Seeing the Light that is Already there
On winter solstice, December 21, Every Table created a camera obscura at Challenge Discovery Projects. Creating the space for the camera obscura is one of my favorite processes. The idea is simple: you gather some black plastic and duct tape or electrical tape, and use these tools to black out every light source in the room.
You cover windows, door frames, tiny cracks. You think you have it all sealed up, and then during the first test, you realize the room is still full of little bits of light. A hairline gap at the bottom of the door. A tiny opening in the corner of the window. The red glow of an exit sign. You start to see that light finds a way through almost anything.
Camera obscuras remind me that perfection does not exist. The process of putting it together, adjusting, trying again, is where the real magic is. As Jess said during our solstice gathering, as your eyes adjust, you notice that the light has not changed. We are just noticing the light that is already there.
That always feels like a lesson for life: Sometimes all we need is a shift in perspective to see what has been present the whole time.
In a camera obscura, a small pinhole guides light into the room and projects an image on the wall. It takes what is outside and lets us see it in a new way. Just like that pinhole guides light and helps our eyes adjust to what is in the room, the guidance of our thoughts allows for clarity of mind. When we direct our attention with care, we can see more clearly. When we let the mind soften, we can feel what is actually here.
Jess offered an intro to some of the guests explaining the camera obscura. The tables are set up to serve as screens, helping focus the image from outside
For me, Yoga Nidra is like a camera obscura for the nervous system.
Yoga Nidra is a yogic technique for deep relaxation, bring us from a state in between awake and sleeping where our bodies are a deeply relax and our minds are aware.
Just like a camera obscura guides light, Yoga Nidra guides the mind into a state of deep rest and relaxed awareness. Capitalism keeps our minds going and going, chasing a feeling of accomplishment, urging us to constantly produce, and rarely allowing us to just be in the moment. Yoga Nidra invites us to practice something different. It gives us permission to lie down, listen in, and remember that worthiness is not tied to productivity.
As we move into a new year, I want us to have space for both rest and vision. Space to notice the light that is already present and space to imagine what we want to grow next.
On January 4, we are hosting a Yoga Nidra and Vision Board House Party. We will give ourselves time to rest first – to let the mind settle and the body feel held. After that, we will move into vision board creation, not from a place of frantic goal setting, but from a quieter place of knowing where we want to be in the future.
You can expect:
A guided Yoga Nidra practice to support nervous system rest
Time to reflect on what you are releasing from the past year
Space to name what you are calling in for the year ahead
Vision board making with community, music, and snacks
You are welcome to bring magazines, images, words, or symbols that feel important to you, along with a journal if you like to write. We will have basic supplies on hand too.
If the solstice camera obscura taught me anything again this year, it is that the light is already here. We just need spaces to see it, honor it, and shape it with intention.
