Hanna

“I am happy. I am very happy. This morning when I woke up I felt good because the sun was shining. I felt good because I was a frog. And I felt good because I have you as a friend. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to think about how fine everything is.”
― Arnold Lobel, Days with Frog and Toad

“This is how it is to come near you
A wave of light builds in the black pupil
of the eye. The old become young.

The opening lines of the Qur'an open still more.
Inside every human chest there is a hand,
but it has nothing to write with.

Love moves further in, where language
turns to fresh cream on the tongue.

Every accident, and the essence of every being,
is a bud, a blanket tucked into a cradle,
a closed mouth.

All these buds will blossom,
and in that moment you will know
what your grief was,
and how the seed you planted has been miraculously,
and naturally, growing.

Now silence.
Let soul speak inside spoken things.”
― Rumi, The Essential Rumi

“My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there.”
― Rumi, The Essential Rumi

“In our studies we keep seeing how difficult it is for traumatized people to feel completely relaxed and physically safe in their bodies. We measure our subjects’ HRV by placing tiny monitors on their arms during shavasana, the pose at the end of most classes during which practitioners lie face up, palms up, arms and legs relaxed. Instead of relaxation we picked up too much muscle activity to get a clear signal. Rather than going into a state of quiet repose, our students’ muscles often continue to prepare them to fight unseen enemies. A major challenge in recovering from trauma remains being able to achieve a state of total relaxation and safe surrender.”
― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma