First Light
How First Light worksTuesday 27 October·
- Sunrise
- 07:55
- Quiet hour
- 06:19–07:07
- Brahma Muhurta
- Moon
- Waning gibbous
- Next full moon: Tue 24 Nov
Autumn
The quiet hour (Brahma Muhurta) is the traditional time for practice, just before sunrise.
स्वरसवाही विदुषोऽपि तथा रूढोऽभिनिवेशः
sva-rasa-vāhī viduṣo 'pi tathā rūḍho 'bhiniveśaḥ
Clinging to life flows by its own momentum, and is rooted even in the wise.
Yoga Sutras 2.9 · verse 60 of 196
Unfolding the thread
The deepest of the five is the fear of ending: the instinct to hold on to life. Patanjali notes, kindly, that it's present even in the learned and the wise. It runs by its own force, like a current. This isn't a flaw to be ashamed of; it's something to hold with understanding.
Try today
Take a moment to feel gratitude for being alive today, and notice if any fear sits underneath it.
The Echo
The same truth, heard in another tradition
“Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.”
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