We are all interconnected

It is so easy to get lost in our story filled with pain and resentment, worry and helplessness. I call it being stuck in a box. It is a very lonely place. We can examine our box from the inside, how tight the walls feel, whether we are alone all the time or if people visit us. Are there windows or doors? Do we dare to peek out into the unknown and look at the world beyond our own suffering?  

We all recognize the windows, when the fresh air comes in and with it a sense of being able to breathe again and feel inspired. We might even recognize the door we peek out from and even take a step bravely out letting our old story go and risking the heart again. 

At each moment we can check in and see how deep inside "the box" we are and look for the cracks where the light comes in. Are we out of the box? That is something amazing, something to acknowledge and celebrate. We are free from the old prickly prison of same old thoughts and we fly free like a bird outside it's cage until we return again.

The practice is to come out, stay out as long as we can and eventually move out. The box will always be there; it is part of life. The practice is to check within yourself and recognize being in the box before settling long term, to use mindfulness and yoga tools to find the way out again, alone or with help. Open the doors, open the windows, open, open, open, open, open, OPEN.

My teacher Swami Satchidanada taught me that selfishness causes us to suffer in this way. We are meant to be connected to all, think of others, serve others. We are all One. 

The heart can open the doors and windows wide even if the hinges are rusty. Love has that power. As you step out and free yourself of this prison and heal, we all heal. We are all interconnected.

Blessing:

​May you recognize in your life the presence,
power, and light of your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone,
that your soul in its brightness and belonging
connects you intimately with the rhythm of
the universe.

May you have respect for your individuality
and difference.

May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
that behind the façade of your life,
there is something beautiful and eternal happening.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from the blessing, 'For Solitude,' from his books:
Benedictus (Europe) / To Bless the Space Between Us (US) ​

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