Prayer with a Dew Drop

During my recent sweat lodge experience, I spent a good 5 or 6 hours just sitting on the land, connecting with nature and re-connecting with myself. There was one lone dewdrop, almost microscopic, hanging from a blade a grass sparkling in the sun. It taught me an important lesson: that which might  initially be thought of as insignificant, is actually truly beautiful, if only we remember to see it that way. I’m not normally one for writing poetry but I was inspired to put pen to paper as I had the privilege of sitting with something so tiny, yet so special.

The more I look, the more dewdops hanging off blades of grass I see,                          Reflecting back the beauty that I realise completely surrounds me.

Appearing precariously balanced at first glance,                                                              That the dewdrop mysteriously holds onto the grass is truly no chance.

I watch the blade of grass move gently with the flow of air,                                              Feeling this opportunity to connect with nature is so so rare.

But the beauty and mystery of the dew drop is always there for when we choose to see, Mother nature’s gentle reminder to connect with the beauty and mystery lying deep inside of me.

Aho!

 

(Image from “55 Stunning dew drop photographs” by www.incrediblesnaps.com – well worth a peruse if you like nature photography).

 

 

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Santosha: As simple as…

 

“Santosat anuttamah sukha labhah”  (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali II:42)

 From contentment one gains supreme happiness

Finding pleasure – sounds so easy, but when it comes to the grind of daily life the reality of it can prove a little more challenging. On my recent Forrest training, we were taught about the importance of delighting your spirit and heart on a daily basis. It seems like a great thing to be asked to do as part of your TTC homework, but honestly speaking is something I struggle with. I get so caught up in what I think I’m supposed to be doing, feeling etc that ironically enough more often than not I forget about the most important person in this equation – myself! I recently realised that doing something delightful for my spirit doesn’t have to be (and quite frankly shouldn’t be!) a chore or a big deal; that maybe I just need to stop thinking so much about what this means, worrying about when I’ll have time for it etc and just go with the flow…

Recent example – last week on my day off rather than get up and do my yoga practice in the morning as usual, I decided to wait until late afternoon. At this point the sun was still shining, the temperature had cooled down, and I found myself on my mat gazing out of the window and wishing I had practised earlier so I could be outside enjoying it. As I moved through my warm up poses I suddenly realised that there really was an obviously simple solution to all this – get up, and get on my mat outside! I’m lucky that my condo has a lovely big green space in the middle; it’s been calling me and my practice for a while but I’ve always shied away from it, worrying about what my neighbours might think if they saw me. Last Friday though, this suddenly ceased to matter. As so I moved through my sun salutations and standing poses,  I had the warmth of the setting sun beaming down on my back, and the beauty of a rising 3/4 moon above me. I had fun playing around with handstands without worrying about which piece of furniture I might fall on top of, and held a freestanding forearm balance for a good 5 seconds before collapsing on the soft grassy cushion beneath me.Was it delightful? Absolutely! Did my neighbours stare at me – how the heck would I know – I was so wrapped up in my practice and a that lovely feeling of sheer contentment that I completely forgot to notice!

Lesson learned: Don’t overestimate what you need to do to find delight – the step to santosha really can be as simple as you’re willing to let it be.

Now…go and enjoy!

My new ‘yoga playground’ here in KL (monsoon rains permitting!!)