Meet Life

Yesterday, I sat outside in the sun under a tree in a verdant springtime garden with a few friends. We ate lemon cake with whipped cream and berries to celebrate a birthday. Then the fog rolled in and the wind was sharp and biting. The gathering ended quickly! 

I am struck by how full life can be. It is at times wonderful, and then just a few moments later can be hard. Our bodies and hearts are subject to the forces of change and life itself moves through cycles of expansion and contraction. 

Recently, I have been working with a meditation mantra from dear teacher Sylvia Boorstein.:

“May I meet this moment fully.

May I meet it as a friend”

These are wonderful instructions, not just for meditation, but for life! Meditation practice, yoga practice, is for developing skills to meet life as it is with an open heart. The practices support the body (our nervous systems!) and teach us how to stay steady through the shifting sands of life. When we are steady, we have more capacity to meet the fullness of life.