Episode Transcript: S1E19: Your Soul is a River: Healing Through the Poetry of Nikita Gill
[00:03] Welcome back to Read, Reflect, Rise. I’m your host, Will Struthers-Cooper, teacher, wellbeing
[00:09] coach and word enthusiast. Each week I share a powerful excerpt from a leading voice in
[00:14] the world of healing and personal growth, then guide you through a moment of reflection
[00:19] to help you reset, reconnect and rise right in the middle of your real life. Whether you
[00:27] are listening on a walk, in the bath or while the kettle boils, this space is for you to pause,
[00:34] to breathe and to remember who you really are beneath it all. Today’s episode is a tender one.
[00:42] It’s about how we relate to ourselves, how we come home to ourselves after everything that life has
[00:48] thrown at us. We’re reflecting on the exquisite, deeply healing poetry of Nikita Gill and the
[00:54] ways that we can reclaim our own history, our stories and our softness.
[01:03] Nikita Gill is a British Indian poet, writer and playwright whose work has touched millions
[01:08] online and in print. You may have come across some of her words on Instagram before.
[01:13] Her books, often collections of poetry, include wild embers, fierce fairy tales and today’s focus,
[01:20] Your Soul is a River and they’re rich with themes of heartache, trauma, survival, softness,
[01:27] resilience and all about becoming whole again. What makes Nikita’s voice stand out is her ability
[01:33] to hold beauty and brutality in the same breath, to name pain without flinching, to dance around,
[01:41] despair and still invite hope in like an old friend. In today’s focus, In Your Soul is a River,
[01:49] she writes with reverence for that intrinsic part of us that makes us alive. We’re not just a
[01:56] container or a project to fix but we’re full of memory, magic and celebration. I’ve fallen into
[02:03] her words again and again. Reading Nikita’s words feels like breathing. There are molecules
[02:11] embedded in her words that help my chest expand and my blood flow. There is true magic in there.
[02:20] So here’s a short, striking series of small poems from Your Soul is a River. It’s a small
[02:26] collection of short pieces from the very beginning to help you dip your toe in. Here we go.
[02:36] The Cosmos
[02:39] What a perfect collection of stars it was that came together at just the right moment,
[02:47] at just the right time to build the incredible thing that is you.
[02:56] One. What if I told you for this moment between us the whole universe had to be created?
[03:09] Two. And what if I told you that every part of you comes from every star you ever saw in the night sky?
[03:24] You matter. You are not small. You are not unworthy. You are not insignificant.
[03:35] The universe wove you from a constellation just so every atom, every fibre in you comes from a
[03:45] different star. Together you are bound by stardust, altogether spectacularly created
[03:55] from the energy of the universe itself.
[04:00] And that, my darling, is the poetry of physics, the poetry of you.
[04:10] Do not fear the dark. As a child I used to be afraid of the dark until you drew open the curtains
[04:20] and showed me the stars. And sometimes I would forget and still shiver in fear
[04:27] and you would remind me gently. Do not fear the dark. Instead awaken the sleeping wolf inside you
[04:36] and welcome the night like it is home.
[04:39] Three. Balance. People always want to be the light to each other. Instead aspire to be
[04:52] each other’s darkness as much as the light. Be the thing that helps the other shine.
[05:02] Be the thing that shines in the dark. But be these things to each other.
[05:09] In turn.
[05:13] You are the sun. The universe did not breathe starfire into your bones just so you could
[05:22] burn yourself out over someone who treats you like a cigarette break. You deserve someone who knows
[05:29] there is stardust in your veins and that you are the sun. And the sun does not shine because someone
[05:38] else wants it to. It shines because that is what it was born to do.
[05:47] Cosmic storm. Your body was designed to contain a cosmic storm. It is no wonder that sometimes
[05:56] your head and heart hurt so much that you may just explode. It takes a nebula, a cosmic storm
[06:05] of epic proportions falling apart to create a star. So be easy on yourself.
[06:15] You are a storm in transition even as these words are being written.
[06:29] Let’s take a few moments now to turn inwards. To meet ourselves, our very being made of stardust
[06:37] with the tenderness that this writing invites.
[06:43] Just take a moment to ensure that you’re sitting or moving comfortably.
[06:48] Allow your body to move, stretch,
[06:54] jump around as you need to. Settling into either movement or stillness
[07:01] depending on what your body needs in this moment and what life is calling for.
[07:11] We’re going to notice the breath in our body as it flows in and out.
[07:20] Feel our feet on the floor or our hands or our seat pressing against something solid
[07:29] or touching or holding something in our hands. We’re connected.
[07:40] Allowing your awareness to spread from your lungs, from the connection to the earth,
[07:48] to the outline of your body, the very edges of your being.
[07:56] And with your focus there, allow yourself to notice
[08:01] the contact your skin makes with the world outside of your body.
[08:06] You may feel air, there might be a small breeze, it could be soft or hard textures of your clothing
[08:14] or shoes. Notice where you make contact and connection.
[08:21] And then bring your focus to just beyond that section, beyond the outline of your body,
[08:29] beyond the direct connection to you. Perhaps you notice air currents or noise.
[08:38] Perhaps you are able to hear something or feel something beyond that.
[08:47] If you’re indoors or in a vehicle, under some kind of roof or canopy, bring your focus to that.
[08:58] What is immediately beyond that?
[09:02] Breathing in, breathing out.
[09:07] Knowing that the breath you take flows in and flows out and affects more than just the body.
