December Focus Week1: Beauty (Shree)
The term Shree in Sanskrit has a very comprehensive meaning, and it is described as “diffused light radiance, beauty, wealth, glow”. It is a quality of the spirit, present in the heart of all the materials in this world. It is the pervasive, radiant, shining energy which constitutes the deeper nature of all things and enriches all things with beauty and harmony. It is the grace that we all carry inside, and that we very often forget and try to find elsewhere. It is the substance that exists inside of us, which is synchronized when we meet something of the same quality around us.
One question is where we can find examples of the Shree quality around us, and recognize it.
In the glow of the eyes of the people we love and who love us.
In the perfection and radiance of the universe that we gaze in the starry sky.
In the nonnegotiable statement of abundance in front of a tree, during its fruit-bearing season.
In the blissful lasting moment of the sunset, when with a magnificent brilliance, the sun fades away in the certainty of the succession of days.
In the fragrance of the trees, the earth and the flowers during a walk in nature.
In the practice of yoga, we cultivate practices that help us remember and reconnect to that part of ourselves and reflect back to the people in our lives. It is the opposite of the general feeling of unworthiness. Through our practice, we can connect to moments full of joy, where we can see ourselves with honesty and compassion, with love and acceptance, with respect to our personal worth that we already possess, and in that way, have a deep connection with that essential part of our nature.
Shree and Lakshmi are two of the names used for the deity that represents abundance, beauty and wealth at all levels, A fundamental teaching of Lakshmi is to be open to love, to accept and give lavishly, which is the very nature of this vibrational level. To connect to the core of our self, which is a magnetic force of intense radiance. To stop just looking at the surface of life, so that we can also find our deeper beauty. To stop comparing ourselves and one another in a negative way. To insist at looking inside and actually see the unquestionable magic that resides there. Internal abundance and internal beauty.
By Effie Psiachoulia,
οf the Neda Yoga Shala Team
