“Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again.” – Chinese inscription cited by Henry David Thoreau in Walden
We are not stuck or trapped. This can be hard to believe at times. However, the laws of change and impermanence will naturally allay any doubts over time.
We can begin again at any time…New Years, Chinese New Years, Rosh Hashanah, Spring, Summer, Fall, March 1st, Sunday, tomorrow, Morning, Meditation, Inhaling, now etc…
We may not need these hallmarks of renewal. However, they can serve as great reminders that we can start again as we can easily feel stuck. I find these reminders helpful and inspired by the Chinese New Year, and the above Chinese inscription shared in classes last week.
Regular meditation and asana practice help to provide space and freedom from the residue of the past or the thoughts that serve to shackle us. We then have a chance of connecting to our selves at a deeper level and our true nature of peace.
I am grateful to a student Mark who shared this beautiful poem by John O’Donohue in response to class.
For a New Beginning
by John O’Donohue
In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.
Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life’s desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.