Beauty

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you see beauty around you? Are you awed or "stopped in your tracks" by things you see throughout your day?  Can you see the beauty in your self? In others? I have been contemplating beauty, even more so, since reading an interesting book called Care of the Soul.

Thomas Moore wrote about "the World's Soul" and how noticing beauty in nature, art, and even inanimate objects is part of caring for our own soul.  He also says "Care of the Soul is not a project of self-improvement nor a way of being released from the troubles and pains of human existence... [but] honoring its expressions, giving it time and opportunity to reveal itself... "

I read back a few posts to where I had mentioned seeing beauty everywhere as a core asset. Let's go deeper. I'm guessing I'm not the only one who has ever looked at myself as needing improvement ;) It feels so much better to think, instead, of bringing out the beauty that is already there or uncovering the beauty from the layers of masks or "veils" placed over it. What if we looked at everything that way?

Yoga can sometimes become, just another self-improvement tool. While improvement and yoga are beautiful things, if the beauty inherent in myself is denied, it can become a daunting task or a fad, like other forms of exercise and diets (for example). Again, baby steps come to mind and seeing the beauty in each small change or the acceptance of what is while enjoying the journey.

Like the rainbow that we can not help but stop and admire. Like the sunset, sunrise, a baby, and great art... look for the beauty in yourself and everything around you and take a moment to let soul be revealed.

Go on a treasure hunt for beauty in life and in your yoga practice.