Unexpected blessing

Last Friday evening,  I taught the first in a 4 week Friday Kundalini Yoga class series.  There were several new and very beautiful ladies, in a group of other very beautiful ladies not new to the practice (along with my Hubs, valiantly representing the male of the species).  One of these was actually a "Lady-In-Progress", a little girl named Halla who came with her mama to class.  She was sitting next to her mom, in the very back left corner of the room.   I want you to remember I said that.  

I noticed many things about Halla: she was extremely well behaved; she had an aura of 'quiet' around her; she had the most lovely skin and the prettiest, shy smile. But her eyes....wow, her eyes were absolutely entrancing.  You might be thinking I am about to say that they were a pair of those coloured eyes (which her mom has and I also love!)...but she has eyes that reminded me of obsidian. Dark, intense, but somehow full of sparkling light.  The Light of Consciousness.  The Light of Innocence.  I was really happy that she was in that room with us...I had the feeling that her presence was a gift to the group vibration, representing and holding for us the Purity of the Divine Feminine.

At the end of class, she came up to me and showed me the picture above.  "It is you", she said.  I looked down and indeed, it was, except that she somehow captured the essence of the perfect stillness for which I long and the reason why I practice Kundalini Yoga (as taught by Yogi Bhajan).  She'd managed to depict my ongoing goal as a yogi and a soul.  

The other phenomenal thing about this picture is that is it filled with the most incredible detail.  She noticed and drew every object I wear at my wrists, some of which are unusual.  She drew my turban pin, something quite new, that I love and which holds special memories of a recent trip to Nepal.  She drew my moon pendant which also holds deep symbolism for me.  There are details of the wall and the various lights in the room around/behind me,  the hint of the yoga mats of  the ladies in front.  All spoke of an intense Observer, with an amazing talent for seeing everything but also knowing how to focus on what was most important in the scene.  Obvious things that "set the stage" and the very subtle things that told a story.   And her mom says she did that entire drawing in about fifteen minutes!  And remember I said she was sittting at the back of the room, not right up near to me where it was easy to see the finer details.

How much there is to learn from this about being in the present moment and Looking Intentionally with Eyes That See.  We all knew how to do this instinctively as children to some degree, but we lose touch with the ability as we become teenagers and even more so as adults.  Usually, around the time of puberty, the small ego starts to become self-obsessed.  Then on top of that, 'responsible adulthood' with all its challenges and the busyness of life in general, puts up roadblocks to our expanded Vision.  We have to relearn the skill of paying attention to Now: in this, Halla was our teacher last Friday.  And today, thinking of the March of Women yesterday, and of her, rekindles in me, hope for the future.

I asked her the meaning of her name and she told me what she thought it was, but that I really should check with her mom :-).  I did. Turns out she was right and it means "Unexpected Blessing" in Swahili.  I would say that this child has been perfectly named.  It also reminds me of "Hallelujah", which is entirely apropros. 

I hope she comes back to class every week!  And I am told she intends to colour this picture and mom is to send me that version too, which I will then share here for you to see.  For now, I cherish the original and am grateful for the unexpected blessing of it and her.  

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