Find Your Middle Ground

* Yoga’s Reach

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nature within yoga
Photo by Victor Tondee Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

It is a wonder
how a simple stretch
deepens breath,
and an elegantly held pose
grows to touch the
whole of me.

Like sugar stirred into tea,
the potency
of yoga spreads
from body into mind
and heart, revealing
an ocean of energy
that heals and opens,

holds me close
and sets me free
all in the same moment
~ Danna Faulds. Taken from “From Root to Bloom”

This is a wonderful time to open, stretch, breathe and melt,  like sugar stirred into tea. 😊

Thanks to Danna Faulds for this inspiration.

33 responses to “* Yoga’s Reach”

  1. Healing Grief Avatar
    Healing Grief

    Yoga is all these gifts and more. Beautiful. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      I hope you are having an upward facing uplifting day Karen! Thank you for sharing the goodness 💛

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  2. Kamila Pala Avatar
    Kamila Pala

    Great! I like Yoga very much. Bye. Kamila

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Thank you Kamila 💛 Me too!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. Dan Antion Avatar
    Dan Antion

    Looking at that image, I hear things cracking 🙂 Nice job on this

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Smiling … I hear you Dan 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. Jill Weatherholt Avatar
    Jill Weatherholt

    Excellent! I could use a few stretches this morning. I’m laughing at Dan’s comment. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      I expect you could hear him from where you are too! You both made me chuckle this morning. I’m off to teach and get a few of those creaks out for myself and others!

      Like

      Reply
  5. vanbytheriver Avatar
    vanbytheriver

    Like honey in that tea. 💖

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Yum. Thank you Van 💕

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  6. Infinite Living Avatar
    Infinite Living

    Beautiful and true!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Thank you 💛

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. Eliza Waters Avatar
    Eliza Waters

    Nice…beautifully put. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Thank you Eliza. I love Danna Faulds work
      💝

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. smilecalm Avatar
    smilecalm

    sweet reminder to
    get off this chair
    & stretch out 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Enjoy the space David!

      Like

      Reply
  9. David Kanigan Avatar
    David Kanigan

    Inspired!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      🌅

      Like

      Reply
  10. D. Wallace Peach Avatar
    D. Wallace Peach

    Lovely poem, Val, and the image that you chose to go with it is perfect. Happy Sunday 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Thank you D. 🙏

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  11. Tiny Avatar
    Tiny

    Very beautiful poem! Love the image too. Happy Sunday,Val 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Thank you Helen. I hope our Sunday was a good one 💕

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  12. Vicki Flaherty Avatar
    Vicki Flaherty

    Love Danna Faulds! And your blog, Val!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Thanks so much Vicki for your kind words. May we all continue to connect and inspire 💛

      Like

      Reply
  13. Minuscule Moments Avatar
    Minuscule Moments

    Val I miss my yoga, after having a melanoma and seven stitches in my back (thankful they found it in time). I have been told no yoga until my stitches come out next week. I am feeling flat and I guess it gives me pause as to how much the yoga has changed my daily life. The poem is beautiful, thanks for sharing it. Can’t wait to get back into stretching. The meditation comes better after moving and stretching.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      I hope you heal well Kath 💛
      Yoga will always be there for us to nourish and replenish. Enjoy your coming back 🐥

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  14. Minuscule Moments Avatar
    Minuscule Moments

    Thank you Val I am amazed at how important the breathing is, I never got it when I was young and tried to push my body to do all the hard stuff. Now I am in a class with a fabulous teacher who has taught me its all about the breath and its not a competition. You do what you can do and remember to be present in that moment. May I ask if you have any meditations for an active mind at night time?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Thank you Kath for sharing here 💛
      When my mind is active at night my go-to practice is a mantra meditation with my breath. I take conscious diaphragmatic breaths and say to myself “I inhale peace” “I exhale release”… After a while, as I relax and let go on the exhales, I allow the breath to be more natural and it becomes a gentle slow wave of “peace…release”.
      I usually nod of to this.
      Some people also like the sound of waves to soothe and release at bedtime.
      xo

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Minuscule Moments Avatar
        Minuscule Moments

        Thank you Val I will give this a go, I was using the breath but did not have any thought to go with it.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  15. wandersofayogi Avatar
    wandersofayogi

    Beautiful inspiring post, thank you for sharing. Yoga is such a great journey that I am sometimes laking words to describe the consciousness and the feelings it reveals. Chat son xx.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Thank you for your kind words. It’s lovely to meet others on a similar journey 🙏

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  16. Meghan Capps Avatar
    Meghan Capps

    This is beautiful!

    Like

    Reply
    1. Val Boyko Avatar
      Val Boyko

      Thank you so much Meghan 💛

      Like

      Reply

I’d love to hear from you …

● About Me

My name is Val Boyko, a dual citizen living near Philadelphia, originally from Scotland.

This blog came to life one morning in 2013.  I woke up with these words in my mind:  “Life is a series of highs and lows. Be grateful for the highs. Be graceful in the lows. And find contentment in your Middle Ground.”

Find Your Middle Ground blog started to explore, reflect, ask deep questions, share insights about awakening, and connect with wonderful people like yourself. Thank you for being here and being such an inspiration.

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