fingers of forest interspersed with fingers of pasture -- the hidden & the exposed -- two kinds of danger: being seeable & being unable to see. is the mind fearful of being exposed the same as the mind fearful of being confined?
bounded by city:
look up to boundless sky,
& the mind soars.
What brings you peace?
Being in the now, and feeling – but not feeding – emotional sensations.
What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?
Awareness. It’s the only thing I take in the shower or through the metal detectors, or to every place I go – regardless of widely varying customs, rules, and etiquette.
Diet: high fiber / low junk
Movement: frequent and varied (includes: yoga, calisthenics, running, swimming, and functional movement)
Mental: breathwork, yogic dispassionate witnessing, and gratitude awareness
Rest: Build in regular and redundant rest throughout the living process
Of all the masters & all the slaves,
I find that mind fire burns in waves.
And sometimes the emotions derail
too quickly to lengthen the exhale.
Trees falling in the forest, unheard,
can still crush a nest of baby birds.
Turns out it's not the sound that matters,
but what the destruction leaves in tatters.
The phrase “Queen of Slaves” comes from a Percy Bysshe Shelley poem (Canto 4, No. 24)
Feel the breeze upon your face.
Let it be all you know.
Don't ponder atmospheric lows.
Just feel the breeze upon your face,
and know:
There is a breeze.
(Though it may not be
what you think it is.)
You have a face.
(Though it may not be
what you think it is.)
Buddha statue: what would its reflection in my eyes look like?
Mindfulness in Wild Swimming: Meditations on Nature & Flow by Tessa Wardley
Tiger Riding for Beginners 