Beauty is the harvest of presence, the evanescent moment of seeing or hearing on the outside what largely lives far inside us…
~ David Whyte, Consolations
I love this: "Beauty is the harvest of presence." As I sat outside one Sunday afternoon listening to the birds, feeling the sweet air against my face, watching the fall leaves wafting down, seeing people out walking and my husband pottering in the garden, I felt invited into presence. The world called me to attend: to see, to hear, to listen, to smell and to feel. Attention reveals the beauty that is always here. It’s the way we step fully into life, both inner life and outer life. And yet, our attention is called away by our devices, social media, distractions all around us that move away from what is happening in this moment.
Whyte continues…the eyes, the ears or the imagination suddenly become a bridge between the here and the there, between then and now, between the inside and the outside; beauty is the conversation between what we think is happening outside in the world and what is just about to occur far inside us.
Our yoga and meditation practice is about cultivating presence. When we get on the mat we are invited to pay attention to our breath, to the movements, sensations, muscle action and our inner world which we often miss in our busy, often distracted lives. Practicing on the mat then lends itself to practice off the mat. Yoga off the mat is about being present with whatever shows up each day: the easy and the hard. It's about witnessing the outstanding acts of human kindness and generosity as people step forward to help in big ways and small. It’s about noticing the wonder and awe of the mystery of this world.
Let's pay attention to nature unfolding the season all around us, to humanity's goodness, and to our own inner strength and beauty as we strive forward with our lives.
