Share the Light: It May Illuminate More Than You Know

You never really know what affect you’ll have on someone’s life. Simple gestures can make a lasting difference. Sometimes we hesitate to reach out in a simple gesture of kindness, because we’re not sure how it will be received. When you feel this way, share the light anyway. Believe it will make a difference!

No, not everyone will respond to kindness. When you share the light, not everyone will recognize it. But if you keep shining, it will make a difference, maybe even a big difference, to someone eventually.

Here’s an example. I have a large cork board in my office mostly covered with papers related to my work. But around the edges are a couple of thank you cards from my nephew that remind me of the bond he and I share.

There are also a few funny cards from my sister and a picture of my cat when he was a kitten—both reminders of other special bonds in my life.

And there are two small pieces of paper from one of my yoga teacher friends. A candlelight meditation is printed on one of them. The other contains the text of a Sanskrit chant to the celestial physician.

When You Share the Light, It Doesn’t Have to Be Blinding

Sometimes simple things have great impact. Years ago, before a doctor’s appointment, I asked my teacher friend if she knew a chant for health. She wrote the chant I mentioned above on a scrap of paper for me. In case you need it, the chant is: Om Sri Dhanvantre Namaha (om-shree-donvon-trey nahm-ah-ha).

I later typed those words in large purple letters and tacked them to my cork board, so I could read the while I was at my desk. I’ve chanted it many times since when worried about a health-related issue.

Soon after she gave me the chant, my teacher stopped teaching that class, and we lost touch for a year or more. Then one day, we reconnected, and she invited me to another class she was teaching. A few weeks into the new class, she gave each student a tealight with simple instructions for a candlelight meditation printed on a piece of paper. The meditation is below:

Well, a few months went by, and the newer class ended too. Later that year, I ran into her again at another location where she was teaching, and I started practicing with her for the third time. This time, she encouraged me to do something I’d been putting off for too long—publish my book, Yoga Circles.

A Light That Continues to Shine

Life goes, and we’ve lost touch again. But my book is published, and I still chant to the celestial physician and do candlelight meditations. Sure, I probably would have published the book eventually or come across the chant or instructions on how to do a candlelight meditation some other way. But that’s not really the point. The point is someone took the time to share the light, and now I have it to spread to others.

When you have something to share, no matter how small, share it. Giving a few words of encouragement or taking the time to write something down for someone else may have more of an impact than you realize. That impact can last a long time—maybe years, maybe a lifetime.

Would you like to explore more yoga topics in depth—perhaps with a group of yoga friends? Get your copy of Yoga Circles, A Guide to Creating Community off the Mat. You’ll find lots of topics and activities for living the yoga lifestyle and enjoying time with like-minded yogis! Click here to order!