living namaste

Make it The definition literally means ‘I bow to you’. out

In yoga, Namaste is said at the end of class after the rest period (savasana) before leaving the room as a salutation of awareness - awareness of one’s divine essence. I recognize the divine essence within you.

Several mornings a week, I walk up a BIG hill. It is winding and long, about a half mile of unrelenting climbing. The hill itself is humbling; some days easier, other days much more difficult. A perfect metaphor for life

We hill climbers come in all shapes and sizes, all colors, and fitness levels.

Some days we walk towards... other days we walk away from.... Sometimes we just walk....

As I walk, I hear snippets of many conversations in many different languages. I

have seen people crying, some look pensive, some are relaxed and laughing.

Some walkers come dressed to the nines in perfectly matching yoga or hiking

attire. Others look rumply, unkept, as if they literally picked up their morning

attire from a messy heap on the floor. Some walkers show up with a friend, some as couples, some in groups and many come alone. Some drag their feet, some run, others walk fast, tall and erect, while others climb very slowly, stooped over, as they gasp for air, struggling, making their way to the top.

So many different ways of trying, looking, thinking, feeling... ways of being on this hill.

Our providence, working, being, winding through the days, we encounter so many different others, others who are all trying to show up in the best way they all know how to be. The best they can be, in this game we call life.

Namaste

by Sheri Laine, L.AC.; Diplomate OM, MS

Columnist - The Integrative Piece

Counselor - The Magazine for Addiction and Mental Health Professionals