Present moment wonder greets moments of despair.
I sit in real life, in my body, in a third story corner of a huge residency center, a heavenly perch. In the jungle treetops, living with critter neighbors, I am outnumbered by birds and spiders. Rare and endangered species pass through the backyard. As I load the photo of Mot Mot bird, she begins her early morning piece of a daily unfolding sound score. Learning to recognize her vocals is a highlight from the sanctuary time allotted by COVID19.
As of today, there is one day until the 46th President of the USA is inaugurated. The 45th has created a raging shit show. The Capitol of the United States in Washington D.C. is a militarized zone. Whatever is beyond our imagination that could happen is possible, as witnessed in the past 5 years. As witnessed January 6, 2021.
The only thing that saves me from despair and rage is devotion rooted in deepest faith. In the systems of yoga, this pathway is called Bhakti. Having lost so much respect for the human species, finding love means turning to my Beloved Divine Creating One. Opening my eyes, bearing witness to the universe I am in the middle of, myriads of Creation’s astonishing works of art fill me with absolute wonder and joy. To be utterly absorbed by Mot Mot, the tick tocking of the tail, waiting for a sound, knowing in a moment or two he is likely to wing over to another branch, to follow, to see, to fall in love, for me that is an expression of devotion, that is Bhakti.
Why is absorbing myself with the absolute immediacy of a beautiful moment important? Because the brain and nervous system can only handle so much outrage and horror. The brain’s capacity to loop on the worst is how many humans are conditioned. The body reacts with fear, igniting the nervous system into top warning alerts of either fighting, or fleeing. Yoga says, don’t try and stop thinking about the bad stuff, start thinking about something else. Change the view. Literally. In my case, instead of looking inside at my mind making up a story, I turn my eyes outward to the present moment finding the sensory experience of sight, sound, smell, touch.
Even if the relief to a nervous system on high alert is just a few minutes, that is a place to start. Noticing how the body shifts, maybe the heart rate lowers, the jaw unclenches helps to understand the secrets of yoga. The choice to change the view with the possible illumination of direct experience leads to balance. It takes practice.
Bhakti Blue has been created as a guiding line to chronicle an era of enduring historical importance. Perhaps I'll use it as a lifeline to stay out of my own crazy, holding myself accountable to PRACTICE and to keep my heart open.
