There,
In the mine of your soul 
Is a gem 
Hiding in plain site.

Some say, go in and find it. 
And others say, go out to realize it.
Still some say wait for it to be revealed. 
And of course some say, no matter, no gem is there at all.

But in my experience, with out much of my own doing,
Life itself--chance--is the very thing 
That detonates the explosion in the sacred mine. 
Igniting a stream of cataclysmic events

From which you are left breathless. 
Obfuscated from your previous life.

But for the first time full of choice.

You can see the rubble 
As something burying you alive. 
Always living with the weight of chips on your shoulders. 
Always pushing the bricks away 
To get a mere glimpse 
Of the life you should be living.

Or you can see the rubble,
More as needed to sift and sort.
You can engage the crisis of your path forward. 
And its getting out, 
The very act making you a diamond.

I hope you always choose the crisis. 
Becoming the never before seen thing. 
That was hiding in plain site.

L.S.

Had it not been for the sister circle 
Who picked my obliterated Self
Off the cold ground 
When it was sinking below me
Like a hole,
In my darkest days,

When there was no ground for me to rest,
No place to anchor these feet,
They laid me on their hands and laps.

They turned my face to my child’s smile.
Then forced it into the sun.
Then held its heavy weight in the darkness.
As the river of little mothers 
Poured through every crevice.

Making room for the Truth. 
Unequivocal 
In its resplendent nature. 
Words of terror and sweetness both.

Then there was the rage. 
So they held me in a ring of fire. 
Until we were burnt 
And more alive. 
Twice born. 
Again.

Then came the ridiculous laughter. 
Howling as only a pack of wolves can 
When the full moon peaks out from behind the clouds.

And we simply go on repeating.
Taking turns
In the circle. 
Like the way we watch the moons unwavering, 
And always morphing radiance. 
Across the sky.

L.S.

Every body is a yoga body.
Any body can become acquainted with its inner terrain.
Sensation is the inner essence of any outer form.
You are the sovereign of your inner worlds sensory landscape. And if you have lost it, for whatever the reason, it is possible to reseat your thrown internally.

Any body is a beach body, a bathing suit ready body, a vacation ready body.
Any body is capable of High self regard, self appreciation and acceptance.
No one has the market share on your body's ability to enjoy life. And if you have lost that, for whatever reason, it is possible to reclaim your seat inside yourself. To carry your body along with your heart. To wear yourself well and beautifully. We call this Dignity. And it is yours for the resting into, no matter the hecklers and the haters. No matter the billboards and the ads. No matter the cultural norms.

It is our business to continue to demand appropriate representation of all bodies. While continuing to do the inner work of finding peace inside our skin regardless of the outer narratives around us. We are made by culture. But we also create culture.

Let's keep creating the culture we most desire.
One body at a time.

XO,
L