Anapanasati

Essence of Sun and Earth by Vijali Hamilton

In silence I found her breathing,
feeling everything from the inside out--
the longing, the painful contractions
of trying to birth something
despite perimenopause.
But there was no need to labor,
to bring forth what was already here--
creative, intuitive knowing that
doesn’t just visit once a month
but each time she feels
the intimate flow of warm wind
from sky to earth chakra and back.
Breath as lover, best friend, savior
from all she has feared
to all she chooses to love.

(Note: Anapanasati is mindfulness of breathing.)