Dear Friends, Yogis and Yoginis,

Morning Sky, Night Sky
I awake at 5 am each for my yoga and swimming under the dark, star-filled sky. The dark is so dark, the stars so clear. Yet even they dissolve as the morning arrives. Like this, the thoughts dissolve into love as daylight arises and as I remind myself to “stay in this world.”

Those stars, still there hidden by the day’s luminosity, are a welcome contemplation as night begins to fall. This time they come out one by one, in a more romantic and manageable way. (Not all at once as when, at 2 am, I go outside to check the time.)

I, who love the patterns in the undercurrents of life, praise the arrival of the stars as they put into such relief how vast the sky is and how far the distance light travels to reach us. I quietly, privately bow to the power these night sky mysteries hold. Like ancient teachings we all may ultimately bow to in our own distance journey back to the source of light and love.

Rumi said:

We are the twinkling stars of the ocean.
The space between the fish and the moon.
While we sit here together.

I marvel at how the evening stars arrive and I praise them. It’s an auspicious time of day, the changing of the light. A ritual here is dedicated to it: arti. Yet, in the early morning when I walk out and the darkest dark greets me and the sky is multitudes of stars, I admit, I feel overwhelmed and small. In the same way, random thoughts multiply when we let ourselves get small in their presence. Until we remember, don’t entertain those mental tendencies. “Stay here. In this world.” That’s where the Love is.

Jeep Ride to Ayurveda
A private jeep took me to my Ayurvedic appointments. The windshield is open 45 degrees, the sides are completely open and the assistant from the hotel tells me to hold on to the metal bar in front of me.

Okay, I agree. Holding on, but not gripping.

We start on the journey. Indian driving is now up close and personal! Windy mountain roads with cliffs on one side and oncoming buses on the other!

I start to grip. Not necessary, I remind myself.

I let go completely. My shawl blows in the wind. My shoulders relax. My stomach eases. I let go more completely. I enjoy the abundance of oncoming wind in my face (what if all windshields were like this?) I let the jeep’s rocking and rolling motions move through my body. I imagine this is how people ride those elephants. Hold your center. Let go of everything else!

The jeep as metaphor for life…Open on all sides. Welcome the wind in your face. Let go. Then let go some more. Sit in your center and dance with the rolling from there. It’s a wide world outside these bones. Soak it in!

Namaste,
Sarahjoy