Take a Bow to the Light Within

Today is the shortest day of the year and by the time you read this, it may have already ended. What that means is longer days are ahead. More light will be ours as one day unfolds into the next. Darkness can be troublesome for many people. More and more I have come to think, I am ruled by the sun. I need the light to keep a positive disposition. I need the light to see me through difficult times and sad memories. But I also have come to understand, that like so much else in life, the short days and less light are truly temporary. I can dwell in the land of the dark, or I can decide to shine.

Today, in celebration of the Winter Solstice, I gathered with several special people—some friends, some strangers—and performed 108 Sun Salutations, known as Surya Namaskar which can be translated as bowing to the sun. We laughed at times, we grunted at times, and before we knew our time was done. We had completed, together, 108 bows to the sun.

While honoring this transition of seasons and this demarkation which takes us toward more light filled days, I am reminded that regardless of the time of year, regardless of the act of bowing to the sun that all of us have light. We all—no matter our station in life, our challenges, or our successes—have light within us. The thing is, we sometimes forget. We forget that we are each made up of a body and soul that does not just perform, but shines.

In yoga, most classes end with students and teachers bowing to one another and repeating the Sanskrit word Namaste. It is this action which acknowledges the light in each of us. The light that is never extinguished. However, it must be cultivated. As I bow today to those around me, I am reminded of part of the Namaste translation: I honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light and of peace. I hold this as truth because I believe we all shine.