Inspiring Limericks about Yoga and Meditation

Mystics and gurus of India have been practicing yoga since around 3000 B.C. Sometimes I’m amazed by how popular the practice has become in Europe and North America. Then it occurs to me that it took nearly 5,000 years to get here.

Meanwhile, limericks have been flowing through the poetry circles only since the 1800s. Just a couple of centuries later, and they’ve lost none of their appeal. It’s only a matter of time before some social media influencer in tight spandex latches on to the concept and starts promoting the use of limericks for holistic balance and spiritual wellbeing.

I hope the following series of limericks about yoga, meditation and mindfulness are able to trigger that revolution in consciousness.

In the Garden of Your Mind
Ideas all scattered like so many seeds
One thought is planted – Who knows where it leads?
All of them grow
So watch what you sow
The unfocused mind will run riot with weeds

East meets West

Peanut butter and jelly. East and West. The cosmic and the mundane. As much as we may try to hold them apart in our minds, the fact is that they belong together. The opposing balance results in something greater than the sum of the parts.

Essentially, this is what I do when I write limericks about mysticism, metaphysics, and the quest for Truth: Encouraging the union of opposites. If you’ve ever rubbed a smooth balloon against a fuzzy head of hair to produce a bit of electricity, then you know what I’m talking about.

The Joy of Sects
Far Eastern teachers say go for the ride
While Indian mystics they quiet the tide
To accept or release
They both find their peace
By plunging the bottomless puddle inside

Mindfulness practice

The object of meditation is to quiet the mind, to turn off the chattering monkey. Do you ever feel like you’ve got too many tabs open in your brain? Let’s see if we can close a few windows and remove some of those unnecessary news feeds.

In the spirit of meditation and mindfulness, may the following limericks bring you closer to that quiet place in which you become one with the big Buddha mind.

Right Mindfulness
Respect the true source and you surely will hear it
Only the wicked have reason to fear it
To obtain inner peace
Just learn to release
And never forget to be mindful in spirit

Vipassana
Meditation’s a method for clearing the air
A portable practice to take anywhere
So quiet your thought
And all you’ve been taught
Just breathe in the light and dissolve into prayer

All Quiet
Wisdom and silence, like brother and sister
Don’t speak too soon, you’ll be sorry you missed her
Practice your patience
To make their acquaintance
The greater the message the softer the whisper

The Sacred Breath
Be wary of thoughts that could lead you astray
Inhaling the Yah and releasing the Weh
Humbly receive it
No need to believe it
Just focus your mind on your breath as you pray

Sanctuary
The true path is badgered by goblins and such
Anger and envy can cripple us much
But quiet your mind
And perhaps you will find
The part of your heart that no demon can touch

Go in Peace

And like any worthwhile yoga session, I leave you with this.

Namaste
Take in your hand thy scepter and rod
Each of us here is perfectly flawed
Respect the divine
In your soul and mine
For none but a god can bow down to a god