Inner Sky

 “You are the sky. Everything else - it’s just the weather.”

     ~Pema Chödrön, Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness & Compassion

In our last blog we explored shanti or peace as an active practice -  something we cultivate through intentional aligned action.

Yet peace, like all twelve divine qualities, already exists within our hearts.

Explore the 12 Divine Qualities of the Heart

In her quote, ‘You are the sky. Everything else - it’s just the weather,’  American Buddhist nun, teacher and author Pema Chödrön reminds us that beneath the clouds of thought, emotion and circumstance, there's a vast, steady awareness that never changes.

This is the essence of Shanti - peace not as something we earn, but as something we remember.

In yogic philosophy, this steady awareness mirrors sākṣī bhāva, the witness consciousness described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras...

  Sutra 1.3: Tadā drashtṛḥ svarūpe ’vasthānam

 
~The Seer rests in it's true nature when it does not become entangled in the fluctuations of the mind

Or, simply put... just as the sky holds the clouds without being changed by them, our awareness can observe thoughts and emotions without being consumed by them.

We can cultivate this inner sky in many ways

Here's three accessible practices that bring us back to that steady, luminous presence:

1. Pause & Breathe

The space between the inhale and exhale,  kumbhaka,  is a doorway to stillness.

Breath-focused meditation invites us to rest in this pause, gently observing the stream of thoughts and sensations without getting attached to them or disappearing down a rabbit-hole.

In these moments of pause our awareness expands, reconnecting us with our inner spaciousness.

2. Move with Presence

Mindful movement reconnects us with our bodies and endless inner sky.

Yoga is a beautiful vehicle for this (of course!) but any movement you love whether it's Pilates, Barre, dancing, walking, swimming, gym or HIIT serves the same purpose - to help us feel grounded, calm and and bring us home to ourselves.

3. Creative Flow

Flow is the art of full absorption - dharāṇā - where time seems to stand still and our attention is fully immersed in what we're doing and it's one of the steps on the Eightfold Path and the ultimate goal of enlightenment. 

Doing the things you love and bring you joy like painting, cooking, gardening, reading, watching a compelling film, listening to music, spending time with people you love or simply walking in nature can bring us into this state.

When we allow ourselves to be fully immersed, the busy-ness of life falls away and the inner sky quietly reveals itself.

🕊️ YIN FOR PEACE

Peace is a practice, a choice and a gift and tomorrow, for the final time in October, we have the opportunity to embody it together...

 YIN FOR PEACE  with Michelle Neary |  @shellene

📆 Saturday 25th October

⏰ 14:00-15:30

💰£19 drop-in, 1 class credit, included in memberships

Rest deeply into peace through longer held postures, stillness and quiet presence and allow the heart’s innate wisdom to surface. Through breath, gentle movement and deep rest we return home to the vast, steady sky within.

 

Om Shanti!

 

Suitable for all abilities. 

RESERVE YOUR SPACE