You Belong

belonging is who you are......

belonging is who you are......

Wildflowers

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, find you a lover
Go away somewhere all bright and new
I have seen no other
Who compares with you

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, go find a lover
Run away, let your heart be your guide
You deserve the deepest of cover
You belong in that home by and by

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worries
You belong somewhere you feel free
You belong somewhere you feel free
                                     ~Tom Petty

 

In honor of Tom Petty I thought I'd share the lyrics to one of my all-time favorite songs. You may have heard this in class before, it's on couple of my playlists. When I was going through one the lowest points in my life I would sing this song to myself. It was part metta(lovingkindness) meditation, part prayer and part pep talk. And just like a metta meditation, a prayer and a pep talk it help me to settle my mind, to open my heart and to carry on. So, a deep bow and many thanks to Tom Petty.
I didn't realize until many years later that the most powerful words in this song are 'You Belong.' Is there anything more painful or heartbreaking than feeling like we don't belong? One of the greatest gifts of a yoga and meditation practice is the dawning of the recognition that we belong, period. It's a crazy paradox that we can spend so much time and energy trying to fit in, trying to please people, striving for acceptance, approval & belonging, when the only way to true belonging is let go of all that striving. The truth is that belonging is not something that is bestowed upon us from the outside or something we need to earn or achieve. It is a realization that comes from within, from self-inquiry, self-acceptance and self-love. Belonging is who we are. It is a deep knowing that we are not separate and alone. We are connected to all that is.  Through the practices and teachings of yoga & meditation we learn to let go of all that striving for belonging in the outer world, which is the only way to learn to rest into our natural state that is always belonging, period.
Take a moment to listen to Wildflowers and feel free to sing along and make it a meditation, a prayer, a pep-talk or a matra ~ You belong!