LIGHT YOUR FIRE! LET IT BURN!

Practice Off The Mat

Vol. 1 Issue 4

Let your fire roar!

Earlier this week I mentioned how I was looking back to the roots of Mettā as way to help me look forward and think about what is to come. In this process of reflection and meditation, one vision kept coming back repeatedly: that of a single remaining ember amidst large swaths of what used to be a big bright, fire.

And I was drawn to think about this tiny little shimmering ember. Warm, not too hot. Gently sitting there, faintly glowing. Surrounded by the now cooled remnants of other things that we were once burning. A single standalone ember.

But in this small little piece of light there is great potential. All it needs is gentle nurturing, careful handling, and devoted attention. Working with the proper environment, with fuel, space, and oxygen, that ember can grow. Eventually, that ember slowly heats up, brighter, hotter, fiercer and then it catches on.

The fire starts to burn again.

So that is where I find myself. Working on finding the space, the oxygen, and the fuel to carry the flames forward. And I am reminded that to give space, focus, and attention needed requires some slowing down. Setting up some intention. It requires practice. 

Meditation, mindfulness, yoga - these practices remind us we need to be balanced, careful, and present with the way we walk through our days. That the flame that exists within you is far too important! That light, that fire of your love .Your compassion. Your kindness. Your gratitude. That bright light that represents the immensity of your presence!

It represents the absolute greatest gift that you have to offer the world: you.

And you too, more than anything, you need to be cared for. You need to be nurtured. Giving of yourself too much too fast: that fire can burn out of control, quickly running out of fuel. Not giving yourself enough: the fire simply, slowly fades away.

So it is that you arrive in the studio, on the mat, on the cushion, wherever you choose to practice. It is there that you can practice seeing this light with in you. And it is in those moments that you can practice nurturing your own inner fire. 

Wherever your days take you be sure to take the time to nurture yourself.

You are worth it.
 

The fire and light that burns brightly within me, sees, honors, and nurtures the same in you,

Chris