Samadhi, or the experience of bliss or ananda, teaches us fulfillment and abundance beyond all circumstances and desires. This state of union is always present–it is us and our busy minds who are so often not present to it. Our yoga and meditation practices can give us glimpses of this bliss or joy.
Its shadow is a palpable peace!
Being present with your being.
Thinner, calmer, stronger… healthier… happier…
The “goals” for a yoga and meditation practice are innumerable.
But what if there was no “goal” of these practices?
Being not trying to be anything other than what it is… being itself.
Being being being, and being present to that!…
(Maybe that’s why we’re called human beings!)
Is your glass 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
How will you respond?…
We all know the story of Beauty and The Beast–love and compassion ultimately soothing and transforming destructive and fearsome rage.
Somewhat like the sun evaporating moisture in a puddle,
as we practice yoga and meditation over time,
the light and warmth of the radiant heart (the Self) transform our “beast” with their ultimate beauty–tenderness, love, and compassion.
It’s a lot of pressure to expect spectacular all the time… or even a lot of the time!
Spectacular yoga class, spectacular meditation, spectacular friend… spouse… parent…
That’s a lot of spectacular! And it just keeps on going…
or it can….
The moment need not perform or “measure up.”
The real star of the show needs no fanfare.
No, it likes to slip in quietly and do its thing, possibly with a humble bow and a slight but very fulfilling smile.
It has a real presence about it… that’s really quite…
spectacular!
Nothing is set in stone…
not even stone.
This statue, though seemingly motionless, is constantly changing–though its changes are not noticeable in the moment to the naked eye.
Nothing is set, not even stone!
You know that tingly warm feeling we sometimes get during, but usually just after or in between yoga poses?
In the shadow or wave sensation of the pose…
That is what I call body bliss.*
Stop and let your mind/attention sink into this, get absorbed in this.
Let go to this…
and see where it carries you
and your practice!…
*prana (life force) or Shakti moving
That which I’ve been seeking
has been with me the whole time…
but a breath away!
Contentment, santosa, is a practice in yoga.*
Contentment is a wealth like none other!
Peace and contentment are so inextricably linked and mutually supportive that at times their identities blur.
They both thrive together and help the other.
Where there is peace, there is contentment. And where there is contentment, there is peace.
*Santosa is the second of the Niyamas of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga.
The Every Day Yogi 