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Happy July 12, 2023 – Mindfulness & Flow: Poetry & Simplicity Day
Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of a special Santosha and Mindfulness Summer Fun Month to align with July’s Anti-Boredom Month.
Today is also Simplicity Day, in honor of the Poet and Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau’s birthday. So, today’s fun activity will be reading and/or writing poetry in honor of Simplicity Day.
I grew up in the suburbs of Boston and have visited Walden Pond, which so inspired much of his work. Thoreau seems to have some Yogi tendencies himself, with his love of nature, isolated journey of self-discovery, and quotes like “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.” I believe this simplicity practice ties in with both Santosha/Contentment and Asteya/Non-Stealing. Please see the bottom of this post for one of my favorite Thoreau poems, and links to more!
Today is a simple Fun Practice. Check out this month’s Introduction for more on mindfulness, flow, and Tea Ceremony – my recommended substitute practice for any suggested daily Fun Practice this month you do not want to try. We will have 31 different practices and activities to at minimum beat boredom for Anti-Boredom Month, and hopefully help you experience a flow state.
Today’s Positive Practice suggestion
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to try today’s Anti-Boredom / mindfulness / flow Activity: Reading or writing poetry!
Writing Poetry
If you are new to writing poetry, you can try a more free form style like Thoreau uses below. You can also try another more structured style like Haiku, Limerick, or Concrete Poem. Or, check out this full intro to poetry writing! I recommend getting outside in nature to find inspiration for your poem’s topic and help with getting in-the-moment..
Reading Poetry
Thoreau has many great poems and quotes that relate to mindfulness and the present moment (including today’s quote). Or check out this collection of poetry on mindfulness.
I Am The Autumnal Sun
I am the autumnal sun,
With autumn gales my race is run;
When will the hazel put forth its flowers,
Or the grape ripen under my bowers?
When will the harvest or the hunter’s moon
Turn my midnight into mid-noon?
I am all sere and yellow,
And to my core mellow.
The mast is dropping within my woods,
The winter is lurking within my moods,
And the rustling of the withered leaf
Is the constant music of my grief….
Sometimes a mortal feels in himself Nature
— not his Father but his Mother stirs
within him, and he becomes immortal with her
immortality. From time to time she claims
kindredship with us, and some globule
from her veins steals up into our own.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
More Thoreau:
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More Positive Practices
Missed yesterday’s post? Read it here!
Related Positive Practices
Share your Practice
Please comment and share your experience with today’s practice. Were you able to find flow or contentment in the now? Always remember, be kind!
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