Love Life

Smile. Laugh. It’s life. It’s here for us to enjoy each and every day.
Indulge your senses each and every day...
See the dragonflies, the red tailed hawks, and the bald eagles with its eaglets
See the bees pollinating the flowers, the hummingbirds that hover in front of your face.
Hear the music of children’s laughter, the babbling of a stream nearby.
Hear the orchestra of the crickets and drum beats of the frogs.
Smell the imminence of rain, freshly cut grass, the dirt of a freshly aerated garden
Touch the soft quills of an evergreen, the grass beneath your feet, the soft skin of your baby’s face.
Roll around in the richness of Mother Earth in the prairies, the oceans, and the rivers.
Taste the warm chai teasing your taste buds with every tantalizing spice, the dark chocolate that elevates your consciousness, and the fresh berries that burst their fullness with every chew
Feel the sweet hug of your child, the love of a child and mother, the love of the divine.
Be life, love life. Transcendence is yours, just reach out and grab it.

by Vaishalee Patel

The Yogic Tree of Life…Of Love.

You stand.
With grandeur, with mesmerizing strength
In the present, in the Now
The only way you know how
Your octave of hues allures nature
All are enamored by your expansion
Your seven roots are cupping your tears
Emanating to the higher realms
Your power is in You
You smile, you love, you hold sweetly
Your beauty transcends worldly realms to be enjoyed by all
Your aura is for all lovers of life, unending and unconditional
Your physical manifestation is to be held, to be touched
Your open vulnerability brings in conversations, laughter
Your overflowing love heals those that connect with you
Those that behold your beauty, are with you, and unite
Learn from you the meaning of Life, the purpose.
Love, Love, Love
Giving, Only giving
That’s all you know
Ah! Sweet Divine Love
Thank you Tree of Life…Oh Tree of Love

by Vaishalee Patel

The Science of Breath
by Vaishalee Patel

  Remember the last time you were surprised at something? Remember the last time you were very sad? What do you remember about your breathing in these instances? Was it quick, short and irregular? Now remember the last time you were sitting on the beach or by a pool completely relaxed. What do you remember about your breathing in these instances? It was probably very relaxed, regular, slow and deep. Why is that?  Why does our breath reflect our emotions and our state of mind? This is because the breath is our direct connection from our mind to our bodies. No detours, completely direct path from mind to body. And the best part is that we have control over it! Which means that we have can have complete control over our mind. If we can control our breath, we can control our mind and physical reactions to our external stimulus.
  The basis of understanding our breath is to understand how to breathe properly. Yes, properly. We were born breathing the proper way and as we passed the age of 7 or 8, most of us have allowed external stress to change the way we breathe. Everyone is born breathing diagrammatically. Specifically, this is using the diaphragm muscle to fill and empty the lungs fully and completely. The diaphragm muscle lies beneath the lungs and its primary function is to help you breathe properly. This manifests physically as “belly breathing.” The belly rises as lungs fill with air and the belly falls as the lungs empty. It makes logical sense that our body would expand when we inhale and contract as we exhale. If you have seen a baby breathing, its belly moves up and down.

When we breathe in this manner, our parasympathetic nervous system kicks in and all our systems in our bodies operate more efficiently. What does this mean in our bodies? Our heart rate slows down, blood pressure decreases, organs operate more efficiently, metabolism increases, we heal faster from injury, our immune system is stronger and our muscles relax in our entire body. In our minds, emotions that might be causing stress in our bodies tend to subside. So, by just breathing diagrammatically we can bring our emotions under our own control and balance our mental state. Overall, we just feel better.
  Most of society breathes in an “upper chest” manner where the chest rises and the belly contracts as we inhale and the chest falls and belly expands when we exhale. When we breathe in this shallow manner, only a portion of our lung capacity is used and most of the carbon dioxide stays in our lungs and in our bodies instead of being exhaled out. This causes fatigue, increases toxins and wears us down. Also, the sympathetic nervous is activated, our flight and fight response is activated, muscles tighten in our whole body and our posture suffers. Emotions are heightened and seem to get “out of control”. Adrenaline rushes in our whole bodies, all of our systems are in high alert mode which causes us to age faster.
  It’s so simple, so tangible. Such a simple thing as breath. The study of the breath is based in science and is easily understood by studying our bodies. Practicing diaphragmatic breathing regularly each day, even for just 5-10 minutes a day can make a very positive impact on our overall health. Take control of your health and enjoy breathing.

