Funerals can truly be augmented by a poem that is apt and fitting for the person you have just lost. The following list of funeral poems about yoga are perfect for those who found solace in the spiritual nature of yoga and meditation.
In Blackwater Woods
by Mary Oliver
Look, the trees
are turning
their own bodies
into pillars
of light,
are giving off the rich
fragrance of cinnamon
and fulfillment,
the long tapers
of cattails
are bursting and floating away over
the blue shoulders
of the ponds,
and every pond,
no matter what its
name is, is
nameless now.
Every year
everything
I have ever learned
in my lifetime
leads back to this: the fires
and the black river of loss
whose other side
is salvation,
whose meaning
none of us will ever know.
To live in this world
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.
On Yoga
by Mark Gregory
It is more than just a pose,
More than breathing in and out.
It is a journey to the soul,
A quieting of doubt.
It’s the linking of the mind,
To the whispering heart,
A practice of becoming whole,
And never being apart.
Release
by Mark Gregory
Upon this mat, I meditate,
On life’s fleeting grace,
In mindful movement, I create,
A sanctified space.
With every pose, a letting go,
Of what I cannot keep,
This practice helps me overcome
The price of loss, so steep.
The breath, a constant teacher,
Reminds me to release,
To live in mindful presence,
And find in death, a peace.
To access our full list of funeral poems, click here.
All poems featured on this website are free to use during any ceremony, although it is good practice to make sure the author is mentioned, if known. Should you require a celebrant for your ceremony, be it a funeral, a wedding, a naming ceremony or something else, feel free to get in touch. I am a double award-nominated Family and Funeral Celebrant covering the entire UK, and would be happy to help you commemorate in a meaningful and personal way.
