Thanks to Stella over at Shiny Yoga for inspiring this sweet post.
After reading Stella’s post, I stopped for a few minutes today and asked myself: what does home mean? What is home?
This is what came:
Home is about belonging, about security, about identity, safety, authenticity. Home is where you can be you, where the exterior can reflect the interior, and no questions of why anything is as it is will be asked.
Etymology: ME < OE hām, akin to Ger heim < Gmc *haim < IE base *kei-, to lie, homestead > hide, Gr keisthai, to lie down, rest, L civis, townsman, ON heimr, home, Goth haima, OHG heim: basic sense “place where one lies; dwelling” http://www.yourdictionary.com/home
Most of all, home is my refuge and sanctuary. Both moment of stillness and the watcher within. Me and where I truly belong. Home is yoga.
And coming home, these are the things that make home, home:
1. Laying in my bed at night
2. Putting my head on Gary’s shoulder before we go to sleep
3. Endless conversations with my daughter
4. That first cup of coffee in the morning
5. Hearing the butcherbirds singing first thing in the morning
6. My son’s sleepy, quiet hello in the morning
7. My dog spinning in circles when he sees me
8. Reading on the lounge or in bed
9. Baking on Sunday afternoons
10. Writing on the laptop at the dining room table
AnthroYogini 
‘Home’ is an interesting concept. For me, its always been more about people than places. Which means, for me some people feel like home. Not many, and I’m yet to be able to spend an extended amount of time with those who do feel like that for me.
I don’t have a long term partner or children, people who ‘belong’ to me (if anyone ever really belongs to another person). Its just mostly been me.
As a result, I’ve probably always had sense of home in just my own company. Something that has of course, grown with my yoga practice especially. But I think the seeds of it were always there.
And, I guess wherever I live, is home too. Until the gypsy curse causes me to move on once again!! But I’ve learned to create a relatively simple but comfortable place for me to live and feel comfortable. Even if I am always selling off/giving away my possessions!
Home for me, then, is:
* A reflection of the universe within people or places
* Somewhere I don’t have to think about how I’m perceived or what I should say/not say in order to avoid offending anyone
* My yoga mat
* Neverending pots of green or herbal tea
* Incense, prayer flags
* Sunrise
* The ocean and any mountain range
* And okay yes, my kitteh snoring very loudly or sitting next to me while I work
Love the kitteh snoring.
I find it interesting that for lots of people home is about being totally, and utterly uninhibited AND associated with being in one’s bed.
The etymology derived from Indo-European is also good -kei, meaning to lie down.
I guess that lying down and being uninhibited whilst sleeping (in a vulnerable and surrendering state) are the keys.
Think I just teleported into profundity. Thanks. Svasti.
I can so visualise yr dog spinning in circles, too sweet : )
x
Fourteen spins is the record. When we came home from holidays one year and: 14 consecutive spins!
It’s amazing that he didn’t get dizzy and fall over.
Hi, Amanda! did not know where else to leave this message but have very preliminary plans for my yoga tour of Australia, May 2010….can you get me to Alice Springs from Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane loop? 🙂 any yoga community there that would resonate with some yin-yang-mindfulness meditation classes? will give you the name of the woman who will coordinate….my email is yogagal60510 AT yahoo DOT com….shanti, girlfriend!
OK Linda, I’ll be in touch. I’m in the middle of 2 bush trips at the moment, so not around much til Wednesday. We’d love to have you up here.
Be in touch.
xx