"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."
—Anton Chekhov
How many memes and quotes have you seen about how we’re so done with 2020 and that we wish it would be over already. I’m not saying I haven’t felt that sentiment at all, but I usually try to be an optimist and find the highest good in even the most messed up situation.
We could all use that ability to transform negatives into positives right now. In yoga we might call this pratipaksha bhavana; otherwise known as making lemons out of lemonade, as the adage goes. To do that, we need to look deeper. Yes, the pandemic has made our lives suck for months on end, racial tension has sparked as much division as it has union, and now we all wonder what the rest of the year will bring.
It’s so easy to jump ahead and worry about what will come next — I do it all the time. So I’m not a perfectly calm, grounded person, but that is exactly why I need yoga. I’m always a work in progress and motherhood, as well as yoga, can be kind of messy that way. So, as Chekhov says in the quote above, “...show me the glint of light on broken glass.” We might feel like the world is broken, or our lives are broken, or even like our yoga practices are broken because it seems we don’t have time to practice or we’re cut off from our in-person yoga and meditation classes that we miss so much. But it’s all so much broken glass and there’s bound to be some light shining on it from somewhere.
I also love the idea that whenever something breaks, a hidden treasure beneath the rubble is revealed. So, in the name of breaking down all false conceptions of myself - because yoga is all about remembering your true Self - I ask, "What spiritual treasure have I found in times when my sense of order and predictability have been shattered? Despite the chaotic events of 2020 so far, what beauty have I found; what glimmer of hope shines from the shards of glass I almost cut my feet on?" And then I hold that in my heart and mind to guide me through these dark moments.
Happy full moon! I invite you to open up to what the full moon illuminates in your life. Even if it shines upon a total mess, perhaps it's a great moment to be glad to have some light by which to pick up all the scattered pieces.