Fresh Perspective

This past Thursday, May 26 was the New Moon, the phase of the 28-day moon cycle where the night sky is dark, as the moon isn't receiving the light of the sun. It is thought that the New Moon is the perfect time for planting seeds based on how we wish to live intentionally. It is on the full moon where we reap what has been sown, and this particular New Moon is in Gemini as explained on the site, foreverconscious.com. It is a time to check-in with how we are communicating with ourselves, others and the planet. It's the perfect time to open up to a new perspective, to perhaps see things from another viewpoint.

This past weekend was also the completion of Module Four of the ten module Yoga Teacher Training program that I offer. The beauty of being in the role of minting new teachers is that it constantly offers the opportunity to return to "beginner's mind", that curious state we enter as we explore unfamiliar thoughts, concepts or travel to unknown places. I get to bear witness to the process of unfolding and, as a result, I stay connected to what it feels like to learn something for the first time.

One of the most challenging assignments given by my teacher, Judith Hanson Lasater, was to write from the perspective of someone whose viewpoint or opinion was opposite to my own. We were asked to view through their lens. We didn't have to like it or agree with it, but to simply stand in their shoes and write from their voice. It was truly difficult as I, like most of us, are rather attached to my way of thinking. As I worked the process, something very cool happened...I softened. One of the goals of our training that year was around empathy and this practice fostered it more fully than anything else I had previously undertaken. I didn't like it, I had resistance and felt discomfort speaking from a perspective that wasn't mine. But, my heart opened to where that other voice was coming from.

Given the state of division and conflict in our world, I am grateful for this particular gift of freshening up my own perspective. And it is an ongoing practice as I'm certain I will continued to be challenged by opposing opinions! And that's the point. How can we find greater ease and equanimity in our daily lives if we continue to see ourselves as separate to other beings? Is it possible to find grace in moments of conflict? As we look to improve how we communicate, it's important to realize that we are not our thoughts but rather the witness to our thoughts. If we begin to identify with what we are thinking, we plant the seeds of our own suffering. Part of the practice of meditation is to become better at watching our thoughts, just as clouds pass through the sky, so do the thoughts we are thinking. Meditation encourages us to notice where we cling and challenges us to let go of the clinging.

These practices of opening to greater awareness take time. It may be numerous cycles of New Moons before we see the manifestation of our efforts. I like to think of it from the perspective that each time I state a positive intention, each time I soften my heart, and each time I consciously sit in meditation I am strengthening my commitment to finding inner peace. I trust that what I am planting within will spread further and further away from me into the connected web of universal consciousness. Let's take responsibility for our inner garden as it all contributes to the collective. In another few weeks we can gaze up at the full moon and see the results of our efforts. Something from many moons ago might just show up. How exciting!