We can renew in the Light any time, but with summer’s long daylight, the opportunity seems extra special. The following are some ways of deepening and expanding your own knowing of the Light, without and within. Thank you to the teachers at Yasodhara Ashram for this month’s reflections.

AUDIO

Swami Radha encourages us to continue expanding and deepening our practices with the Light and to look for the Light in all we do.

REFLECTIONS

1. “The Light is always available to you, and you can make yourself available to it. The choice is up to you.” (Swami Radha, The Yoga of Healing, p. 39) Make a list of the various ways you experience Light. Then take a walk – in nature or in the city. Look for the Light. Where do you see it, feel it, know it? Can you discover Light in new and different ways?
2. “The Divine Light mantra promises a gradual recognition of ourselves as beings of Light. At first we may feel there is a gap between the human and the divine being in ourselves but if we can at least recognize the Light within, the next steps are possible.” (Swami Radha, Light and Vibration, p. 77) Choose a set period of time to do the Divine Light Invocation and put yourself in the spiral of Light. What do you observe in the moment and in your day? Record your experience. At the end of your designated time, read over your notes and write a song or poem or draw an image that captures your learning.
3. “This is what yoga is all about – building awareness of the Light and building courage to live life. ‘I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am Light eternal.’ Make the space available – have a sky-like mind that holds the Light.” (Swami Radhananda, ascent-issue 30, p. 7) Lead yourself through the following Expanded Light visualization (ascent-issue 30, p. 7) Sit in a comfortable position with your ankles crossed. Close your eyes, softly focusing them on the space between your eyebrows. Let your body be still and quiet. See a point of light. Concentrate on the point of light. See the light expand, filling your body, surrounding you, expanding out and out until it reaches the sky and beyond. See yourself and everyone and everything in the light. See this light spreading as far as you can imagine and beyond. Then begin to draw the light back to the space between your eyebrows. Stay quiet and still, absorbing the Light. Then ask yourself: What would it mean to have a luminous mind? What if I let the Light in? How could this support a sense of being renewed?
4. Chant and reflect: What is the question I want to ask myself right now in my life? Do the Divine Light Invocation and put your question in the spiral. Stand in the Light for a moment afterwards and listen. Write your experience. Then focus on your breath, holding your question lightly in your mind. Once you establish an even rhythm, begin to inhale Light and as you exhale, absorb the Light. When you are ready, record any further insights about your question.
5. Take yourself through the Visualization of the Light. (Swami Radha, Kundalini Yoga for the West, p. 116-117) Ask: where was the Light in my day? Where was there a sense of renewal? And then find your own way of expressing gratitude for what has been given.
6. Take time to let Swami Radha lead you through a deep relaxation (using her Relaxation audio). At the end, laying in the stillness, bring this thought to mind: “In that state of peace and quiet and inner harmony, one can perceive a vision of the Light. . .” (Swami Radha, Hatha Yoga the Hidden Language, p. 221) Write about your experience. Then ask yourself which of the internal fountains (peace, joy, harmony, etc.) speaks most to you at this time. How could you make it more alive in your life?
7. “Whereas Western psychology aims at adaptation to the world – social, economic and domestic survival – yoga psychology deals with developing potential and the discovery and unfolding of the Divine within.” (Swami Radha, Hatha Yoga the Hidden Language, p. 233) Chant asking, What is my potential? Draw an image that represents this to you and tape it to the wall. Stand in front of it in Tadasana. What does your image say to you about your potential? Write. And then stand again. This time, ask: what does my image say to me about renewal? How can the Light support me? Again, write.
8. “Light is a powerful symbol to send a positive feeling into the world, to people you know and love and to anyone who is in need.” (Swami Radhananda, ascent-issue 33, p. 7). The Light is a gift that we can continually offer – it has no expiration date! Lead yourself through the following visualization: Visualize your heart centre. Imagine a blue flame on an altar there. Take the flame and place it on the heads of friends or loved ones. Continue to other people in need of the Light. (Swami Radhananda, ascent-issue 33, p. 7) Make a commitment to keep the Light alive in your day, your relationships, to anyone in need.

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