Integrate

(photo credit Molly Yarrington)

Gaze at this picture for a while. I find it to be so meditative.

It may take a moment to see the

snow on the dunes,

the fog hanging over the sea.

It has an abstract quality that lends itself to the imagination. This photo was taken by my dear childhood friend Molly while she was living in a little beach house on the New Hampshire coast. (sidebar: it provided an amazing artist’s retreat for me a couple of years ago. The ocean in winter is enthralling). Molly told me that it was unusual for the snow to settle on the beach for very long

(residual salt on the sand and the warmth of the water may be factors; as well as the driving wind). So she was happy to capture that moment one January morning. As I pondered the picture, it struck me that all three phases of water were visible:

solid, liquid, gas.

It isn’t often that they converge so tangibly.

And so it is with us:

it takes intention, curiosity and a little wonderment

for our 3 elements to merge: mind, soul and body. When they do integrate, it is beautiful, exhilarating.

We become invigorated by the wholeness of our being,

harmonizing into something stronger and unceasing.

And the space around us is perceptibly changed.

Yoga is designed to bring us that unity and help sustain it.

Our breath is the thread that binds the 3 together and we become infused with new life. Mind. Soul. Body. Find your connection here.