“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
Albert Einstein
It is precisely in immense solitude that you find not only your innermost layer but also, and more complicated, a strange connection with something powerful, magical, vibrating, and real.
I am here, writing, not to say how to achieve a particular goal. After all, who am I? Lately, as I open newsletters and websites, I mostly find an overwhelming repertoire of articles stating what to do or not to do. But in a world already full of square lessons and instructing lectures, we probably need a space of freedom with more terrain for honest reflections and less greedy marketing materials.
I am here, writing, just because, like you, sometimes I need to say what I feel, and perhaps in the process, my voice is heard by you.
As a child and youth, I used to go –walking from home-to face the great buoyant ocean. Surrounded only by the mysterious melange of the blue and green colors, there I was, absorbing every wave of heat or breeze. Absorbed and thoroughly soaked in the salty waters, I immersed myself under the deep gentle waves to encounter silence to be able to hear what we usually cannot hear.
In the physical connection between my whole body and the sea, there was communication without words, and it was mainly emanating from the heart.
Today, as I walk through the forests and watersheds, I feel that the possibility of integration coexists. And it is so incredibly potent that I cannot do anything else but stop. (Or everything outside stops for me?). Where is this coming from? Would it be from the striking ray of sunlight, or the intensity of the green leaves or yellow blossoms, or the painfully honeyed fragrance of those wildflowers meeting me somewhere in the path? Or is it because as I am experiencing all of this with just my sweet solitude, I can feel my whole being, able to handle the soft touch to the center of my chest?
A miracle happens; despite our eyes, nose, and all our senses for the outer world, become sharper, we principally feel our inner essence opening and welcoming us with solid grace. And there is no separation. I am immersed in whatever it is! Like when diving in the blue ocean! And I allow myself to be guided when my own feet are the ones walking gently on this earth. I feel alive and grateful, and the areas of compassion, understanding, and care turn out to be the ones most enhanced within by being.
Probably I am writing about yoga-if we understand it as a union-or the delusion of being separated from the rest to which Einstein was referring.
My truth is that in those moments, the more I feel myself, the more I feel “the rest.” I am interwoven in a unique spiral of mystic reality and sub-reality.
And as I return to others, I can perceive –with the intuition of the forest- their worries and dreams, and they are tangled with my own! And finally, there is a moment I realize I have been wearing a permanent smile.
t. lopez
This article was first published online on November 06, 2012, after my submission to the former “My Yoga Online”. But when they made the transition to “Gaia,” many articles were removed, mine included. I have carefully resurrected it from my computer files, updated it, and made it travel to you again.
