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| AHYMSIN newsletter, Issue - December 2011 | ||||||||||||||
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Only A Life: A Journey to the Vashishta Caveby Arlene MatthewsDuring a trip to SRSG in March 2011, I visited the Vashishta cave, a venue in the Himalayan foothills where yogis have sat in meditation for countless years. When I recently saw a photograph showing how ecstatic I looked when I emerged, I was inspired to write a brief recap of my experience inside. First, I should say that I have a retinal condition, a symptom of which is that it takes my eyes quite a while to adjust to a dark space – so I did not think I would be so comfortable in a cave of all places! But once I became acclimated, I felt I never wanted to leave. I never smelled anything so sweet as the scent of the stone and earth in that cave. And I felt so warm – wrapped-in-a-blanket kind of warm – even though you would think a cave would be cold and dank. After a while nearly everyone else in my group had left, and I found myself sitting in lotus pose on a rocky perch, breathing more deeply than I ever had before. It was the kind of breathing you always feel you are "supposed" to do in yoga, but never quite get. In truth, it wasn't like I was breathing at all, but rather as if I were "being breathed." It was utterly effortless. And on each inhalation and exhalation I internally heard the word "peace, peace, peace” – which, again, is something I sort of mouth at the start and end of yoga classes, in an obligatory way when the instructor says to do so, but never really experience. After a while I felt as if the outside world was slipping away. I had this vague sense that I should probably get going, that my companions would be ready to get back on the bus that had brought us here. I had this thought that I should go and get back to my life, and then I heard that internal voice again. This time it said, very clearly, "It's only a life." Note the indirect article: "a" life. One of many, but none of them real...or at least not nearly as real as the timeless energy in that cave. On the drive to Vashishta I had a number of moments on those crazy, twisty Himalayan roads where I thought, "Oh God, this is it, we're all going to die." But on the way back I was, briefly, fearless. For a while, "death" had no meaning for me. Only a life; only a death. None of it true. All a story we tell ourselves while, underneath, the heart cave breathes its eternal, brilliant breath. It's hard to hold on to such moments, but I have noticed that back in what I (ironically) refer to as my “real” life, when I feel stressed about what is, in the grand scheme of things, some inconsequential nonsense, I remind myself: "It's only a life." I cannot tell you how much that helps. Editor’s NoteAn initiate, Arlene Matthews is a writer and editor with a special interest in psychology, communications, and spirituality. She has authored and co-authored over 30 books, including The Seven Keys to Calm, The Complete Idiots Guide to Beating Stress, and The Complete Idiots Guide to the Psychology of Happiness. John David Wilson composed three devotional poems on a pilgrimage to the mountains outside of Rishikesh, “Vashistha’s Cave”, “Shiva Consciousness” and “Yajna” We invite you to read John’s poems at http://www.ahymsin.org/docs2/News/0210/06.html
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