I run daily.  It’s one of my forms of yoga.  But recently I’ve traded concrete for the sand along the shore.  I still listen to my dance music but I often swap that too for the soundtrack of the waves. 

Calm while in motion.  Balance.  Yoga.

I’ve been picking up rocks, not many sea-shells along this part of the Pacific.   I hold them as I run.  It gives me a place to ground my energy while in that motion.  I notice how the stones change color as they dry, the way some of them hold shape and some of them crumble. 

I never thought how rocks could crumble.  But then again, where did they come from? 

Just like us, they came from bigger rocks.  We’re all little pieces that came from our parents and our parents’ parents, set off into the world to explore, skip and ultimately settle into stability.

It’s not often that I refer to people as rocks but there is a certain non permanence and permanence in rocks.  Just like people. 

Sometimes we are solid.  Sometimes we crumble.  Balance.  Yoga. 

Where exactly, are these stones off to?  How did they end up here?  What does it feel like to be carried by flow?  What does it feel like to be still?  How does it feel to be carried by or lend support to being the foundation for something bigger? 

Well, how does it make us feel?

I focus on the little rock when my feet get heavy or challenged by a slope of sand dense and difficult to pass through.  I squeeze the rock and am happy it’s there to be squeezed. 

Sometimes, all you need is a squeeze. 

I release the squeeze when my feet move with the rhythm of my breath and intention rather then just muscles engaged in action.

Sometimes, all you need is to let go and release. 

It’s an altogether different feeling.  

Expansion and contraction…balance, yoga.

Each stone has a story, scars from sand, it’s interaction with other rocks, it’s journey from sea to shore. 

Each of us has a story, scars from life, our journey to exist, make our mark, survive and thrive.  

Lately, I’ve been bringing these stones back home with me one run at a time.

I think about teaching.  I think about each one of my students.  Some, I know very well, some, I have yet to meet. 

I think about how unique all of us are as students and stones.  After each run, I bring my little findings home. 

A present to be present.

Simple really. 

So today, I’ve brought them to share with you.  Cleaned thoroughly of course with organic soap and water.

And now it’s up to you to decide it’s purpose.

A simple little thing, not so simple.

It’s up to us to decide how much power we like to put into anything we focus our minds on. It’s from that focus that we can expand, our intention, passion, light for life, goals, effort and energy.  Balance.  Yoga.

For the purpose of this rock meditation, many of us don’t have spaces in our homes to sit and meditate.  We can use this little stone as a gentle reminder to just be, if just for a moment , a deep inhale and exhale. 

For me, I have a little stone I simply look at on my kitchen counter and it reminds me to take breathe deeply or to keep it together.  Solid as a rock.

Use this little symbol as your touchstone, a unique representation of who you are and how you are in the world.

Or, you can choose to toss it back to sea or back at me if I hold you in a pose too long.

Over the next few minutes, hold your little stone and watch the thoughts in your mind like waves in the ocean.  Let the breath be slow and deep.  If something comes up for you that is challenging, scary or tough, give the stone a little squeeze. 

Let the stone be an offering to yourself, a present to remain present for the next few moments. 

Use it within the practice as a reminder of your purpose, if you lose your breath or if you lose your way. 

Tune into it with touch or sight, hold it with your hand or gaze as we hold a posture, strengthen, balance or rest.