Holiday Doings

Where to begin? I guess I'll start at Christmas. My fiance and I went to the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya at Red Feather Lakes, CO. It was such a beautiful day. I practiced metta (lovingkindness meditation) for my teachers and family as we walked around the Stupa, and then we went inside to sit. Nothing but silence and the sounds of other meditators breathing. And the fragrant scent of incense. My eyes welled up as I got up to leave. Every time I go there, it is so hard to leave. After sitting, we walked up to the Shinto shrine, which I had not visited before. It was so stark in comparison to the Stupa, but similarly eloquent. As you walk through a series of gates approaching the shrine, you must bow to 90 degrees at the hips. When you reach the shrine, you bow twice, clap twice at the level of the solar plexus, and then bow once more. I would love to learn more about this practice.

Last night, I went to a Yin Yoga class taught by my good friend, Amy. It was beautiful, and I experienced something during class that has never happened to me before. My breath so completely sounded and felt like the ocean that I was transported to a beach in my mind. My breath told me a story that enveloped me fully. I was totally there. I could see cliffs behind me and smell the salt air. And not just figuratively. I have often likened the breath to the motion of waves or the rising and falling of the tides, but I have never embodied that metaphor so deeply. It was incredible.

So, friends, let your breath tell you a story today.