STHIRA SUKHAM ASANAM

Darkness and light are part of each other. We can not have one without the other. From darkness comes light and with light we go through the darkness. When we have too much light we are blinded and when we have too much darkness we are blind. We journey through the shadows and shed light where there is density but light self doesn't not completely dispel the darkness of the shadow because light also can create shadow. It's up to us to have the awareness of the shadow and accept it for what it is in order to learn its mystery. Darkness is the unknown. Light is the known. When we awaken, when we are enlightened, we are simply having a grander and clearer perspective. 

As we move through life, we can more easily traverse the terrain by not getting so caught up in would, could and should. Or what could be, should be. Rather, if we make love with what is and if we accept the intimacy of what is  happening right now we can shift into a deeper consciousness. Instead of changing or fixing or feeling that something is wrong or broken it is more important to be vulnerable and personal by integrating all our pieces, by accepting all the pieces of who we are in this moment versus trying to change anything based on the thoughts that there is something wrong with us. What is right with us is what is right now. If we accept and lean into the current circumstances of the moment, which is what is true right now, this is what's real. There's nothing to judge or change. What is right now and what is showing up right now is the gift. When we let the mind fall into its typical patters of division and separation we fall into pieces. Yet, when we can step back and embrace all the pieces we remember our wholeness and fullness. 

As in yogic practices, STHIRA and SUKHAM are about finding the edge where we observe and experience pleasure and discomfort. We sit with that place. We breathe into it. We slow down. We see when it is ready to shift. We can't make IT happen any faster, because by doing so, not only do we miss out on the opportunity of the gift but we also tend to cause injury which then perpetuates and prolongs suffering. When we sit with the dark pieces of our minds, embrace them. Talk to them. Engage in a friendly conversation.  See what is relevant and real right now. Don't try to avoid or change it because it's bound to come back and anchor us in more suffering. Find the edge, physically and mentally. Sit with it as comfortable as possible. Find the comfort in discomfort by being and breathing with it. When it's ready, and only when it's ready, will it shift to the next level. There's no rush or haste to "get there". There is no there without here. There is no there until we sit with what's here now. Numbing devices and sensations only keep the pain away but do not get rid of the pain. Being with and sinking into the edge, along with being vulnerable and honest with what is, will. 

Om Shanti!