Krystal Barschig

“The quiet refuge you seek is within you.” — Laura McKinnon

This quiet refuge, this stillness, peace, total alignment, and connection is something most of us just touch in on for a brief moment at a time, maybe even just a millisecond every so often. But we know that’s it — that’s the pot of gold.

We experience it, and then poof…gone. I don’t know what happens or why it happens. Maybe we forget or something, or we get caught up in a story or an old habit, or our ego takes ahold… but then we remember again! …and then forget again… and then remember again… and forget again… Maybe that’s just it. Maybe this dance or forgetting and remembering is it. Pema Chödrön says that things come together and they fall apart, and then they come together again and fall apart again, and that’s just the way it is.

Perhaps with practice we train ourselves to remember more frequently so that the time between episodes of remembering grows shorter. Or maybe as we practice we’re able to hover in that space of remembering longer. Maybe some people eventually totally live in that space. I don’t know… I certainly don’t yet. But I have found that when I travel a certain course day after day, just like walking on the same dirt path over and over again, the more clear and defined that path becomes. Neurologically this is true. Neurological patterns which are repeated over and over again become deeply engrained in the brain, and thus are given precedence over less habituated ones.

So, who knows, maybe for the rest of your day you’ll feel awash in light and in total alignment. Or maybe you won’t, but you’ll experience a spark here or a moment of clarity or peace there. Without clinging to them, allow yourself to enjoy these momentary sparks — that’s it, that’s the magic! Our work is to keep coming back to ourselves and staying open so that we are awake for and able to see and receive that next magic moment when it does come along.

This pranayama practices is one of my favorites as it draws my attention to the birthplace of those magic moments:

Align your physical body in a comfortable seated position. Close your eyes, and turn your attention inward. Notice the body… the mind… the breath. Bring your attention to the moment between the end of the exhale and the beginning of the next inhale. There is a natural pause there, and you can hover in this space of infinite possibility, silence, stillness, peace, refuge. Each and every inhale, each new moment of inspiration is born of this space of infinite possibility, silence, stillness, peace, and refuge. Your breath and this magical place are available to you every single moment of every single day and night that you are living on this earth. Follow your breath as it guides your journey of remembering, and allow it to bring you back home to yourself.