My last post was about fighting for freedom, which seemed to resonate with a lot of people. This next poem, about compassion, sparked from my favourite stanza of Fighting Fear (below), and a breath of fresh air on a night where it’s both raining and snowing at the same time.
I am a shelter,
Creating safety in a storm.
I give love freely,
From this hope is born.
Compassion’s Shelter
Compassion cradles me,
A reassuring cloak wrapping
Its wisdom web around me,
Shrugging off the burden.
Calm, grounded, it whispers
Things I already know, but have
Forgotten and remembered
And forgotten again.
Contentment beckons,
Santosha, santosha,
Shanti, shanti, shanti.
A dance within.
This grand, wild chance
At living freely, truly,
Is worth every fail.
Rest, then begin again.
Original poem by Katrina Ariel
Santosha
I am actually wearing a cloak as I type this. The weight helps ground me. It’s green velvet with a soft cotton lining, and I want to put up my hood and go out in the rain-snow night and listen to the quiet.
In case you were wondering, santosha is part of the Yamas and Niyamas, which are the ethical principles that guide yogic philosophy. To simplify it, santosha describes a deep contentment that comes from surrendering need for control. You do your best and realize the outcome is out of your hands.
Santosha is to be able to relax and feel this single breath, right now... To remember that none of this is permanent. To be humble enough not to be attached to outcome.
I haven’t mastered any of this, but it’s nice to remember and put to use in whatever ways I can.
Shanti means peace. It’s a common mantra:
Om shanti, shanti, shanti.
Peace to your mind. Peace to your body. Peace to your heart. Peace to your soul.
Take care of yourself. You are a gift!
(All photos mine unless otherwise stated.)
Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steemit.
dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne
Banner by @PegasusPhysics
