Poems & Quotes

Breath, the mindful breath,
the rhythm, out and in,
the wave that washes
through our days, creating
space for stillness, sorrow,
joy, or exaltation.  

Full, then empty, ebb and flow,
breath accompanies each
step into the unknown.

In the breath, the soul
finds an opportunity to
speak.  Images or intuition,
poetry or wordless wisdom
come and go -- no effort but
to breathe and listen.

Danna Fauld

Just for now, 

without asking how,
let yourself sink into stillness.
Just for now, lay down the
weight you so patiently
bear upon your shoulders.

Feel the earth receive
you, and the infinite
expanse of sky grow even
wider as your awareness
reaches up to meet it.

Just for now,
allow a wave of breath
to enliven your experience.

Breathe out
whatever blocks you from
the truth. Just for now, be
boundless, free, awakened
energy tingling in your
hands and feet. 

Drink in
the possibility of being
who and what you really are
so fully alive that when you
open your eyes the world
looks different, newly born
and vibrant, just for now.

Danna Faulds

As I gaze out my window, I watch as the leaves change every day.

I have come to realize that I too change year after year. Surrounded by the unknown, I am unknown.

Digging within my meticulous inner being, I sift through trying to decipher the truth.
Nevertheless, there is no true answer.

As my breath decides to flow, Seasons change just as life.
Much like a leaf will not return the same; I dare not repeat history as this always results in pain. I sit by myself, having a debate within. While meditating on the abyss I search for true meaning.

Can I change without a season? Can a season exist without a change?

I believe with every breath I become one with my thoughts, one with my being,
With deep awareness I know that life-changing seasons are one leaf away from the path of consciousness, and the possibility of true bliss.

Participant in the Yoga Teacher Training at Lakin Correctional Center

Make me an instrument of  your peace.
Where there is hatred, 

let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

St. Francis of Assisi

At times our own light goes out then rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

 Albert Schweitzer

May I be at peace 

with life as it is.
May I be free 

from ill will and fear.
May I be at peace 

with sorrow and pain.
May I sense my own worthiness and wellbeing.
May I hold myself and others in compassion.
May I trust 

the present moment.
May my heart be calm & open.

Charles Kasler

Ultimately we just have one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace,
and to reflect it to others. The more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.

Etty Hillesum

We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our touch, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.

e.e.cummings

What lies behind you and 

what lies before you 

are tiny matters compared to what lies within you.

Ralph Emerson Thoreau

Let go of the ways you thought life would unfold;
the holding of plans or dreams or expectations . Let it all go.

Save your strength to swim with the tide.  The choice to fight what is here before you now will only result in struggle, fear, and desperate attempts to flee from the very energy you long for. Let go.

Let it all go and flow with the grace that washes through your days, whether you receive it gently or with all your quills raised to defend against invaders. 

Take this on faith:  the mind may never find the explanations that it seeks, but you will move forward nonetheless.

Let go, and the wave's crest will carry you to unknown shores, beyond your wildest dreams or destinations.

Let it all go and find the place of rest and peace, and certain ransformation.

Danna Faulds

Release the harsh and 

pointed inner voice. 

It's just a throwback to the past, and holds no truth about this moment.

Let go of self-judgment

and the old, ways of beating yourself up for each imagined inadequacy.

Allow the dialogue 

within the mind to grow friendlier, and quieter. 

When you shift out of inner criticism, life suddenly looks very different.

Release the voice

that refuses to acknowledge the real you. What's needed here isn't more striving toward the illusion of perfection.

What is needed is intimacy - seeing clearly, and embracing what you see.

Love, not judgment, 

sows the seeds of tranquility and change.

Danna Faulds