Making Journeys Together
Making Journeys Together
by Carolyne Van Der Meer
In 2017, not long after moving into the neighbourhood, I walked into Luna Yoga for the first time. It was the beginning of a long journey with the mat—accompanied by amazing instructors and a kind and compassionate community. That same year, some months after my first visit, I launched my second collection of poetry, Journeywoman, which is also about journeys. I’ve written several other collections since, but this one was particularly special because I was on a path of exploration—of poetry and of much more: what is it to be a woman of a certain age? Who are we after motherhood? Where does illness fit in and how does it shape us? What do we learn from physical journeys, trying out new spaces, processing new inputs? We can ask all these questions on the yoga journey too, it seems to me.
When I told Jenn and Shannon about how my poetry and yoga journeys had serendipitously coincided, they asked me to write a blog to introduce Journeywoman, which will be available in the Luna boutique for the holiday season. So it is with gratitude that I am writing this guest post.
When you’re a poet, seeing parallels and coincidences is part of the job. And honestly, it is with joy that I look for them. I’ve already made the first connection: the yoga journey and the poetry journey—but there are so many more. For example, for me, yoga is a kind of poetry—a harmonious peaceful way for the body to move, expression through poses, combined with quiet strength and determination. Writing poetry in this day and age, when for many it seems an antiquated and difficult-to-access art form AND it competes with the instant gratification of social media and other virtual hits—is also a game of quiet strength and determination. It is also a dance of harmony and peaceful movement—through words.
Journeywoman may not be about yoga, but many of us who meet in the studio each day have walked some of paths I explore in these poems. It is a space in which to contemplate love and loss, pain and illness, family and relationships, spirituality and faith—and movement. Want to take a journey with me?
I have been writing poetry most of my life, but only began doing it seriously—that is, with an eye on publishing my work—about 20 years ago. Since then, I have written five full-length collections and two short collections, published with various Canadian publishers. You can learn more about them here: https://www.cvdmcommunications.com/books. When I am not writing poetry, I am writing for clients in my small, one-woman show PR consultancy. And as for yoga, like I said, it’s a journey—one I’ve committed to for the long haul. See you in the studio, I hope.
