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Mary Esther's Favorite Music, Poems and Meditations

 

Music - These are some of the most commonly played CDs during class:

Reiki - The Light Touch, Merlin's Magic

Sea & Silence, C.G. Deuter

Solitudes, Natural Stress Relief, David Bradstreet

 

Books that I like to use for reference (in no particular order):

Yoga Basics: The Essential Beginner's Guide to Yoga for a Lifetime of Health and Fitness, Mara Carrico

Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness, Donna Farhi

Healing with the Timeless Teachings of Viniyoga: Yoga for Wellness, Gary Kraftsow

Yoga: The Spriti and Practice of Moving Into Stillness, Erich Schiffmann

Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living, Donna Farhi

 

Quotes

“The purpose of life is to watch and experience living. To enjoy living every moment of it. And to live in environments, which are calm, quiet, slow, sophisticated, elegant. Just to be. . . . The ideal purpose of your life is that you are grateful - great and full - that you are alive, and you enjoy it.” Yogi Bhajan

“The most profound benefit of yoga and meditation for me has been a natural relaxing into my life. Obstacles are not so scary. I am more fluid, more curious, and at the same time more patient. I have more options for happiness because I don’t require specific conditions. It is a relief to discover that I can be happy even if the world doesn’t revolve around me or my agenda.” Cyndi Lee

Poems

May today there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.
May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content with yourself just the way you are.
Let this knowledge settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Lines To Unfold By, Leza Lowitz


"Pranayama"

Slow and deep
into the heart of the day
with each inhalation
comes an exhalation
twice as long.
Slow and deep
filling the lungs
with infinite space
the sun rises & sets
in each single breath.
Forget about tomorrow.
Now is an eternity
and life is a victory.
So celebrate
the heart of the day.

 

Today a new sun rises for me:
everything lives,
everything is animated,
everything seems to speak to me of my passion,
everything invites me to cherish it.

--Anne De Lenclos

 

Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu
May all beings everywhere be happy.
May the thoughts and actions of my own life contribute, in some way, to that happiness.

 

Meditations

From “Blessings: Prayers and Declarations for a Heartful Life” by Julia Cameron


*This World Is Magical In Its Diversity, Abundant In Its Blessings*

My abundance comes to me in many forms. My life is abundant in
multiple ways. I savor its specific abundance. I cherish its
particular multiplicity. Loving humor, a tender smile, a
compassionate conversation—all of these are forms of my abundance.
Beauty in nature, the bounty of good food, music, the delight of
sunlight on the skin—this is my abundance. The scent of flowers, the
smell of newly mown grass—this is my abundance. The smile of a
stranger, the leap of a cat, the sound of bells—this is my abundance.
The satisfaction of a job well done, the pay for services rendered,
the thank-you of gratitude—this, too, is my abundance. I recognize
and enumerate life’s generous gifts and hold them as blessings in my
heart.

Mountain Meditation
Create a comfortable, stable, supported seated position. You can support your knees with pillow or blocks, blankets, or mats. Sit upright and close your eyes. Let your breath flow naturally, without manipulating it. Rest your attention on the rising and falling of your belly and chest.
Imagine a majestically tall mountain. Contemplate how solid and stable the mountain is throughout the changing seasons. At times the mountain may be clouded over, its peak covered in fog. Sometimes the mountain is assaulted with thunder, lightning, and heavy rains. Sometimes it rises into a clear blue sky of a few white puffy clouds. At times it is covered in snow, at times with lush foliage, and at other times it is barren. Throughout, it remains stable and unaffected by the changing weather or seasons. Let this stable quality of "mountainness" nourish your concentration and your ability to sit through all the varying experiences that arise while practicing this meditation.
Now feel your posture to be like a mountain. Breathing in, see yourself as a mountain,. Breathing out, feel stable. Some thoughts and emotions are like storms, others like sunshine. Your mind can be clouded over or clear and bright, but through it all, you can still sit solid.

Quotes

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
-- William Blake

I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.
-Hafiz of Persia

Mary Esther Middleton

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