Cultivating Light
It's the start of a new year, after a couple of challenging years. It can be difficult to feel hopeful or find the energy to move beyond the feelings of heaviness and fatigue and be motivated in the dark days of winter. No matter where your energy is today, yoga philosophy has some suggestions about connecting to our inner light.
Visoka va jyotismati — Yoga Sutra I.36
There’s a place within us that is full of light and untouched by grief. For those who are able to connect with this place during difficult times, it can keep the difficulty from becoming an obstacle. – Amanda Green
The word light can refer to illumination (light vs. dark or knowledge vs. ignorance) or weightless (the opposite of heavy). These definitions of light apply within the basic intention of yoga practice. The physical practices of yoga can vary, but they all aim for you to leave feeling more aligned – even taller ;) The focus on breathing is basic energy management where we can adjust to feel more functional – more awake, more relaxed, even more mentally focused. Meditation can include a gentle guidance or story to help us clarify to what we are thinking/feeling or just a way to pause the momentum of our minds. Gathering together with others who share the effort (sangha) can generate the light within us. (BTW this works both in person and virtual connections!)
In this time when many of us have set intentions or resolutions for the new year, I invite you to take a minute to identify what makes you feel light. What activities or situations or people make you feel light? How can you cultivate the physical sensations of light? (After my holiday feasting I do not feel light ;) What tools help you open your mind to understand and learn about the world around you?
I often close group yoga practices with a visualization of filling your body with energy and light. The invitation is to bring the image of light into your mind. With each inhalation, imagine the light expanding through the body. Take a minute now to do this for yourself. Connect to the image of light and your breath, inviting it to grow and expand until it fills your whole body – even growing beyond the boundaries of your body to shine to all of the people that you love. Give yourself this moment to connect to your inner light.