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In times of crisis, there are usually some jewels or gifts left inside the sand sifter.

Is it too soon to tell?

Do we need some more time with this to see the gifts and allow for the sand to move through?

Are some treasures already emerging in our mind’s eye?

Historically, pandemics may have forced humans to break up with what was and see life all new again. A new earth is being born, and we can choose to flow with her or get caught up along the way.

Throughout the most challenging times, it often feels as if the practice of yoga and meditation helps us remember who we are in the midst of chaos.

In the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, fixing broken pottery with gold is an essential part of their culture. They see the breakage and repair of an object as a part of its beauty and history, embracing its imperfections while creating a more exquisite piece of art.

A few years back, my husband gathered some of our belongings down from the attic for our big move to Australia. We ended up living there for two years—my son, Charlie, was five at the time, and our daughter, Leela, was seven.

There was a clothes basket up in the attic, and inside of it were these beautiful yoga art sculptures. They were carefully wrapped, each in their own bubble packs and with a bed sheet enveloping them for extra protection. Accidentally, the yoga sculptures came crashing to the ground with such a huge thump. I held onto my heart in sorrow and knew in that moment that life was about to get interesting.

The sculptures were something that I had deeply cherished, and the protective packaging around them reminded me of where I was in my life. I had a certain amount of protection that I had always longed for—an incredible husband who loved me unconditionally, two healthy children, and a beautiful home in the suburbs.

I had the ideal middle-class, suburban American life with a beautiful home and a peaceful living that I had seen in the movies while growing up as a small kid in Australia. I had no complaints that I would think to speak of, yet something was missing, and I still had a lot of healing to do.

While spending two years in Australia, I began to understand more of who I was without the trappings, which I thought life was all about.

My yoga sculptures were broken beyond repair, and perhaps like my past, I needed to begin the process of beginning anew.

Forgiveness and acceptance came first, and in letting go, I considered beginning again. In forgiving myself, I allowed the parts of me that I felt shame and blame around and didn’t want to admit or give attention to. This was painful, yet I began to feel some inner freedom.

Sometimes, we can understand from the microcosm what or how we respond in the macrocosm—this is not always the case, but sometimes it is.

In meditation, when the mind wanders off, can we calmly come back to the breath or to the object of focus? Do we berate ourselves and do harm? We send ourselves messages of failure and disappointment like, “I should’ve done better.”

But we can always build a deep well of resiliency by looking at ways to start again. How we come back to our meditation practice or difficulties is an intricate piece of understanding that decides the resiliency of our life, unfolding at all moments.

Some of my most important life lessons remind me of the lotus, and it’s a journey up from the mud. As I look back on times of confusion and challenges, I realize that they only made me stronger and more resilient.

2020 feels as if, like a snake, we are on an individual and collective level of shedding our skins. Things that no longer serve us, or give value, are being looked at today. Snakes shed their skin to allow for further growth and to remove parasites that may have attached to their old skin.

The funny thing was that once I truly let go, new yoga sculptures arrived on my doorstep from a dear friend who heard of their demise, symbolizing to me that I had indeed started anew.

By now, some of us may have realized that as a global community, we are going through a time of rebirth, transformation, and healing. On an individual level, we have different stories, and we can learn so much from each other. Unity in our humanity is there, as all of us have experienced the pain, joys, and sorrows of living life.

In times of change, I find comfort in ritual. There’s something about having a ritual and connecting into a few meaningful ways that soothe the soul.

What rituals do you have that connect you deeply with your true nature? For me, it’s waking up in the morning when the sun is rising and looking out to the garden as the birds begin to sing. It’s in those first few moments when I take some deep breaths and remember who I am.

Today, while still living under restrictions due to COVID-19, the feeling of freedom could never be taken away from me. My inner world will always be free, and it will always be my gateway to love.

The time has come to start trusting our sacred self—the self beyond our body. We have so much influence in our general proximity and more than we give ourselves credit for.

Are we willing to uncover who we truly are, beyond our limiting self?

Can we be inclusive of our entire earth family while contemplating these deeper questions?

As we courageously put one foot in front of the other, may we walk through this reality with little to no luggage and embrace it all with love.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu is a mantra of power that assists in spiritual evolution and acts as a blessing for the world.

Translated as, “May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom for all.”

By chanting this mantra, we move from our personal self and radiate a prayer of love for the world around us. It takes us from the egoic, little self and its limited world view, and it radiates from ourselves a global well-being.

It is a reminder that we are all an integral part of the universe and can positively impact all of the creation.

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