The clouds lift on this clear cold winter day and I am awed by the sight of luminous mountains with snow crisp edges touching the sky. It’s as if the mountains have regained speech and are stating: We are here. We are always here but today we offer you this vision.
It is like Consciousness when the clouds of the mind lift and the beauty within reveals itself. The inner Light says, I am here, strong, available. Remember this when you cannot see or feel me. I am here.
Cycles of Life: Death and Transformation
The question of what is Consciousness is connected to the question, What is life? We are born, we live, we die. In the living, we experience, we learn, we remember and forget, we love and we suffer. Our bodies are created, sustained and destroyed.
I am immersed in transitions. In 2024 some of our close Ashram friends passed. They died. Their body selves/names/who we knew them as are no longer here on Earth. Christopher, wise and funny friend, brilliant Indigenous scholar, taken by trauma so young and promising. Diane, who completed the Yoga Development Course again a few years ago, full of love and courage, opting for MAID with friends chanting as she left. Sheila, the teacher of young children, full of laughter, questions and experience–quickly, silently leaving her grieving family. Yeshe, who in a dream asks me to walk with her all the way to the end of the block, lived fully until she, too, disappeared.
And now another friend is struggling with an escalating neurological condition, and each day we gather to chant for him and see him surrounded in Light to ease his eventual transition.
“The body will disintegrate; the Light of consciousness will not,” Swami Radha says.
Ashram Transition: Trusting the Process
The mystery is present—endings and beginnings— as people pass. We all experience loss, grief and the need to adapt.
As we age, those of us holding the Ashram are looking at transitions, both for ourselves and for the Ashram.
For more than a year, a group has been gathering here. We are Elders and youngers and in-betweens; we are those who live at the Ashram and those who live afar. We meet each other through practice and discussion as we consider succession, or as we call it, Co-Stewardship. It is a time of working together, gathering threads, weaving a net to hold this sacred space.
The young ones are brilliant and strong, but most need to set out and experience life. The middles have been tested and proven and have much to offer, but perhaps only a few will reside here. And the Elders, those of us who continue to grow old (there is no denying it!) are experienced and willing but need to let go.
How will it come together? How do we create harmony while in transition? What will it take to keep the Ashram alive?
Swami Radha started this Ashram with only her intense devotion and courage. Now the Ashram is in the hearts of so many dedicated people. New growth is emerging, and I trust it will continue to grow and to blossom. Spiritual refuge and renewal of hope are so much needed in today’s world.
Aging and Letting Go
As Elders, we are seriously looking at logistical questions. At some point will we need to move from here, as some of our faithful friends have? Are our affairs in order? Can we let go of our roles as we continue to invite others in?
As sanyasins (swamis) our mantra is about renouncing maya, which really means letting go of our limited vision, the tricky aspect that creates illusions and attachments. And yet, even as we renounce, we need to be responsible for ourselves. How do we step up courageously? Where is that next level of reality?
Bridging
Personally I am focusing on deepening into the subtlety of the teachings. In my Hatha practice, I am observing how breath moves form, even while appreciating the wondrous intricacy of my body. I am savouring pranayama and the pause between breaths, a quiet place where the temporary slowing of thoughts creates a calm opening. And I am practicing filling myself with Light to awaken my central nervous system and to offer the generosity of Light to others.
All of these practices help me elevate–not by rejecting my body or my life–but by identifying with the Consciousness that came to embody this form and will also leave it at some point.
I practice and I offer my practice for all in transition, especially to those who are dying. I pray that it can help create a bridge through understanding that the Light is home, the Light is here and beyond here.
“Consciousness is the bridge between worlds,” Swami Radha says. Now is the time to understand what she means.
Now is the time to realize that like those luminous mountains standing strong, the inner Light is always here, just waiting for the clouds to lift.
Standing Like A Mountain in the Sun
To help face transitions, stand in Tadasana, the Mountain pose. Visualize yourself as strong, powerful and as present as a mountain rising into the clarity of bright sunshine. Feel grounded. Breathe in the purity of mountain air. Then use your imagination to visualize Divine Light. See yourself standing in a shower of Light. See the Light showering all around you and pouring into your body through the top of your head until you are filled with Light, inside and outside.
Resources:
Inspired by Hatha Yoga the Hidden Language – p. 63
Blog by Swami Lalitananda, President of Yasodhara Ashram