I AM This Light

A common phrase I often hear in yoga is 'We are all one.'

Truth be told, I have struggled with this understanding.

How is this possible? We all seem so vastly different!

It wasn't until my teacher described the spark of light in our hearts that comes in with us when we enter this life and leaves with us when we leave this life that I understood.

This is the light that connects us all.

This light is a particle from the great, ever-pervading universal light that consciousness comes from and returns to.

This is the divine light that permeates all living beings.

That rang true.

He continued to speak about this profound understanding, describing how this light resides in our temporary physical body to have a human experience.

It gets to experience it all: the joys and sadness, the love and grief, the anger, the vulnerability, the delusion of loneliness, and the deep connection to others.

It is known by many names, such as Purusa in the Vedic yoga lineage and Shan Shen in Chinese medicine. One of my favorites is Jyoti Smati from the Yoga Sutras, which means the mother light.

This light is known to be the most ancient and wisest part of ourselves. It's been with us for millions of lifetimes.

This resonated so deeply within me that I knew it to be TRUTH.

I come from a religious upbringing that never described anything like this, but what it connected to was the biblical understanding that the 'Kingdom of God is within you.'

Although I am not religious, my sincere spiritual practice helps me connect the wisdom teachings, which point to universal truth. And I find relief and comfort when I can see the common thread.

Since I've come to this understanding, my meditations are based on connecting to this heart light, which has provided me with a deep sense of security. It's a way of remembering who I truly am. This light is housed in this temporary body.

Our physical yoga practice's primary goal is to release the issues in our tissues that block this light. When we are fixated on our pain and obsessive thinking mind, this heart light becomes obscured. We start identifying with the pain and obsessions.

When our bodies are free from aches (often after a yoga practice), and our minds are calm and clear (from a long, slow breath), the heart light is revealed.

A Sanskrit mantra that connects us to this light is So Hum, translated as I Am.

This mantra is prescribed by psychotherapists to anxious clients, as it's soothing to our nervous system.

~ Inhale SO

~ Exhale HUM

Visualizing this light expanding and contracting with the breath.

Namaste,

Maggie