Yoga and Poetry: Poetry as Meditative Practice

I received some wonderful questions on my YouTube channel the other day from Jessica. She asks: I’m curious how you read poetry. I borrowed a Mary Oliver book from the library and started reading it. It doesn’t impact me the same way they do when you read them in class. Any tips? Flip open to a random page? Read from start to finish ? Thanks, Melissa.

These are great questions. How do you read poetry so that it comes alive? Why does it come alive when I read it in class? Why was a Mary Oliver poem not enough on its own?

These are questions that I answer in this Yoga Lifestyle video, where we explore poetry as a meditative practice.

What happens when we enter into a meditative space? We take some time to prepare our bodies and minds to receive the poetry. Maybe you feel the earth underneath you, you align your body, you slow your breathing, you feel the space in your body and you take a few breaths.

Then you turn your attention to the page. Now notice what it is like to receive this poem in an open and spacious way. Is it different?

I have more tips in this video below on how I read poetry to you in our yoga classes, so be sure to click play and watch the entire video.

Our community is filled with so much wisdom. How do you read poetry? Let me know in the comments below.

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