I thought the weather would be better this morning. But, when I went outside to my car, I realized this was not the case. It felt even gloomier, foggier, and cloudier than it had the past couple of days.

Right before I walked into teach Yoga, I reminded myself how just last week I had been saying to someone how blessed we've been this winter with nice weather in Dallas. It's amazing how easy it is to forget all the beautiful days, when we have a few cloudy, cold and gloomy ones.

As we began class...

I reminded the students and myself to allow our Yoga practice to awaken the light and sunshine within us this morning. I really felt the truth of this as we closed our eyes and began breathing deeply with our legs crossed in our seated posture. The sunshine really does come from within. At its core, the practice of Yoga is about awakening to our inner light, our Samadhi, which in English means bliss. Clouds will pass over us from time-to-time, yet when we are awakened to our essential nature or our true selves, we feel the sunshine within always, regardless of what is going on around us. This doesn't mean we won't feel down at times, or affected by the temporary clouds in our life, yet the time we allow ourselves to spend "under the weather", or "gloomy" will grow shorter and shorter, until the light within us shines so brightly, it dissolves the clouds from our heart and minds. According to the teachings of Yoga, we suffer because we are ignorant of our true nature.

So instead of hoping for the sun to come out again on the outside, so we can feel a temporary sense of brightness and cheer, let's create an intention to awaken to the radiance, joy and light within us allowing it to blaze brightly and eternally with every breath we take, no matter what clouds come our way.

"'The light of a lamp does not flicker in a windless place.': that is the simile which describes a yogi of one-pointed mind, who meditates upon the Atman. (God, Soul) When, through the practice of yoga, the mind ceases its resless movements, and becomes still, he realizes the Atman. It satisfied him entirely. Then he knows the infinite happiness which can be realized by the purified heart but is beyond the grasp of the senses. He stands firm in this realization. Because of it, he can never again wander from the inmost truth of his being.

Now that he holds it
He knows this treasure
Above all others:
Faith so certain
Shall never be shaken
By heaviest sorrow.

To achieve this certainty is to know the real meaning of the word yoga. It is the breaking of contact with pain." - Bhagavad-Gita

Click the image below to purchase this incredible version of the Bhagavad-Gita directly from Amazon.com:
Read more