“It’s not the weight you carry

but how you carry it–
books, bricks, grief–
it’s all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it

when you cannot, and would not,
put it down.”
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?

-excerpt from Heavy by Mary Oliver

I’ve been spending time with these words as I consider what a difference it makes bringing one’s present awareness back to the home of our bodies. Paying close attention to how we bear weight matters, both in a physical and metaphorical sense. It’s all connected, and as I build a stronger relationship to my breath and this body, I am also cultivating an inner world that is grounded, resilient, and peaceful.

Much of what it takes to steady oneself in a yoga asana (movement) practice is building core strength through repetition, focusing on one’s own footing, balancing stillness with movement and flexibility, and simply being in the moment. How parallel this all is to repatterning, self-differentiating, and striking a balance in all aspects of our lives.

May we all build these skills and sense how held we are here on this Earth, among an interconnected web and people of empathy. I pray we all choose whatever degree of ease is possible through the heaviest of times.