How do you live your yoga?
Breathe
Inhale
Exhale
Notice
Breathe
Find
Ease
Accept
Breathe
Live how you do your yoga.
Notes: I have been wanting to try a skinny poem since I discovered the form at Reflections on the Teche. A skinny is a poem of eleven lines. Lines 1 and 11 may be any length, though shorter is better. The words in Line 1 are used again in Line 11, though the order can be changed. Lines 2-10 can only be one word, and lines 2, 6, and 10 repeat. I found it a meditative, calming form, a nice fit for a poem about yoga. More research revealed that the skinny was originally developed by Truth Thomas as a form that “generally reflects more serious concerns facing humankind.”
Photo credit: “yoga sunset” CC-BY Steven Sim flickr.com
I haven’t been fitting in yoga time lately and I miss it terribly. This skinny reminds me that I can have yoga anytime I need it.
Yes! I try to start every day with yoga–improves the whole day!
Great poem! I need to get back into yoga. And you inspire me to write my own skinny poem. I loved Margaret’s too.
Skinnies are fun to write–though a little more challenging than I expected. I will probably write another one at some point this month.
Yes, they are more challenging than I expected as well!
Love yoga and your poem. It fits the practice of yoga perfectly. I did not know the pattern of a skinny poem. Now I need to try this, too.
It’s an interesting form–and the sample poems at the website I linked to are quite powerful.
OK, two firsts for me tonight. I have never done yoga and I have never heard of a skinny poem. I might like to try one of the two, maybe not yoga, because I’m really, really, really uncoordinated!
The skinny is fun to work with. I am also not the most coordinated person, but yoga has helped with that!
This format is new to me, but I like it. I have taken many iyengar yoga classes over the years. I know I should have a daily program, but I usually only end up doing it when my body starts to complain about one thing or another.
Ha, I have started and stopped many times over the times too. Body complaints were why I started doing it again in December, then challenged myself to a daily practice in January, and then just kept on going. It’s become an essential part of my day now.
I really like how the skinny poem works for yoga. Now I’m wondering what other topics might lend themselves to this form.
I was very surprised to discover that many of the sample poems at the website I link to focus on social justice issues, protest, etc. Made me think it might be a powerful form to share with students.