Reflection

By Colleen Saidman Yee, January, 2010

Happy New Year fellow yogis! As 2009 comes to a close, I am remembering what Pema Chodron says, and that is:

“At the beginning of every day, reflect on the day ahead and aspire to use it to keep a wide-open heart and mind. At the end of the day before going to sleep, think over what you have done. If you fulfilled your aspiration even once, rejoice in that. If you went against your aspiration, rejoice that you are able to see what you did and are no longer living in ignorance. This way you will be inspired to go forward with increasing clarity, confidence and compassion in the days that follow.”

I have always been against New Years resolutions because they build up expectations and are another way in which we can feel as though we have let ourselves and others down. But as we close out 2009, and sit reflecting on a year that presented challenges and loss for a lot of us, is it possible to rejoice in the times that we were able to keep our hearts and minds wide-open and rejoice in the times that we weren’t. Ignorance is said by many great masters to be the only real obstacle, and by knowing when we act or react with a closed heart and mind, we are no longer living with blinders on.

So lets all rejoice and aspire to keep our hearts and minds wide open as we open the doors and the windows and invite in 2010. Lets hold hands and skip into the new year with clarity, confidence and compassion.

It is a great comfort to be on this path with you all.
The breath within my breath bows to the breath within your breath.
May we live in harmony.
Happy New Year!

Love, Colleen