You Are the Sky, Everything Else is the Weather

by Janet Nash

This is my friend,Carol Williams' picture of the sunrise at Grailville's Caravansary during our sunrise meditation. We spent the weekend from Friday night to Sunday afternoon in silence. It was such a powerful experience.

Silence happened for me in layers. It felt like a spiral moving deeper and deeper toward the vortex. Silence has texture and actually was quite loud at times. This sort of intentional silence is different than being alone at home because it was meant to be reflective. I can be silent folding laundry which is entirely different. What I learned is that all of the mental machinations of the mind, the churning, the shifting of moods, thoughts, feelings...it's all temporary and impermanent. My discomfort with the freezing temperature and grumbling internally about not being able to sleep...all temporary.

With the sunrise came another gorgeous day. The only thing that is permanent is the Eternal Witness. The perspective of observing it all. As one of my teachers, Pema Chodron, says: "You are the sky, everything else is just the weather."

It was a beautiful weekend with my yoga buddies. I'm 2/3 of the way through my advanced yoga teacher training and have learned so much about myself and life over this past year. This training has been invaluable to how I approach my work life, my relationships, and my spiritual life. I struggle so much less with my work life and have learned to be present with my patients, give the best of my Self in sessions and let go of the outcome (learned from the Bhagavad Gita). I've learned to let the expression of my work life evolve as it should and not as I think it should. I've learned that every aspect of my life can be spiritualized. It's all beautiful...all of it. Such a blessing, and I am so grateful for it all.