So still and quiet

[Photo from stock.xchng]

Just the time to meditate.

Rather unnaturally I woke this morning before the alarm .. oh yes, then I remember that I did that trick from childhood where you bang your head on the pillow the night before, and count out the hour that you wish to wake ~ ahh it still works! I feel the magic of my waking up this morning!

It is quiet. Our puppy is sleeping so soundly that he doesn’t even stir when I get up. I grab my Nepalese blanket, shuffle into some cozy pants .. I pad out into the backyard. The sky is crystal clear and blue, with some pink tinges which I think means the day is expected to be warm. My beautiful trees are so lush and green, swaying in the gentle breeze, I hear small sounds of birds somewhere high above .. all is still and quiet.

I lay down my meditation cushion. I stand in Tadasana for a moment, remembering to feel and be at my feet, deep into the earth, strong and sturdy. I hold my hands in Anjali Mudra and take a few long, deep breaths. Still and quiet. I bow to the sun, to the morning, to a new start a new day. I take my seat. Everywhere is still. Quiet surrounds and blankets me. I breathe. Gentle. Watching. Entering slowly the experience of true silence. Little ripples of thought waft by .. I leave them to do their thing .. they depart when left alone. I return to the breath. I feel the small smile at my lips .. a natural smile .. all is good. Can I let go a little more with this next out breath. I do. I allow my body to rest into the earth .. the wind on my face, the grass against my toes .. all connected. My meditation timer tells me the day I must leave soon. I relish the stillness a moment longer .. I take a long, leisurely bow forward. I thank myself for this time. I stand with all the mindfulness I can and move into the day ahead.

“Oh, to be alive in such an age when miracles are everywhere and every inch of common air throbs a tremendous prophecy of greater marvels yet to be.”
- Walt Whitman