~ Paws ~ Here at the Solstice ~

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Ponderings, Poems & Practices
    for Living Your Brilliance!


Hello Beloved,

Here we are at the Solstice; the day where the sun stands still and then turns around to travel back from where it just came.    Winter Solstice for some of you; summer Solstice for others. 

Here in the Northern Hemisphere there are a myriad of rituals that celebrate the turning away from the dark and the return of the light.   Those are certainly rich and powerful, but this year I’ve become a little more interested in The Pause.

The Pause; that place of stillness and quietude that comes just before the turning.  The place that invites a rest.  Even if it’s just a second’s rest between the inhale and the exhale. Which leads me to go back to a practice I shared with you a couple years ago.    Simple, but not easy; contemplate the space where an inhale turns toward an exhale.

I’m re-sending that previous message to you with love.  May it encourage you to pause … for a breath; for a day; for a season.   Pausing can shift the Holidaze into Holy Days.

With Blessing to you on this Solstice,
Sharon

The past couple of weeks I’ve often been coming to the practice I’ve included below … Being present to the turning points of the breath. 

Sometimes I’ll met this practice with “serious” attention, like when I’m sitting in morning stillness. At other times I’m more spontaneous and drop in for a moment when my car is stopped at a traffic light or I’m in line at the market.  I’ve also found some fun ways to play with this practice. Those are at the end of this message. 

The breath, what an generous ally!  Enjoy!

                               ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 

~ Turning of the Breath Practice ~

Notice the Turning Points Between Each Breath
Become aware of the space where the inhale turns to exhale
and the exhale turns toward the next inhale.

In The Radiance Sutras, a version of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, Shiva and the Goddess are talking about this love play between a human body and the ocean of air ….

Enter these turning points,
Where the rhythms of life transform
Into each other.
Breath flows in, filling, filling,
In this moment, drink eternity.

Breath flows out, emptying, emptying,
Offering itself to infinity.
Cherishing these moments,
Mind dissolves into heart,
Heart dissolves into space,
Body becomes a vibrating field,
Pulsating between fullness and emptiness

This practice led me to became curious about how it would be to bring that quality of attention to the other “turning points” in my day…

Resting in the turning point where I move from sleep to getting out of bed…

Noticing the turning point when I take a break from writing this note to make dinner… 

Completing a project, before moving onto the next “to do’s”, is another opportunity to notice the space where a turning happens. 

I’m noticing sweet consequences of this practice.   
Explore and discover your own consequences!

With love and a luscious breath,
Sharon.