Inspiration

My Sacred Temple

by Susan E. Greisen 12/24

My Sacred Temple is crumbling
45 years of yoga have forsaken me
I can no longer do the full bridge pose
Even though I did it once correctly

My wrists don't flex
My back won't bend
My neck is tight
My groins don't extend

Has my yoga ship sailed?
Is it perfection I seek?
Yoga was once my salvation
But now my muscles are weak

Hip and wrist arthritis
found a new home in my joints
Once soothing yoga poses
have become sore sticking points

Child's pose now hurts
Downward dog requires props
I can't hold most poses for long
Let me finish and lie like a corpse

Secretly I admit the sole reason I go
To seek my luxurious retreat
The sauna melts my aches and pains
They love the nurturing heat

My yoga instructors gently
Guide me through the routine
I listen to their messages
Some that are not always obvious or seen

I was surprised one day by the question
"What do you want to keep?"
"Compassion and Love" are what I found
When I looked deep

Gradually I awakened and discovered
My yoga buddies I didn't always see
I rarely noticed their impact
Their collective positive energy

Some with healing fractures, chronic arthritis,
Joint replacement, or cancer mayhem
Their diagnoses make me seem young
Yet they never let it bother them

During our yoga practice
We are not to look and compare
So, what am I moaning about
Thinking life is unfair

Many in my classes are older than me
Some a decade or more
We have known each other for several years
Next to them, I lie my mat on the floor

Steph and Karen in their upper 70s
Pat and Jim in their 80s, and Jane is 89
I covertly look for them during my practice
Whenever I want to moan or whine.

Dementia has a grip on Sonia at 82
Her companion guides her poses
Once a European child of war
Her smile is like a bouquet of roses

Robert, 84, limps in with chronic pain
Carolyn battles her third cancer at 82
They are my chair yoga buddies
My self-gratitude is way overdue

I modified some of my poses
To not cause so much pain
This change to my practice
Is for those who are more sane

Maybe I'll complain and feel sorry for myself
But only for a moment
Because I will look for my yoga buddies
And banish my sorrow and judgment

My yoga family inspires me
They have shown me this is just another stage
Because of them and their guidance
My Sacred Temple is full of yoga
that doesn't have an age

More about Susan's writing at https://susangreisen.com/
A World Unsuspected (2025) published by Sidekick Press

Books:

Yoga for Wellness: Gary Kraftsow
Kundalini Rising: Dr. Barbara Condron
Autobiography of a Yogi: Paramahansa Yogananda
Yoga for Stress Relief: Swami Shivapremananda
Heal Your Body: Louise L. Hay
The Prophet: Kahlil Gibran
The Third Eye: T. Lobsang Rampa
The Initiate: Cyril Scott
As a man Thinketh: James Allen
Sexual Energy and Yoga: Elisabeth Heich
The Yoga of Time Travel: Fred Alan Wolf
Still Here - Ram Dass

Music CDs

Music to Disappear in 1 & 2: Raphael
Buddha Bar IV: David Visan
Yoga Rhythm: SoulFood
MYTHOS
Journey to the Heart: Various Artists/Domo Records
Kitaro: Domo Records
YogaFit Music for a Peaceful Paradise
Enigma
Enya
Healing Touch - Nadama

Websites

YogaFinder
Find Yoga classes and events in your area

An Article about Meditation
Interactive View of the Universe
The Five Tibetan Rites
Pregnancy Yoga
Moon Salutation - Step by step
Anatomy and Asana
The Secret - Inspirational movie
Yoga Spirit
Tele-classes, Workshops and Radio on Everything Yoga!

People

Anat Ben Israel: Biodynamic Therapy & Massage

Amy Robinson: Doula, Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga Teacher
rebirthingyoga@yahoo.com , Bellingham, WA

Angela London: Naturopath in Ferndale, WA
LHC@londonhealthcenterinc.com, http://londonhealthcenterinc.com/

Quotes

The blessing of Namaste:
http://www.taketheleap.com/namaste.htm
http://www.namastecafe.com/library/trans.htm

We donate to

www.care.org
www.actionagainsthunger.org
www.brigidcollins.org