I flew to Boulder for four days this week. My daughter is a freshman there, and it was Moms Weekend.
I took the airporter from Marin through San Francisco and down to SFO. It was one of those bright February days that makes the city feel almost hyper-real. The air was crisp and clean. The sky an impossible blue. The water reflecting it back like polished glass. Everything looked staged.
The International Orange of the Golden Gate Bridge stood bold and unapologetic against it all — perfect placement.
And then a cargo ship slid under the bridge just as we were crossing it.
Chilling. Thrilling. A reminder of scale… and of vulnerability.
Ultimately, it was all about the light.
Sunlight. Moonlight. Bright light. Inner light.
Meditation Doesn’t Always Look Like Meditation
During Moms Weekend, we did a very simple craft: pressed dried flowers, paper, and Mod Podge.
I began placing petals and leaves onto paper. Adjusting. Balancing. Letting pieces land where they felt right.
At some point, I realized I had completely dropped in.
Quiet.
Focused.
Unhurried.
This is meditation.
Not necessarily sitting cross-legged with closed eyes — but sustained attention. The mind resting on one thing long enough to soften.
Meditation can look like art making.
It can look like walking across a bridge in winter light.
It can look like holding a yoga pose with full awareness.
B.K.S. Iyengar writes in Spark of Divinity:
“Meditation is oneness, when there is no longer time, sex, or country. The moment when, after you have concentrated on doing a pose perfectly, you hold it and then forget everything — not because you want to forget but because you are concentrated — this is meditation.”
Asana was never meant to be just exercise. It is a focusing lens.
In Pantajalis Yoga Sutras, the second sutra defines yoga as:
“Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.”
That is the essence of meditation.
Different Doors. Same Room.
You don’t have to choose a single identity to access it.
Not an artist?
Not an athlete?
Not a “serious meditator”?
Who decided those categories?
Why can’t you be all of it?
I teach Yoga Nidra once a week in San Francisco (also streamed live). Yoga Nidra is a guided practice of concentration and surrender — moving into deep physical and mental quiet. Through sustained awareness, the nervous system softens and the mind steadies.
And once in that steadiness, something opens.
You can visualize yourself healthy. Whole. Free from old narratives.
When the mind quiets, you are no longer reacting to who you’ve been told you are.
You begin defining who you are.
Art making.
Asana.
Meditation.
Yoga Nidra.
Different doors. Same room.
Sometimes it begins with nothing more than light on water…
or a pressed flower landing exactly where it belongs.
Continuing the Conversation
If you have questions, you’re always welcome to reach out.
I also offer free 15-minute introductory Ayurvedic calls for those who’d like personalized support around digestion, sleep, or seasonal transitions.
I’ll keep sharing these Weekly Musings—Yoga + Ayurveda as it shows up in real life, yoga, food, and the changing seasons.
Thank you for being here.
Warmly,
Marisa
For more like this, check out my blog: Yoga Nidra: Deep Rest, Healing and the Power of Intention