[09:14] It affects more than just the air and directly in front of you. It circles, it circulates.
[09:23] It flows.
[09:28] Now bring your awareness beyond the building or structure.
[09:37] Reach out further and further perhaps to the pavement, to trees, to other beings.
[09:50] This is your awareness. This is connection.
[09:57] And if you start to find yourself being drawn by thought, you can bring your focus back to the
[10:02] breath, back to the body, back to the things closest to the body, surrounding you,
[10:14] holding you, around you and beyond.
[10:29] Widen your awareness even further if you can.
[10:36] Can you hold awareness of the entire street or section that you’re in?
[10:43] Perhaps an entire village or town, a region.
[11:04] Can you notice any feelings that arise as you widen your awareness?
[11:15] Perhaps it feels comforting. Perhaps it feels scary. There may be tension arising
[11:23] or there may be relaxation as your awareness grows.
[11:32] Taking your gaze further if you can to the edges of the very country that you’re in,
[11:43] all the way to the sea.
[11:50] And now starting to gaze even further, going upwards and downwards
[11:57] to the height of the tallest mountains, to the depths of the deepest seas.
[12:11] Stepping back further still into the atmosphere,
[12:19] up to planets and stars, ingredients for every part of life surround you.
[12:28] And you are part of them all.
[12:32] And they are part of you.
[12:39] Everything you touch contains at core the same ingredients.
[12:50] And today you are you.
[12:58] And in the future you’ll be something else.
[13:07] Take a breath into that expansiveness, that vast space.
[13:21] And notice what arises when you think of yourself on this scale
[13:27] as part of something so huge and expansive and limitless.
[13:39] You may want to put a hand on your heart or press with something with your feet or your fingers
[13:47] to ground yourself in this new way of thinking.
[13:54] Yes, you are a part of everything.
[13:58] Yes, that is marvelous.
[14:01] But yes, it could also be terrifying.
[14:11] Choose to let go of any ego driven thoughts if they arise.
[14:20] Choose to observe with wonder, with curiosity, what arises.
[14:32] Releasing any thoughts that become particularly clinging
[14:36] and let them float as if in space.
[14:39] Acknowledge them, thank them, let them float away.
[14:45] Or if need be, float next to you.
[14:52] Allow yourself space.
[15:01] Allow yourself freedom.
[15:06] Look around, look down at this tiny world, look at this gigantic universe.
[15:16] And bring your focus inwards to yourself, to your heart, to your mind.
[15:27] Bringing that connection to such a large thing with you.
[15:34] Recognizing you contain worlds within you and that you are connected to everything.
[15:43] And increasing your physical connection using your hands or your feet or your seat
[15:48] to move, to become present.
[15:54] Traveling back down.
[16:00] Noticing the edges of the land, the peaks and the troughs of the landscape.
[16:07] The area that you live in.
[16:11] The countryside or the city surrounding you.
[16:17] The outline of your home or your work or your car.
[16:25] Wherever you are, what is immediately around you.
[16:31] Open your eyes, focus on one thing nearby.
[16:35] And then another.
[16:39] Notice colors, textures, sounds and physical feelings of being present in this moment.
[16:53] In your body, in your life.
[17:00] May you walk a little taller.
[17:02] May you sit a little prouder.
[17:08] As an integral part of the universe.
[17:17] What I love about those pieces that I read and really about so so much of Nikita’s work is that she gives the unspeakable a voice.
[17:25] It’s not in an abstract way though.
[17:28] It’s grounded, it’s honest, it’s embodied.
[17:32] It touches on shared experiences.
[17:35] Yet it’s still uplifting.
[17:38] Her words remind us that our bodies, they’re not battlegrounds.
[17:42] Our lives aren’t battlegrounds.
[17:44] No matter how hard things may feel in this moment.
[17:49] Life isn’t a broken machine.
[17:50] We’re not broken machines.
[17:53] We’re archives.
[17:53] There’s oceans and rivers and landscapes and mini-universes.
[17:59] Holding our whole human experience and connected to everything with softness, sharp edges and everything that is all in one.
[18:11] And when we listen with care or read with care, that core, that soul, it doesn’t just speak.
[18:18] It flows, it sings, it dances with us.
[18:21] And we dazzle and we somehow become more whole.
[18:26] That’s the medicine in her words.
[18:34] And here’s your affirmation to rise for the week inspired by Nikita’s words.
[18:41] At my core, I am part of the cosmos.
[18:46] May I be expansive and limitless.
[18:50] At my core, I am part of the cosmos.
[18:55] May I be expansive and limitless.
[19:01] At my core, I am part of the cosmos.
[19:07] May I be expansive and limitless.
[19:12] You can write that down, whisper it, chant it, sing it, whatever feels right for you.
[19:18] Do an interpretive dance with it if it sings to you.
[19:21] Let it become a thread of awe and a thread of confidence woven into your days.
[19:31] Thank you so much for joining me today.
[19:34] If this episode resonated with you, I invite you to send it to a friend or leave a review.
[19:40] It really helps others find this little corner of calm in the podcast world.
[19:45] And don’t forget to visit ReadReflectRise.com to access free reflection prompts, mini meditations, and things to inspire your week by joining my newsletter.
[19:56] It’s where I share behind the scenes stories, healing words, and upcoming events that you won’t hear about elsewhere.
[20:02] And always remember folks, there is magic, medicine, and power in the words that we weave and wield.
[20:10] Until next time, may you meet yourself with tenderness, self-compassion, and wear your stardust on the outside with pride.
