Sundaram

"The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding
of the object....you experience a radiance.
You are held in aesthetic arrest." - Joseph Campbell.

As one drives on the 5 Freeway to Highway 140 in California you can get to one of the entrances to my favorite park in that state, Yosemite. You still have to drive for some time after you enter the park to see the heart of the Yosemite valley. At the end of that drive you go through a short tunnel and at the end almost as if by magic the whole valley seems to just appear.The first time that I saw it I literally gasped as I went into what Joseph Campbell calls aesthetic arrest.

This is a state in which one experiences something with an intense yet gentle focus, admiration, and awe. The heart beholds the image as it flutters and feels completely at one with what is being seen. The mind is totally absorbed in the experience to such an extend that all other thoughts disappear. The intensity of the initial experience lasts for a several seconds but it makes an imprint on your soul. To me this is the experience of beauty which in Sanskrit is called Sundaram.

This experience of beauty can come in many different degrees. The experience that I just shared with you was an intense one but we can also have equally powerful experiences of sundaram, beauty, in our everyday life. It takes our willingness to recognize them to enjoy them fully so they can leave a powerful imprint in us. You can experience beauty in someone's smile, in a walk in the park or on the streets, in the snow falling, in a yoga pose, in your home, in your meditation practice, and in many more instances.

Let's recognize and take our time to enjoy all those moments in our life that allows us to experience the state of sundaram, beauty. A state that can be a soothing balm to your soul.

See you in class soon.

Blessings

Jorge Nihal