Summer Solstice 21 June 2015
Once again we've reached the midpoint of the year when in the Northern Hemisphere we have the longest day and the maximum amount of light. Our countryside, parks and gardens are lushly green mingled with brilliant splashes of colour dancing in the sunlight. We cannot fail to be touched by Nature's beauty. We feel uplifted and restored to ourselves, in touch with the earth and with each other.
Today is also the first ever International Yoga Day, as proposed by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, himself a practitioner of yoga. Older than any religion, yoga brings enormous benefits, and it's a fantastic idea to create greater awareness of these benefits in our troubled world. It's an appropriate time to be still and silent, to reflect and give thanks for the teachings of all the great sages and gurus who have taught yoga over thousands of years.
Yesterday I enjoyed a summer celebration with a barbecue in the garden with family and friends. Today however is a time for gratitude and reflection. After my recent expedition to Nepal and Tibet and experiencing the devastating effects of the earthquake, I am thankful to be alive. I feel deeply for all those who have suffered so much and continue to suffer.
As I think about the state of the world in general at this time, as we face yet one crisis after another, I can only hope and pray that these are the birth pangs of a new kind of civilization. Chaos always seems to precede order in terms of evolution,
As we evolve further into becoming wiser human beings, yoga can help us. Yoga in its broadest sense is a preparation for meditation, and it is through the practice of meditation that we become more aware and more compassionate human beings.
Deep within us is a place of perfect stillness, peace and joy. We all have access to this, and we can contact it most easily when we take the time to be be still and quiet and when we spend time in nature,
Let today be a day of both celebration and thanks, and a day of reflection and compassion.
