06/03/2026
Sometimes life narrows our vision.
If I don’t feel like I have access to wisdom due to being trapped by my circumstances—whether they be the harms I cause or the harms caused to me by others—perhaps expanding my view can help point me in the right direction.
What if I need only to lift my eyes and look to nature around me? Trees growing roots to nourish their limbs, birds migrating, shrubs blooming in arid climates, insects going about their business. The food I eat and the air I breathe depend on all of nature doing its part. Through thunderstorms, floods, heat waves, and blizzards, nature invites us to join it in doing what we can and working with what we have.
Let’s take it a step further. What if I consciously seek out the beauty in nature? Waking up early to watch a sunrise or walking outside as the sun sets. Standing in the rain, watching it nourish the earth. Noticing a bee buzzing from flower to flower, or a chipmunk chasing another.
Observation invites curiosity. Is the chipmunk chase territorial, courtship, or play? Curiosity invites more observation: Is there chatter and squeals and fighting, or is it more fluid, less noisy, and less survival-oriented?
The practice of intentional “noticing” is easier said than done. Because to notice, I have to pause. A pause leaves space for reflection. Reflection may lead to introspection, which sometimes confronts me with discomforts: shame and anger, the ghosts of my past, and the worries of my future.
If we can learn to gaze inward with self-kindness and build that capacity consistently, we gain access to profound wisdom.
Gazing inward with kindness is what we aspire to cultivate in our practice. Perhaps through this cultivation, we can acclimatize to whatever life presents and discover paths forward that may not have been evident to us before.
Come join us on Wednesday nights at Lifted Lotus Yoga as we explore wise living together.
This photo is a sunset from my grandmother’s property. I took it over 20 years ago, and it is still one of my favorites.
