Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? T.S. Eliot
I remember when my daughter was 2, 3, 4, even 5, she unabashedly and exuberantly approached people, friend and stranger alike, to tell them her name, often hug them, eagerly ask questions and tell them about her life. At the time, it often left me stricken and fearful that I needed to rush to protect her. Yet now, at 8 ½ she is often times guarded, hesitant, and I wonder if on some level she’s forgotten how to love the world with complete abandon and how to trust in herself. Of course, I know there are dangers in her former behavior; however, now and then I see again the girl who loves wildly and freely and see that girl remembering the wisdom of connection that is skewed by the knowledge she’s learned of the world. In those moments, she seems more open and alive than ever.
I see this happen to students at the end of class, too. I feel it happen to myself. These are times when students have gone deep into practice and by the end as they sit up from savasana, blink open their eyes and bow into “namaste,” which means most simply ‘I bow to you,’ I see in their eyes a reflection of the connection I feel toward them and that they feel toward each other. I can feel a softness in the bodies in the room that allows them to disregard the information that skews their ability to get quiet enough to feel connected to their beautiful self and all those around them.
I notice this in myself too. If I timed the moments when someone is speaking to me and I’m impatiently distracted and disconnected and compared that time to the moments when I let myself slow down, pause and focus with my whole being on becoming present to their words and body, I believe that they’d both have claimed the same amount of time in my life. However, in the second version, the quality of the interaction, the connection and stillness allows me to remember how important it is to practice connection with others.
What is the knowledge we’ve forgotten? I believe we all long for connection and stillness, to ourselves and to each other. When we lie in savasana or meditation or prayer and feel a sense of weightlessness and deep presence to something more vast than our small physical self, we are “remembering our self” and in that moment we become like a clear, still lake that is able to reflect a deep state of love.
Poet Ann Bender wrote, “Early morning mist rises / upon still waters / leaving behind a crystal clear / reflection. / Transform me…Into a crystal clear reflection…I want to become a lake of Love.”
This is what deep stillness can afford—we can become a crystal clear lake, free of debris and distraction; free of knowledge and information. Then it is that we can truly remember our true nature, and to become a lake of love. In those moments you may feel that you are able to love both yourself and those around you more completely, that you feel “connected.” And you are. Then, you reflect back to yourself and to those around you that love and connection. You may feel more open and alive than ever.
What is our “Love Yourself Challenge” really for? To find self-care, to take time for yourself, and to make contact with the love that burns in your heart. Then perhaps in connection we can do as John Dear wrote we are all called to do: “Breath in peace, breath out peace, walk gently upon the earth, love everyone with kindness and compassion, and serve those in need.” May your month be slowed a bit; may you find a way to nourish yourself and may you open your heart to really seeing and connecting to those around you.