Venus Rising

Yoga for LivingIssue: Taurus 09 - The Garden Issue

Sky Gazing

"Your mind is infinite and vast, like the sky."

I try to remember these words when my mind feels cluttered. These days, it seems like both the sky and my mind have opened up. Maybe it's because I just returned from three weeks in the warm Costa Rican sunshine. Or perhaps it's the sun’s welcomed and increasingly powerful presence here in North America. Longer days, warmer weather, and brighter light have gifted me with more energy and vitality. I spend more time outdoors these days and I appreciate nature’s innate ability to promote health and well being.

Deepak Chopra suggests that everyone can benefit from a little sunshine and a walk outside once a day. I agree. Since we reflect our environment, how we interact with it effects how we think and feel. In cultures where people spend most of their time outside, I have noticed that the pace of life is more relaxed. Nature, after all, has it’s own rhythms that are out of human control.

Sky gazing is a technique that strengthens our connection with the natural environment and relaxes our minds. Expertly trained at working with the human mind, Tibetans have developed numerous meditation practices that promote well being and happiness in people's lives. No matter how cluttered and anxious our minds can seem, there are techniques to work with our situation. Sky gazing is one of these techniques.  It is a Tibetan meditation technique that was taught to me by yoga and meditation teacher Jill Satterfield. We can use it to welcome the summer season, allow the sky to open up, and in turn, remind us of the true nature of our minds. 

Tibetan’s traditionally practice sky gazing during sunrise at a high peak but it can be practiced anytime of day and anywhere that you can see the sky. You can practice outside, either sitting or lying on the ground or inside looking out through a window. To begin, find a piece of the sky to focus on. Then allow your vision to widen, taking in all that you can from your peripheral vision. Keeping the gaze like this, soft and open, allow things to move and change in your field of vision without focusing on them. Your gaze stays wide and open and you allow movement to pass through this field of vision without following it. Practice for five to twenty minutes or for as long as feels comfortable for you.