It’s in the early wee hours of the morning before I wake and get out of bed when I sometimes hear a phrase, or word, silently repeated in my head.
It happened to me the other morning and what I heard in my semi-conscious state was “onion yoga”. Maybe my mind meant union yoga, as yoga is often described to mean union. Or maybe I was hungry, but I don’t even like onions.
Anyway… it does have some meaning, like peeling away layers. And this I could certainly relate to. But what is at the core? Is there really an inner and an outer? If the perception of our outer “world” is a subjective picture filtered by our inner state then maybe it’s only a matter of perspective. Inner and outer only appear to be different.
Perspective
Many moons ago (you will have to use your great imagination for this) I was glammed up in heels, wearing a suit, rushing around working in the corporate world of fashion. As part of my job I had to travel to India frequently to oversee clothing samples being made for the NY showroom.
I’ll never forget my first trip to India arriving at the airport in Mumbai – dark, smoky, faces pressed against the windows trying to peer in as I walked the long corridor out to the parking lot. Where am I?
Fast track to arriving at the hotel, supposedly a 5 star hotel, but I was horrified. The rooms seemed drab and not exactly clean according to my snobby fashion diva standards. Better check the bed. Oh god, what’s that smell in the corridor. Are those tiny women cleaning the carpets with straw brooms? That can’t be very clean.
Triple fast track (maybe quadruple fast track) … I had left the fashion world, my corporate job, and was on a soul-searching journey. Going to India. This time to do a yoga teacher-training and travel to sacred places. I slept on floors, no hot water (it was summer thankfully), and I was so happy and excited and in love with the people of India.
Towards the end of my trip I ended up staying with friends of the Swami from my yoga training. He’d kindly arranged it for me. I arrived at their home in Mumbai, garlands of bright colored flowers around the doorframe and an infectious gaiety oozing out the door. Come in, come in. Big family, lots of hugs, food, love.
It was their son’s wedding very soon and I must join them, they insisted, and wear my finest. The wedding was taking place at a very special 5 star hotel. My finest was not very fine, but I did have a cotton sari and that had to do. I felt honored to be included.
We arrived at the hotel – what a palace!! It looked so divine. After travelling, sleeping on floors, and no hot showers, I yearned to stay there even just one night. You guessed? It was the exact same hotel that I had first stayed in years ago. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It looked so wonderful, pristine, inviting and luxurious. Of course it was exactly the same. Same place, two different views.
I never forgot that experience and how life has shown me that what I see in the world is filtered by my inner state of mind.
Perspective. In each moment we have the opportunity to choose our attitude, thoughts and create our life with joy, happiness that is our true nature and how we are meant to live.
Everything is in a constantly evolving state of creation, including us. At the core is our connection to a universal flow of life, who we really are.
The layers, like an onion, are the ever unfolding, peeling, revealing layers of living our human life.
At the core is a never changing, all encompassing universal love.
Life is a magical journey to the onion, I mean union, with all that is.
Namaste – I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light, and of peace. When I recognise that place in you and the same place in me, we are one.
Love to you, you are love,
