remember. repair. reset.
poems to breathe with, a Replay to stay with, & an incredible triple 'r' scroll
When you truly own your breath, nobody can steal your safety; you become your own peaceful dwelling.
the offering
today we stay
for one breath or a thousand
slower than our thoughts
and the world falling down
as i wonder why my insides are spinning
faster than the mad tea cups
day and night, night and day
is this normal?
inhale, it seems small
and so small, the exhale
i hear, i am small
a grown human interrupted, by her biggest thought.
every day i sink a bit
i fade a little
going going... but not gone
memory says, take in air
and it feels like breathing in the Universe
because it is,
no separation
mine yours his hers theirs everyone
even that lonely star
breathes
what whispers beneath
the noise.
like a massage,
soft flesh of fingertips grazing over hidden layers
like a message in a bottle
floating on lit-up, pulmonous sea
like a gentle reminder -
you know how to feel,
you know how to breathe
and like that moonshine dancing over you tonight, you know how to be....
just staying
it is trusting, it is loving
i feel grand
like, i am returning.
oh, there you are!
again on this ancient odyssey
one breath at a time
breathe in, breathe out
invisible, hushed, generous
like the voiceless prana of compassion
is this what this is?
me and my breath, sweetly suffering together, blowing our way home.
breath in atmosphere hums louder than the voices that misplaced the dream
stronger than the vibrating mind,
the burning of body parts,
the stress, the strain, the insensitive stance,
intimately i now know
freshness followed by melting away
this one little breath in,
this one little breath out.
today we stay
in the practice
with what is possible
be. here. now.
one human, one breath
one honest act of attention at a time
subtle, supple motion
moving everything this inner life holds, unfolds
you there
me here
grounded in feet hands hearts breath
what we have.
expansion of a small significant space
this is how we
repair. remember. restart.
ripe, rippling restoration of self,
today i breathe
and this, right in front of us,
is the offering
special note
I want to thank Rev. Kevin T. Taylor for sharing thoughts with me, especially this: “restoration is still possible, beginning with the small honest thing right in front of us.”
Here is the practice I offered last week in case you missed it or you want to stay with me again today.
“Do yourself a favor and spend 7 minutes in a deep meditative relaxation to the sweet voice of Danni Levy. It was just what I needed to reorient my nervous system in a very busy day.” - Amy Brown 🙏1
deep breaths are your way of whispering to yourself, i love you. i am here.
Everything becomes extraordinary when you add presence, including the breath. Mindful breath is like a plunge in cold waters on the hottest day of the decade. And not only when our life is hitting us with the hugest wave of the decade. No. Even a normal moment becomes spectacular when we breathe and really feel it coming in, going out, moving up, travelling back down.
Our breath - it is our most faithful companion, our greatest resource, the thing that we cannot survive even 5 minutes without. The thing we must remember to return to. Simple, without a price tag. Instant therapy. A fastpass to I am here. It will be okay.
‘I am here. It will be okay.’
Repeat these two phrases while you inhale and exhale and quadruple the prize. It feels like self-love on steroids.
Maybe we aren’t being called on to defend ourselves from the hugest impact right now, but as I told my sil the other day, we all have our stuff. We are all bobbing and weaving something. I literally do not know one person who is not dealing with some heighty wave right now. And as a world community, we are treading on guard between the rogues and the swells. Can you feel it? - our collective nervous system never fully relaxes, pinned up against a wall (often built with blame, shame, denial, so much hurt)… in this perpetual state of “fight, flight, mostly detach, distract.”
Can you feel the massive amounts of daily energy we are expending just to arrive at a hint of inner respite? Our sanity, our humanness - humanity - exists in a fragile equipoise.
the only thing sometimes i know the only thing i can do is choose to stay in this body, with this heart, words of trust on lips, feathery silent, a breath that tenderly holds, with delicate power, with weightless grace. sometimes i feel that sitting on my mat with the rebirth of light, praying in the pitch black of the night, finding a hopeful hand to hug my fickle finger around, writing faith on page over and over again - the only things tethering me softly still a seashell on the coastline, one of 8.3 billiontryingnot to be washed away. never to be washed away.
the remembering
We all need to take time to breathe. A deep full-being breath in, a big full-being breath out. But, with all our stuff, we are so forgetful. The remembering is often the hardest part and also the most important part of the practice. So we come here as often as we need to, to remember - in your preferred loveseat, in this space with me.
I am reminding us again, don’t forget your breath. Breathe, sweetie, breathe, feel your lungs smile - one honest, simple act, it is soothing to know what we can do.
the practice
Repeat this 3x with eyes closed or softened, and if it feels right, with one hand, fingers spread wide, over your heart.
Imagine other humans in other spaces doing this with you.
With this breath I create harmony within so it may guide my thoughts and emotions.
I honor this body, this breath in body, so that I may honor all Life with the joy of a devoted heart.
I remember to hold the holder today with this sweet breath.
Today, I remember me, I deeply and faithfully remember.
Let me know what touched you today. Maybe just my love. my heart reaching out towards yours, xo Danni
Ps I have been fasting this week - on day 7 today (if you have questions drop them in the comments or dm me. I love speaking about it) -so I had time to read more which I Love.
You really cannot be a writer without first being a reader. And you cannot fully enjoy being here (on Substack, in this life) without supporting other human emotions, experiences. voices. It was never meant to be ‘only me’. It is always about We. The reminder: We need one another as much as we need our breath. (I need you. And being able to freely say this feels extremely powerful)
Now here it is, mix & match, go where your heart takes you…
everything is an invitation to inhale, to exhale.
our remember. repair. restart. scroll
What Tiny Victories Make Possible That Big Breakthroughs Don’t by Rachel Macy Stafford
Why Knowing Better Doesn’t Mean Doing Better by Eleni Rizopoulou
The Stories I Tell Myself So I Can Keep Functioning by Karen Salmansohn4
I Performed For People Who Vanished The Second I Stopped Being Useful5
I Left America To Become A Better Writer. It Worked by Michael Mohr, shared by Kaila Krayewski
And may we also remember that everything belongs.
Body says oh says slow says no says woah I just can't go, oh Listen. Hold me. And I will hold you back.
Ahhh. I can feel the exhale and unwinding. There you are! I too have heard this many times as I forget to remember then remember to remember- with every breath
Thank you so much, Danni 🙏🏻 I am honored to be included in such a beautiful post.