Elegance

Elegance 

It's a common thing to hear in kitchens now, or anywhere where household discussions are going on, "Breathe. Wait a minute, Just breathe." 

We all know that things get better when we pay attention to the breath. We're more in the moment, more present, more true. 

There are things to do. Enlightenment unfolds as it will, but there are ways to become more accessible to it. Practices. Meditation. Vigils. Fasting. Walks. Whatever you give time and attention to. Rumi says it's important to relish these doings. As work becomes play, breath easier, the weaving becomes elegant. 

In the rhythm of a practice, life begins to fit together at the water table level. You feel the artistry moving through a web of conduits. 

Conventionally, we think of repetition as deadening, but in a spiritual practice, repetition, done with delight, renews the freshness, the originality, the brightness of spontaneity. 

Doing some awareness work regularly sharpens the point, makes inner life more beautiful, and that beauty revives. 

Coleman Barks, The Illuminated Rumi