4 Square Meters

Thai pants on. Check. Scented candles. Check. Gloomy weather. Check. Music and mats ready. Me & myself. Check. Concentration. Check.

She is here. I don’t know her. We sit. We smell and sip our green teas.

We start yoga and meditation. Together, we breathe. I tell her to let it all in. Even the sounds outside… I want her to feel the sensations throughout her body. I ask her to notice her feelings at that moment. I tell her to be aware of her thoughts. Meditation is not about shutting ourselves down. It is all about opening ourselves to life. Our awareness and hearts wide open…

Experiencing life with mindfulness. Mindfulness is bliss. We can not empty our minds or totally shut down our thoughts. But when we find ourselves drift away, we can learn how to come back... To our centers, to our breath, to the present moment. We always have a choice. To come back.. Present is our only wealth.

Now, we are focused and we are awake. We do sun salutations. We warm up. We are ready.

We start the Thai Massage.

Crack! Ahh, there comes the light… All is out. Her emotional body is activated. She starts telling me about her life, the story of her sufferings, just when I start with her back… What Rumi said is so true: ‘The wound is the place where the Light enters you.’ It is not important when or where it cracks open, but how we deal with it. 

Vulnerability is not weakness. It is a powerful emotion. Being strong is all about accepting what life brings us, learning to let go of our attachments and to go with the flow.

4 square meters. The sacred space is created in just that 4 square meters. The ancient teachings help us to look right in the eyes of life, there and then. With all its pureness, with truth, peace and bliss..

We are alive and kicking. No past, no future. We both are here and now, in the present moment. In unity. in harmony. We are One.

Thai massage is over.

It is deep relaxation time. I tell her, now, it is time to let go. I ask her to totally relax and surrender. Nothing to do. Nowhere to go. Nothing to be.

At the end of our time together, I ask her to sit back up. We chant ‘Om Shanti’ 3 times. Peace for the past, present and future. We wish peace to the world. Namaste. She opens her eyes. Tears in her eyes…

Our practice is over.

Pure. Open. Naked Souls.

Divya Beste Dolanay

5 December 2013, Amsterdam