Sunrise

  • By onthemat
  • •
  • 01 May, 2016
  • •
This past month, I’ve blogged for you, first predicting the future, and more recently reflecting on my past days in Burma. As we celebrate May Day today, Labor Day in many Asian countries, and one where the Communist Flay is displayed in Laos where I am at the moment, I’d like to switch gears, and […]
This past month, I’ve blogged for you, first predicting the future, and more recently reflecting on my past days in Burma. As we celebrate May Day today, Labor Day in many Asian countries, and one where the Communist Flay is displayed in Laos where I am at the moment, I’d like to switch gears, and post in the present with the interspersing of reflections. Now that Burma is behind me, and I’m onto the “Beyond” part of my trip, I’ll be posting in Real Time. Any of you who are following this blog on my own FB (which is public under Susan Reynolds) will have experienced the time travel already, as my posts often reflect the past and the present in the same day! Thus:
My ideal morning practice has always included a combination of meditation, yoga and writing. Those mornings after the triad of presence, I feel ready to start the day. It’s all the better if I do these three things before getting on the phone or computer, but that may be a lofty goal, as I still find myself struggling as the “Tech Addicted Yogi,” though it’s gotten better.
After spending so many amazing mornings standing on the ledges of temples, on the white sand of a beach, or atop a mountain housing a pagoda, intentionally waiting for the sun to rise, a morning without it feels incomplete. What if watching the sunrise were part of a daily ritual, even if it’s cloudy or raining? The sun is still there. It’s always there, and in yoga, that is something to remember as we practice. No matter how we are feeling, how many thoughts and masks are covering our innate selves, we are still there. Yoga is often about uncovering those layers that hide our essence. By waiting for the sun to rise, perhaps we are honoring that unchangeable spirit within.
When I went to Wisdom 2.0 last year, we learned about the power of “Awe,” at a Facebook pre-conference workshop. The day included the latest research on happiness and gratitude, which I was aware of, but I hadn’t ever considered the implications of awe. Awe takes us out of ourselves, out of our individual lives, problems, and concerns, and shows us that we are a part of something so much greater. A California Redwood Tree, the enormity of the Grand Canyon, the vista atop a Temple in Bagan, or the reflection of the rising sun on the Gulf of Thailand. These are the major ones, but what about the everyday?
A sunrise sitting at the tip of Egg Rock after a morning walk in Concord. The sun rising over the Bay Bridge when I’m meditating in Mom and Dad’s family room. The rays of sun appearing through my window at Brookside Square. The sun’s warmth and strength on a cold, cloudy and blustery day even though I can’t see it. It’s still there.
Thus I’ve added the sun to my repertoire, whether I am perched to see it, or simply meditating on my cushion. Thus #SunriseEveryDamnDay.

On The Mat Yoga Blog

Heart~ Day #7 (Week #4)

By Linda Malcomb • 03 May, 2020

“There is a light in the core of our being that calls us home—one that can only be seen with closed eyes; We can feel it as a radiance in the center of our chest. This light of loving awareness is always here, regardless of our conditioning. It does not matter how many dark paths we have traveled or how many wounds we have inflicted or sustained as we have unknowingly stumbled toward this inner radiance. It does not matter how long we have sleepwalked, seduced by our desires and fears. This call persists until it is answered, until we surrender to who we really are. When we do, we feel ourselves at home wherever we are. A hidden beauty reveals itself in our ordinary life. As the true nature of our Deep Hear is unveiled, we feel increasingly grateful for no reason—grateful to simply be.”

—John J. Prendergast, PHD, The Deep Heart  

SUN!~ Day #6 (Week #4)

By Linda Malcomb • 02 May, 2020

Seems like it’s been rainy, windy, dreary for eons. Which may have helped us shelter inside a bit more. I remember reading years and years ago in a Seth book that weather can be influenced, and even created by mass human emotion. Why not? We are far more powerful than we currently acknowledge, and science is beginning to validate many phenomena that had seemed inconceivable before. Those seemingly endless days of “bad” weather seemed congruent with the emotional tone of covid her in New England. And now SUN! Glorious, warming, invigorating, hope-filled Sun! Today I will be outside basking and gardening and thanking. And I’m sure the whole neighborhood, and most of New England will go outside, stand with our faces to the sun and breathe a huge healing breath of joy. And maybe the collective energy of that will resonate out across the word as a promise of brighter days to come.     


More Posts
Share by: