?

Would the world fall

apart without you?

Or would your mind

become the open sky

flock of thoughts

flying across the sunrise

as you just watched and smiled.

On the mat I myself enjoy practicing with my eyes closed. It helps to keep my mind a little quieter and more focused. I  offered the same to my students this week on the mat as a reminder of the power of going inside.

Off the mat, we do not have the luxury of moving through the world with eyes closed. However, what we can do is take a few moments to sit still, connect to the breath and visualize our “flock of thoughts flying across the sunrise”. It allows us to live more intentionally even with our eyes fully open. Happy Practicing!