Lifecycle of a Yoga Class

I start folded into myself, looking inward.
I strech my limbs, open my eyes, become present
to the world around me in that moment.
I flex muscles to loosen the divine energy in my spine.
I contract, relax, contract, relax in an alto rhythm.
I hold my hands up and out to invite in the universe.
I bow down to its vastness and complexity.

Then, I struggle with the smallness of my inner world,
with the confines of the circle of influence I have ascribed to.
I am visited by the familiar ghosts from my past.
I let go and release in the gloriousness of my breath.
I feel the power of my youth come alive.
Mind and body move as one in a beautiful dance.
I find the center of my source for but a fleeting moment.

I stumble, then recover, renew my intention.
I push the limits of my physical body.
I accept the wondrous complex of blood, bone, nerve and muscle
for what it is, and all the changes it has undergone.
I begin to see the infinite possibilities of that that has never changed.
Time moves forward in its unrelenting march, but I am still.
I die.
I am born.