When My Earth Body Remembers
A collection of recent (and not-so-recent) poems
Hello divine being,
In turbulent times where people resort to violence, remember to pay attention. Look into the details and beyond the distraction. There are much more severe things happening under the surface that will never make a headline. Now is the time to remember how you can pay attention, beyond the media and beyond the chaos. In a country being flipped on its head: look up at the sky, fill your mind with flowers, and remember to embrace even the tinniest blade of grass in front of you. Our attention is our superpower. When we gaze upon the Earth with attention, it is a radical act of coming home. Coming home to our hearts, so we too can breathe deeply with the Earth once again. (Thank you to Dr. Vasat Lad1 for the inspiration to write the intro in this way. I recently had the honor of attending his lecture at The Ayurvedic Institute and was very moved by his gentle graceful way of teaching.)
There is no one responsible for bringing peace to Earth except you.
close your eyes open your ears melt your body let the sounds of the wind penetrate your being let the raindrops touch your skin water is life rain is a celebration not an inconvenience soften soften soften let go of your mind for one single second merge with the rustling leaves they're saying hello root root root the body needs to be rooted in order for the mind to fly listen listen listen open you ears close your eyes aaahhhhh.....
— May 2, 2025, I wrote this poem as a gentle reminder to myself when I needed it that night. When we close the eyes, we soften. When we open the ears, we remember.
blissful living is a life free from compulsion free from indulging in every desire blissful living is a life full of discipline full of purification of the senses so the mind can be free and the spirit can shine blissful living is a life of deep breaths of moments of stillness to connect to your true self blissful living is a life lived away from the screens it is a life full of presence blissful living embraces death in order to truly live
— September 25, 2024, Another poem as a reminder to myself that my actions and choices affect every single moment that has yet to happen. The only time to come into contact with blissful living is through choices made in the present moment.
each time i look at the stars i have more questions than answers each time i look at the stars i know less each time i look at the stars i feel more each time i look at the stars the unquantifiable universe winks at me reminding me how small we are one thought is 0.000000001th of a grain of sand in relation to the universe each time i look at the stars i get closer to my true self i feel my past and my future with great equanimity each time i look at the stars i wonder how lucky i am to be here right here in this body in this time in this place looking at the stars
— December 30, 2024, When the skies cleared and the weather was bearable enough to go outside for a few moments to look at the stars.
when i remember my breath i remember my body when i remember my body i remember the Earth when i remember the Earth i remember i am never truly alone and when i remember this i remember God and my heart fills with peace i begin to trust the divine unfolding of it all i offer my afflictions when i can't seem to loosen their grip i listen to what God has to say through the Earth through my body and through my breath i listen when i remember
— June 17, 2025
It only takes 10 deep breaths to change our entire state of being. 10 deep breaths to reconnect to our higher selves and the truth that lies beyond the surface. I used to think healing was complicated, that I needed very specific herbs and very specific practices to heal me, but this is only one side of the story. Most of us can heal by simply using the breath. Dr. Vasat Lad this past week spoke about how the breath is prayer and it stuck with me.
To heal our trauma all we have to do is pay attention to the breath, to sit with the breath. Western culture makes us think we need to sit in hours of therapy, counseling, and do intense breath work to heal our trauma…but this is not always the case. When we sit with the breath, we bring presence to the breath, and the breath becomes prayer. As Dr. Lad said “there is no one under the sun who does not have trauma”. We all have trauma and it is almost certain we’ll have more trauma in the future. Even the subtlest glance can make an impression that stays with us, but when we honor the breath and the stillness inside we can dissolve our trauma. It’s still there, but the charge is gone. We become equanimous with it, there’s no more trigged states or reactions. This sentiment about the breath touched me deeply, so I wanted to share it here.
In times like we’re living through today, the breath is a prayer back home. The breath is a sacred tool that every single human has access to. It can feel uncomfortable to breathe deeply when you never have before…I know because I am walking this path. I am healing shallow breathing that only went into my lungs. To breathe into the stomach deep and expansive is new. Yet the beauty lies in every step of this journey because as I reconnect to my breath, I reconnect to the peace, stillness, love, and grace that has always been within in. I reconnect to myself before any trauma or triggers, and I remember what is real and what is true.
Please, take this time to breathe fully and deeply into your belly for 10-15 breaths. Close your eyes. Feel the breath fill your stomach, abdomen, chest, and throat. Notice how you feel after. It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting on your phone or on the train or lying down in bed, this small act of taking time to breath deep throughout the day has a profound effect on the way you live. True living is possible when we remember the breath. In times like today, when we remember our breath, it is a radical act that pulls us back into presence.
I wish for your days to be filled with more moments of presence, joy, and ease.
Much love,
Emilie