Turning up the Light

As a yogi, I actually love the winter solstice (which is coming up on Tuesday). There is something about the shortest day of the year and extended darkness that is particularly conducive to the yoga meditative practice of blocking out the world and turning the gaze inward (pratyahara). That practice can provide a welcome antidote to holiday busyness (and, compared to last year, there is a lot more of it--shopping, cooking, traveling!). But just as significantly, it’s in the process of looking inward that we more fully open up to the energy, life force, and light that we acknowledge and cultivate through our practice.  Here’s to entering into the quiet darkness to open up to the light (regardless of the season). Happy solstice!