A powerful meditation. Just staring into the flame is very calming.

Last night I went to Lisa Mae Osborne’s yoga class at The Bhaktishop Yoga Studio here in Portland, Oregon, honoring Winter Solstice which this year falls on December 22, the shortest day of the year and the longest night. It was a powerful practice for me as I was able to go deep inside and embrace the darkness with love. I highly recommend it.

The class took place in the above studio, however, all the lights were turned off and only candles were lit. Actually…Lisa Mae lovingly suggested to keep our eyes closed (as much as possible) through the entire class. Have you ever tried that? It’s really challenging. I could barely stand in tree pose….

Lisa Mae played the harmonium as we all sang to Kali, the Hindu Goddess who represents the Mother and the destroyer of illusion to make way for a rebirth….Hmmm….

At the end of the class, we each sat on our mats staring into our individual candles lit in front of us. Lisa Mae led us through a guided meditation–describing in detail all the colors in that small flame of light and how we are all connected to it and it to us. It brought me to another level of awareness….

I went home, wrapped myself in a warm, fuzzy blanket and lit my own fire…staring deeply into it…

Happy Winter Solstice.