Encouraging an engaged and enlightened life, one magazine at a time
By Lourdes Paredes
In choosing the name for our new publication, I considered how living a more conscious life might look and feel, and the words to describe it. Sacred art has traditionally depicted the elevated, conscious state as light. Saints and angels are painted as lit from the inside, standing in front of a light source, framed by a gilt aura or with a halo floating above the head.
In class, I invite my students to visualize the breath as a stream of light entering and illuminating the body. As we begin, the imagery might feel unfamiliar and challenging to break through our chitta vritti (mind chatter). But as we continue to visualize the breath entering as light and dispersing throughout our bodies, by Savasana we envision ourselves as illuminated.
In the yoga energetic anatomy, the chakras and the nadis are centers and pathways of prana (life force) described by color, movement and velocity. Just as we know something is working because its indicator light is on, we start to feel more alive through yoga and might describe this as an inner radiance or kundalini. The moment the power light on our computer screen dims or our phone goes dead and its light fades, we fear disconnection and long for the spark to ignite.
Through our writing and editing, artwork and overall design, we aim to provide insight and inspiration and to encourage you to live your most engaged and enlightened life.
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