From the Horse’s Mouth

On March 3rd with the arrival of the first full moon of the Year of the Fire Horse, we celebrate Lantern Festival.  This luminary celebration marks the end of Lunar New Year celebrations.  It is a time for community, reconciliation, and acknowledgment we move forward with hope.

This year of the “Fire Horse” is galloping in!  Somedays it feels like the hoof beats of the sprinting herd of stallions are causing the ground to rumble, throwing me into a wobble.  Do you feel it too?

What can we do when we get shaken?  I find it helpful to seek sage counsel from family, friends and loved ones.  Luckily, I have recently been gifted wisdom from my older sister, Kimy (a fire horse) and my nephew, Jake (a water horse) on how we might steady ourselves with all the quakes and shakes.

Jake, 24 years old and wiser than me, advised, “Achieving small goals, leads to bigger goals.” This advice has sunk into my bones.

I see evidence of this teaching in my own slow but steady progress healing my broken foot.  Initially the exercises were tiny (small goals indeed!).  Just move my toes.  By and by, the maneuvers included incorporating my ankles.  Eventually the movement patterns were challenged with resistance bands and again bearing my own body weight.  My physical therapist and I are still working on my range of motion and minimizing pain.  Yet little by little, I have made significant progress.

My big sister Kimy reflected on making a challenging decision.  She needed act to achieve the greater good, but it was a tough call. Perhaps you’ve been in a similar situation?  After centering & calming herself, and carefully contemplating the issues, the answer blossomed forth from her.  She described her moment of insight, “as if it was written in the stars.” I could immediately visualize my sister widening the aperture of her focus to see the solution. 

How do we best consider the rippling effects of choices and actions?  How can we observe the largest picture, beyond any given focal point?  When we do the work to consider the short & long, the local & global, the breadth & depth effects of any action we take, we tap into ancient wisdom.  In Sanskrit, this is called Viveka-Khyati, meaning ‘discriminative discernment.’

In the context of yoga philosophy, Viveka is the cultivation of (the skill of) discerning that which is real & unreal, temporary & lasting, and ego-driven-judgement & clear sight.  This skill requires practice and patience.  In Asana (the body’s physical practice of yoga) we use Viveka to distinguish between what is injurious pain and what is discomfort naturally associated with stretching and strengthening from within.

As we walk on together the invitation is to celebrate the little-by-little and to cultivate Viveka.  Join us in the movement as we collectively learn how to wave, wiggle, and waltz with the wobbles and dance with discernment on this wild ride!

March 2026