The Yoga Service Council is proud to share this inspiring poem by Sarah Plummer Taylor, a U.S. Marine veteran, author, wellness leader, and contributor to our forthcoming book, Best Practices for Yoga with Veterans. You can listen to Sarah read her poem by clicking here, and highly recommend that you do!
SUN SALUTES
Sun’s fingers reach
around the pavilion pillars,
through the trees,
over the hills
(pausing first, of course, to inhale the beauty of that recently swollen river and admire his own reflection along the way).
Light Breeze, he travels with the Sun,
and reaches, sweeps, dances
over the warriors, too,
as they breathe
stretch
and move.
Surely some of them – if not most – are seeing different scenes through their mind’s eye,
of fields like the ones near them now, but drier,
of hills, but flatter,
harsher, of wind beating them brittle,
bites more searing from bullets not bugs,
begging to bring them back,
back to somewhere not here.
A fidget ripples through the bunch,
they try to dislodge the begging,
their discomfort visible.
Then we wait…breathe
stretch
move.
A pause.
Again, the ripple.
We wait.
Breathe
stretch
move.
Repeat.
Breathe fellas!
Breathe in,
lift up.
Breathe out,
fold forward.
Ripple.
Repeat.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Then
they’re there: Here.
Now.
Even if for just an instant,
but Here they are,
beautiful.
Pain and hope, brothers in the same body,
as they finish their sun salutes.
The photo below is from the practice that inspired Sarah’s poem, teaching wounded warriors in the gorgeous Texas hill country.
Sarah Plummer Taylor, MSW, is an established leader in the field of resilience building and holistic wellness. She teaches veterans, busy professionals, students, and entrepreneurs how to find clarity and build stronger, healthier lives. A U.S. Marine veteran who deployed twice to Iraq, Sarah is the author of Just Roll With It: 7 Battle Tested Truths for Creating a Resilient Life, and a Contributor to the Yoga Service Council / Omega Institute’s forthcoming book, Best Practices for Yoga with Veterans. She is also the founder of SEMPER Sarah®, a national wellness practice.
Sarah’s work has been featured on Capitol Hill and in noteworthy news and entertainment outlets like the Katie Couric Show, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, MSNBC, and others. In addition to speaking, leading workshops, and providing individual and couple’s counseling and coaching through SEMPER Sarah®, Sarah gives back to organizations like Veterans of Foreign Wars, Team Red White & Blue, The Give Back Yoga Foundation, Comeback Yoga, and the Women Marines Association. Sarah lives in Denver with her husband and their two dogs.
Please note: The views expressed in YSC blog posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the YSC, its directors, officers, or members.