"Forget your perfect offering. There's a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." ~ Leonard Cohen
Most every morning, I walk over to my practice space, close the door, and practice, alone. At this time of the year, it falls during the pre-dawn period, that mysterious hour or so before the first appearance of light. I am falling in love with this time of the day, when there's far less external stimuli, which makes the inner seeing and listening more intimate and clear. While I do enjoy an occasional group class for external stimulation and connections, the practice I value and hold sacred happens in my private space, alone.
It is a privilege to have this space and time to myself, where I can dive inwards to do my work that both nourishes and confronts me. It allows me to grow, transform, and show up as a wife, a teacher, a friend more grounded, sane, and open. The externals of what I do in that practice space often don't change much for spans of time, and that is precisely why the practice is an honest mirror that reflects back how I am shifting, resisting, releasing, and opening. It is a fascinating process to see a new facet in something that I am very familiar with, or an obstacle soften and reveal a gift, just because my inner view shifted. The practice in this way becomes a space of awareness where I can observe myself as a transformational activity playing itself out.
This requires that I drop, over and over again, my perfectionistic tendencies and analytical mindset. Only then, does it open the possibility for the alchemy to just happen, not because I will it, but because the intuitive knowing responds. And it's a beautiful feeling when that happens. All this is very personal, and requires space and slowing down. We often set our intention in the new year to eat more cleanly and simply. As necessary to attend to in this regard is our nervous system, which is also in need of cleansing and simplifying from our busy-ness, speed, and excess. In that slowing down, we can arrive at a clearer view of what is essential, drop what is superfluous, and cultivate a meaningful and prolonged relationship to what matters.
I hope you can create time and space in your day to attend to your inner space, in whatever way is meaningful for you. You don't have to wait for all the conditions to be perfect. We live in a human realm, which means "there's a crack in everything." And the outer world by its ever-changing nature can never be frozen in some perfect relationship. "Forget the perfect offering." What matters is that we show up with consistency, and be the caretaker of our inner space with sincerity and interest. May that space reveal truths, gems and healings. I might add, this would have relevance for how we show up in the world as well. I wish this for you and me as we start the new year!
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