Welcome to this mindfulness practice on the subject of beauty.
Not long ago,
And in the shadow of these current and challenging global trials,
One of my yoga students came to me in a state of sadness,
Expressing distress,
Anxiety,
Worry,
And hopelessness.
It was evening,
And I suggested that the best thing she could do before going to bed was to go home to rest and watch,
Read,
Or listen to something beautiful.
No,
That would not be the news,
Nor tapping into other people's opinions,
Nor exposing oneself to anything violent or disconcerting emotionally,
But something that would transport her into another realm,
Another place other than the current one she was focusing upon,
And in doing so to reflect on her own beauty and the beauty of the world in which she actually does reside,
And not the world currently within her thoughts.
This is what I do when I feel any of the negative emotions that arise.
It is not suppressing reality.
It is simply placing the unwanted stuff to the side for a while to give the mind a rest in a more congenial setting.
What may happen is that those fears and burdens lodged in our mind simply begin to dissipate,
And may disappear completely without leaving a trace.
That's what thoughts can do.
They come,
Stay for a while,
And then leave when they realize they're not being paid attention to.
And so let us reflect and focus upon our perception of beauty right now.
Let us enter our own special residence of loveliness.
Take in a long,
Deep breath,
And as you exhale slowly out through the nose,
Withdraw from all the sounds around you.
Plunge inwards as though you are sinking into a bath of clear,
Warm,
Soothing water,
A place of solitude and tranquility.
Gently floating on the current of breath,
Bathing with ease.
Look at beauty in the ocean of awareness everywhere and in everything.
Beauty is within us,
And until we can realize this,
We should be unaware of the beauty that abounds outside of us.
For the observer must be beautiful in order to recognize the beauty in objects and the natural world.
If your eyes are closed,
Open them and seek something beautiful to focus upon that is before you right now.
Observe what feelings arise.
Take in another long,
Deep breath,
And as you exhale slowly out through the nose,
Settle your gaze further upon the object and observe it more fully.
It may be a breathing entity itself,
Such as a beautiful plant or a pet,
Or an inanimate object,
Such as a piece of sculpture.
Gaze upon it as though you have not seen it before,
With a baby's curiosity and open heart,
And of course as reflected in any child.
Know that beauty is the light within the heart.
Close your eyes now and take in another long,
Deep breath,
And as you exhale slowly,
Absorb yourself into the object of beauty,
And again observe the emotions that arise.
In the ancient schools of philosophy,
It is said that there are several forms of beauty.
Let us mindfully ponder upon these for a little while.
Consider what is beauty itself,
What imaginings come before you.
Pause,
Invoke,
And observe in silence.
There is beauty of conduct.
Perhaps this can be identified as how we behave towards others,
How others behave towards us,
And most importantly,
How we behave towards ourself.
Pause,
Invoke,
And observe behaviors that immediately come to mind in silence.
There is beauty of inequalities,
Such as self-confidence,
Poise,
Joy,
Graciousness,
Courage,
Responsibility,
Patience,
Honesty,
Resilience,
Trustworthiness,
And loyalty,
And many more.
Choose one that is particularly important to you and reflect upon it.
Observe this quality,
Whether it be within you or within another person whom you admire.
What does it look like?
What does it feel like?
There is beauty in thought,
Kindness,
Compassion,
Empathy,
Clarity,
Truthfulness.
But as the great author and educator Helen Keller exclaimed,
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor touched,
But are felt in the heart.
You may be aware that Helen Keller was both blind and deaf from infancy.
So what thoughts are arising from the heart center for you now?
And then there is beauty of the senses,
Shape,
Color,
Texture,
Sound,
Scent,
And form.
In your mind,
Focus upon one of the aspects of this aspect of beauty.
Observe attentively.
And now,
Take in a long,
Deep breath again.
And as you exhale slowly out through the nose,
Enter the gaps between the thoughts and rest in the sheer beauty of silence.
And now,
Take in another long,
Deep breath.
And as you exhale slowly out through the nose,
Sense how your body feels in this beautiful state of stillness.
Just observe.
My voice will bring you back soon again.
Beauty just is.
And beauty forms.
And the formation of beauty may be spontaneous.
But beauty also develops over time,
As in the growth of the oak tree and the blossoming of jasmine.
And beauty is within you.
Always know this.
It is always there.
Always evolving and flowering.
In the words of the ancient Plotinus,
The great philosopher,
How then can you see the sort of beauty a good soul has?
Go back into yourself and look.
And if you do not yet see yourself as beautiful,
Then just as someone making a statue,
Which has to be beautiful,
Cuts away here and polishes there and makes one part smooth and clears another till he has given his statue a beautiful face.
So you too must cut away excess and straighten the crooked and clear the dark and make it bright and never stop working on your statue.
With love and peace,
This is Anne-Marie.
