Earth and Ether
By: Lara Dustin Scriba
(2 min. read)
I roll out my mat and gently drop to my knees, assuming Child’s pose as an act of surrender.
Bringing my brow to the earth to slow down and connect. I do not know which direction to go, so I simply stop and become very still.
I exhale and sink deeper and deeper with each breath, the rhythm creating a steadiness within.
I hold onto the predictability of its existence, slowly soothing me from the inside out. Inhale, Exhale, Inhale, Exhale
I am here in this present moment, and that is enough.
I tap into my senses and begin to notice the cool breeze on my skin, the smell of the salty air, the intermittent sounds of fish breaking the water’s surface, and the boat gently rocking beneath me like a cradle.
Breathe and hold steady; this too shall pass. You will reorient yourself if you give yourself time.
Rise and fall, expand and contract. Moving purposefully in all four directions, my body becomes a compass, and I will find my way.
My shoulders are round, like fallen angel wings releasing towards the earth, heavy with burdens of the heart. I let them rest. I lose track of time, and the world melts away along with my worries.
Slowly, the urge to move builds, and I slowly stretch side to side, gently inviting movement into the smallest of spaces.
The dense nature of my being begins to open, lightness entering into the tiny cracks and crevices.
Rolling onto my back, twisting side to side, wringing out the stale and stagnant energy. Slowly, I begin to come alive.
Energy builds, and my breath deepens as I methodically flow from one posture to the next. My soul knows exactly where I need to go.
Rekindling the fire within, feeding it the oxygen it needs.
Inhale, move. Exhale, move. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
The steady energy of the earth secures me into place as my body begins to float between poses—tree, Dancer, Half Moon.
I am confident in the steadiness of my being, my place on this earth. I belong.
I am most definitely here, fully present. Each breath, each movement, commands my attention.
Coming full circle, I return to the earth, not for reprieve, but to rejoice. The movements begin to slow once again, but the breath comes easy now.
There is a spaciousness within that did not exist before—an invitation for connection beyond this earthly realm and expansion beyond the limitations of my physical body.
A beautiful dance between the polarities of earth and ether, I no longer desire to be anywhere other than right here. I have found my way; I have come home.
