06/05/2026
Good morning 🌞 it's time for a vulnerable share from this week's dharma talk ✨🧘♀️
I want to share a story with you about 👁️ perspective. Recently, I had the opportunity to bring my art to an exhibit. Another artist, who is an incredibly talented artist, asked me to transport his piece as well. When I delivered the artwork, the coordinator saw his piece and immediately fell in love with it, fawning over it, pouring out WELL-deserved praise. Because it truly is a AMAZING artwork.
But when it came time to look at my piece... she picked it up upside down. She looked at it from a completely upside down perspective, gave a polite, This is nice, and set it aside.
At that exact moment, I felt a physical shift. I became quiet. I felt myself closing off, shrinking a bit. The sting of feeling misunderstood, or less than, crept in. My ego was bruised to say the least.
We all know this feeling. It’s the tight contraction in the chest or the heavy sinking in the stomach when we feel unseen. In life, we will inevitably encounter moments where people look at us, our work, our intentions, or our lives... completely upside down. They are looking through their own lens, their own unique perspective, and they might totally miss what we see or what we’ve created.
The ego’s immediate reaction is to fight back, to defend, or to retreat into a shell. We want to force them to see it right side up. We want to yell, 'No, look closer! You’re holding it wrong!'
But true peace doesn't come from forcing someone else to change their orientation. It comes from accepting the experience with deep understanding rather than forcefulness. It's the practice of acknowledging the sting. Allowing it to be there without judgment and then softly letting it go.
On the mat, we explore perspective. We might physically turn ourselves upside down in our practice. When we shift our view, how do we react to the discomfort? Can we meet the tight spaces in our bodies with understanding instead of force? Can we let our practice be an offering to ourselves, validated from within, rather than looking outside for approval?
Notice where you are gripping, where your ego wants to force a pose to look a certain way, or where you feel misunderstood by your own body. Practice meeting those moments with a soft breath. Acknowledge it, breathe into it, and let it go. You know your truth. 🌱
