It’s Ganesha’s birthday. Never hurts to make offerings to the one who would help us navigate more skillfully the obstacles that life has in store.
I used to note the first day of winter as a marker of the long, cold and dark season ahead. Now I mark the first day after the solstice as the an opening to the light. In only a few weeks, even though the weather will be wintry, the days will be noticeably longer. This time of year, I walk on the sunny side of street and choose the middle of the day to be outside, in contrast to summer, when I walk in the morning or late afternoon on the shady side of the street. When I went out at midday for a long walk, the light was almost blindingly bright. The blazing sun seemed that much more of a treasure for the cold blustering wind and the shortness of the day. That the light was so clear and vivid seemed an apt reminder that going through periods of cold and dark can clear us for newly illuminated paths if we are only open to the sources of illumination — inside and out.
I hope this finds you safe and healthy and my energy out to those of you in the midst of challenges of embodiment of whatever kind.
I had not meant to take as long as I did between posts. Much gratitude to the wonderful person who administers the site for a quick repair in a very busy time.
The need for a fix naturally leads to the question of whether to fix or change and how. It is time for a change. Keep your eye out for updates and have patience with progress.
I hope to have more time to write than about practicing the various aspects of yoga. I have been practicing much and am delving back into the philosophy from today’s perspective. Please let me know if you would be interested in particular topics. And if you want to see more photos, I’m on Facebook as myself and Rose Garden Yoga and on Instagram as rosegardenyoga1008.
It is always a temptation for me to stay home when it is cold and dark, to miss yoga class (when I am student, not teacher), to do my own practice and read and cook and play with the cat, rather than to be more engaged with all that is outside — friends, group yoga, and all the offerings of the city. I am always happier, though, for having gone out. Home is much more pleasing after an interlude with the outside. And if I dress right, it is even enjoyable to walk out in the cold, dark, rain, and say hello to all the dog walkers.
As an exhortation, this is what it is. As a noun modified by a gerund, it could describe shakti manifesting herself.
New Year. Super moon.
