Namaste

I'm tired. Yep...I'll admit that this peace-seeking yogini has had an abundant and full season. It happens about this time every year when our peak season comes to an end and I feel as though I've finally poked my head out of my own personal bubble. And when I feel fatigued, my creativity and inspiration tend to wane. I find myself looking forward to re-filling my own well, stepping off the yoga mat for a while in the role of teacher, and do other things that light my fire like travel, walking along endless beaches, and spending time with my beloved and my heart tribe. It's all on the horizon and for that I'm grateful.

This past weekend I went to SYTAR (Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research) and was pleasantly surprised by my experience.  Upon my arrival, I was dragging my tail and holding little in the way of expectations. And in some ways, I believe this is what allowed the space for whatever I needed to be revealed. 

Along with networking, meeting new people, and reconnecting with familiar faces, inspiration was sparked for not only new yogi-preneurial ideas but within my heart. The primary catalyst came from one of my most influential teachers-Nischala Joy Devi. I first met her back in 2006 when I was studying yoga therapy. It was at the beginning of the residential course and we had just experienced a disappointing few days with an anatomy teacher. Being an anatomy geek, I had high expectations and was in a grumpy agitated mood with my needs not being met.

And then Nischala Joy Devi arrived. It was as though she floated into our presence and I can honestly say it was the first time I had the face-to-face experience with what I would describe as a "radiant being". I was in quiet awe of how evident a lifelong of heart-centered practice appeared in someone. I silently thought to myself, "I want to be that person when I grow up...". Nischala has just released her new book The Namaste Effect and it inspired this week's theme for my class teaching.

I describe the meaning of Namaste as "The light in me, sees and honors the light in you and when we are both there, we are one." This inner light or sense of connection to our inner beingness is beyond our physical body and our thoughts. It's the consistent essence of our true nature that has always been present and will still be present even as our physical and emotional selves change and dissolve over time. The invitation this week is to deeply connect to and cultivate our inner light. If that light is hidden from us, if we have no awareness of it, then how can we possibly recognize it in others? The essence of this light is love.

The light held within the meaning of Namaste has also been peaked with our recent radiant full moon and the Summer Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere. Nature and the lunarscape are calling us to honor the light in all its expressions. We've been focusing our practices this week on three aspects-the light within us (Namaste), the light reflected back to us (the full moon) and the light of the planet (Solstice). 

Remember to breathe light into your own heart first, then send out little shooting stars of light to others, such as those who light you up, those who've forgotten their light, those struggling or facing life challenges, and light to all beings upon this earth.

May the light in your life shine brightly from within and be reflected back to you. May all beings find connection rather than separation and remember the most powerful and benevolent of forces...love.