Rosalind Arden Somatic Therapy

Rest in Peace, Coleman Barks.

Whoever Brought Me Here

All day I think about it, then at night I say it.
Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing?
I have no idea.
My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that,
and I intend to end up there.
This drunkenness began in some other tavern.
When I get back around to that place,
I’ll be completely sober. Meanwhile,
I’m like a bird from another continent, sitting in this aviary.
The day is coming when I fly off,
but who is it now in my ear who hears my voice?
Who says words with my mouth?
Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul?
I cannot stop asking.
If I could taste one sip of an answer,
I could break out of this prison for drunks.
I didn’t come here of my own accord, and I can’t leave that way.
Whoever brought me here, will have to take me home.
This poetry. I never know what I’m going to say.
I don’t plan it.
When I’m outside the saying of it,
I get very quiet and rarely speak at all.
Rumi. Trans. Coleman Barks

“When I simply am, it’s interesting how good I can feel.”
— Diane Musho Hamilton

This isn’t a statement about happiness as an achievement. It’s a recognition of what’s already here when we stop pushing, fixing, or narrating ourselves.

So much of our suffering comes from the belief that something needs to change before we can be at ease. But when we pause long enough to simply be—to feel the body breathing, to notice the room we’re in, to let go of the next improvement project—we often discover a quiet sense of okay-ness underneath the striving.

Practice isn’t about manufacturing a better experience. It’s about noticing how much is already working when we stop interfering so much. This doesn’t mean life becomes perfect. It means we begin meeting life as it is, instead of as a problem to solve.

Sometimes the most radical act is not doing more—but allowing ourselves to rest in what’s already present.

That’s not resignation.
That’s wisdom remembering itself.

“Through the power of inner transformation, we can nurture the conditions for sustainable peace - within ourselves, within our communities, and within our shared global home.” – United Nations

🌍 Today, we’re celebrating World Meditation Day, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly to raise awareness about meditation and its benefits.

If you’d like to join a global community to practise mindfulness meditation, our weekday live online meditation sessions continue to run twice a day at 13:00 and 19:00 UK Time – including the 24 and 25 December 2025.

Maintain your practice with a warm, welcoming and international community – all are welcome 💛

Find out more and register 👉 https://oxfordmindfulness.org/live-online-meditations