As I begin writing this weekly blog, it's gray and raining outside. It feels like I should be curled up on the couch in my pj's with a lovely cup of chai. The natural world is beckoning me to turn inward and get quiet. Ahhh...this is what I love about the Winter Solstice! We've just passed the mark of short daylight hours and are now turning more toward the sun with longer days gradually making their way into our awareness. The word solstice literally means "sun standing still" so perhaps, we can take its lead and turn inward during this busy holiday season.
No matter in which hemisphere you live (they've just passed the summer solstice in the south), we are all called to match nature's rhythms yet, instead of listening we hit the mute button and power on through. It's interesting that the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere coincides with what is often a busy and stressful time of year for many. Holiday parties, gift buying, traveling and completing all of those tasks before the holidays hit, often leaving us harried rather than relaxed, disconnected rather than connected. A sense of urgency is everywhere, from long lines at the post office and shopping centers to backlogs in traffic and long holds on our phones waiting to get through to a customer service rep.
As the season turns toward winter, deciduous trees drop their leaves and fruit trees become dormant as they wait to foster what is to be blossomed in the spring. And if we were paying attention to the natural world, we too would allow space to find inner stillness. I love this time of year as it feels as though nature is beckoning me to do the same thing. Get quiet and turn inward. Just over a hundred years ago we were more in touch with the cues of light and would have to get by with lanterns, candlelight, and bonfires. We've lost touch as we have access to electricity 24/7/365.
My thought of the week is to remember our natural rhythms. As the light outside is at its lowest point in the year, we are drawn to the light that we carry within. In yoga, it is thought that all beings are born with an inner divine light. ALL of us carry this very same light. For some, the light has been so buried beneath walls of anger, disillusion or mistrust, that it's nearly impossible to believe that it's even present. Part of our path to "enlightenment" is the idea that we are all connected and in feeling separate from one another, we create suffering for ourselves and others. This light is reflected in the word Namaste', where we place our hands at our heart, slightly bow our head and say the word. My favorite translation of this word is,
"The light in me, sees and honors the light in you. When we are both there, we are one."
If we take a moment to think about it, that's the recognition of the other person as holding one thing in common with you...the inner divine light. In the blockbuster movie, Avatar, they would place one hand on the other person's heart and say, "I see you". The first time I saw that I thought, "they're saying Namaste' to each other!" It's about connection rather than separation.
One way to turn inward is through the practice of pratyahara, one of the limbs in the eight-faceted path of yoga as written by the sage Patanjali. Pratyahara is a withdrawal of the senses, a turning inward away from external stimuli toward our own inner realm. In the darkest hours whether they be during the Winter Solstice or some metaphorical moment in our life, we turn toward the light. When we sit on the edge of the unknown, staring into the blackened void, we can do one of two things. We can either turn away or we can shine our own light into it. In these turbulent times, we certainly could benefit from shining our inner radiance and therefore our collective beacons to face the darkness. When we are connected to this inner realm, we unveil our highest truth, the best version of ourselves. And when we are there, we connect into the powerful emotions of love and compassion.
Thank you Solstice for the darkness, the reminder to turn inward and connect to the light, no matter how dark it might be or seem.
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