My gentle kind yoga teacher suggests to the class that we can be lighthouses of peace to those around us. A lighthouse to our friends, to our community, to the world.

“Breathe in, ‘Om.’ ”

“Breathe out. ‘Shanti (peace).’ ”

In the early evening class, I find myself beaming.

Literally.

Om, breathing in.

Shanti, breathing out.

“Use this in your daily life,” he says. “In traffic. In the dentist’s chair. Be a lighthouse.”

I float out of class, late spring raindrops fall like sugar dust on my airy head, breathing in, breathing…

OUCH. Continue reading →