The Divinity of Love
by Vaishalee Patel

The buzzing of the bees fills my ears
I close my eyes hearing the buzzing throughout my body
As my heart pulsates and my chest heaves with joy
Imagining the love that draws them to the celestial flower that holds the immortal nectar
And the result of this love…golden sweet honey.
 
I hear the soft rustling of the grass and I lift my eyes
Camouflaged in the trees, I watch a doe and deer rubbing their bodies together
Then turning their noses to each other and playfully kissing
Secretly proclaiming their love for each other.
 
My ears caught my attention as I heard the flapping of large wings
I look up and see two bald eagles gently land on a tree branch
So gracefully they stare out to the world
Then turn to each other, mates for life
Rubbing their feathers together, their beaks touching gently
Showing the world their display of love.
 
A splash of water reaches my face, fresh and invigorating
I glance out to see where the splash came from
The beautiful arc of the two swans as they intertwine their necks
Forming a perfect heart
Swiftly their feathers fan out at the same time
Indicating their height of love.
 
As I closed my eyes to absorb the love in the air
a tickle on my forearm gently stirs me
I quickly open my eyes and look down at my arm at a sight
That gives me goose bumps and shivers all over
In exact opposite directions,
Two magnificent blue dragonflies mating
I could see the love in their eyes for each other
And the movement of their bodies in perfect harmony.
 
Such magnificent love in the groves of nature
Stirs the heart of a lover
The Divinity of Love resides in each atom of Nature
Open your heart and experience the sweetness of Love
Without Love, there is no life.

Exhilaration of Savasana
by Vaishalee Patel

Make the time. It is Your birthright.
Calmly and peacefully, lay down gently on your back on a welcoming surface.
Feel the backside of your body touch the warm surface
Give yourself permission to sink, sink, sink even deeper.
Spread your arms out like an angel
Feel the gross muscles of the arm as they hold the arms out
Pull the arms into your body, imagining you are a soldier
Noticing both arm positions and the effort required to hold the arms in place
Now…move your arms out to the point where you feel like your arms are floating
Repeat the same with your legs, finding your balance.
Be at complete ease with your body,
Allowing your body to be a gift to the earth.
Now move your thoughts to your breath, your life force.
Watch the rise and fall of the waves of your breath
Smooth, peaceful and calming undulations that encompass your entire being
Feel the waves in every part of your body
Allow the mind to connect to each ebb, each flow.
Riding the waves of blissful energy that is permeating your every atom.
Enjoy falling in love with your Self….again.

A Walk in the Woods
by Vaishalee Patel

I went to the woods thinking I was going for a nice walk in Nature. It started out wonderfully. Then, something happened…the winds changed. I heard the wind rustling through the leaves, making its own melody. Something took over my whole being. I started dancing. Listening, walking, dancing with the music of Mother Nature. Every limb of my body was under the control of this trance. I had lost all touch with the concepts of time and space. All I could hear is Mother Nature’s orchestra and my body responded with emotion and feeling. Ahh, aesthetic arrest.
Dancing in the woods
Mother Nature is orchestrating
A tune filled with love
My eyes flutter here and there, right and left
My fingers follow my glance
My lips curve into a radiant smile
My heart is open and unscathed, pouring out love
Wind, trees, vines are my willing props
Birds, butterflies, dragonflies are my captive audience
My hips sway softly in melody
My limbs move gracefully in rhythm
The story of my dance begins to unfold
My hands clench my heart
Time and space have vanished
Dance, movement, emotion, music envelop my being

• Now, now and only now