But not for the reason you may think.
Santosha
I’m at the cabin this week. Sounds of water waves, wind in trees, chuckling birds are plentiful. The feel of grass on toes, campfire on face, breeze in hair surrounds you. Strong coffee in hand, the silence of being up early. Fully present.
We all know about the importance of staying present, so it’s tempting to sit on the dock and make a goal of feeling more peacefully present this coming year. (It’s equally tempting to let disappointment in when “life” picks up again soon enough and that goal doesn’t come to fruition - yet again.)
But yoga challenges us to think about deep peace differently. Imagine a performer on a tightwire learning a new trick. They are wobbling and shaking and falling off, but they are attached to a tether-line which keeps them somewhat centered. Yoga describes peace (santosha) as that tether-line. It’s always with you, keeping you somewhat centered, but not keeping you from the wobbles, shakes and falls of “life”.
So what can we gather from deeply peaceful moments? Can we gather in the peace and make our tether-line stronger? I don’t know. We can’t break it, I know that. It’s always there, no matter what. So can we make it thicker? I’m not sure. How much thicker do we need it? It was already created just for us.
Maybe we can use these moments to notice our centering line. That doesn’t seem like much, but perhaps it’s profoundly important to simply and really notice things. We can show gratitude for it. We can honor it.
Hopefully you have a few moments this summer to gather up the deep peace. And the faith to let it go.
Until next time,
Laura
