When Things Make No Sense and Perfect Sense (to Others)
A spacious practice: See how well you do with leaning in without tuning out
It never hurts to see things from a different angle. Here’s another favorite photo-series repost* that gives you an opportunity to practice leaning into different cultural norms that bend the mind.
I heard a teacher once say that everything one can say about India, the opposite is also true.
Indeed, there is no place that will mess with a western mindset more than India. I’ve been there three times and it still turns my heart and mind inside out. The same teacher (whose name I can’t recall) also said, it is “the best bazaar of human experience.”
Or, as a I would put it, a great place to practice spaciousness.
I thought today you might enjoy going on a photo-journey and see how well you do with leaning in without tuning out.
By that I mean, can you watch what your mind does when you scroll through the images below? Can you tune in without holding a judgment, making a critique, or attaching a story?
Can you embrace it all as one gorgeous kaleidoscope of human experience?
Ahhh 🌏✌🏼
PHOTO SERIES
A tiny peek into the wonders of India
Photos and video by Stephanie Bennett Vogt
Invitation: Scroll slowly. Notice which images get your attention. Notice which touch you in some way. Notice flinches of reactivity. Smile. Share your experience in the comments below.
Tidying, undeterred — Mumbai, India
In case you missed it…
Chores or Blessings
How do we go from seeing tasks as something we 'have' to do to seeing them as something we 'get' to do? How do we change our relationship with housekeeping chores in general? This beautiful poem by Mark Nepo offers a fresh perspective on the subject…
*A word about reposts
In my experience with clearing journeys, there are benefits to circling back around: revisiting a concept, idea, or tool that may have inspired us (or even mystified us). As we change, so does our outlook and our ability to take in information in a new way. May that be so with this series.
If you’re enjoying these posts, please share, like, restack… and help us grow this spacious energy.
Oh my! Love the photos to savor. That last one “tidying and not deterrred” hit me. I feel like that sometimes.
My son who worked in India as a journalist and then lived in China for over 20 years told me that I must visit India (I have been to China many many times). He said India is as wonderfully chaotic as China is regimented. Two massive cultures that are polar opposites! Sadly, I have not yet been to India.