I took my brother and his Brazilian girlfriend, Simone, to see Hamilton Pool. It is my favorite park in Texas and only a half hour drive from Austin. From the parking lot, a stream spills over a ledge into a beautiful swimming hole. From there it runs through a cypress-tree lined canyon that runs a mile to the Pedernales river. Behind the waterfall is a wide cave.
The walk from the pool down to the river is lined with giant boulders and a series of pools created by the roots of the cypress trees. The canyon is shady and cool, in stark contrast to the parking lot.
As we made our way down the metal stairs from the parking lot to the canyon floor, Simone paused to soak in the breathtaking view.
After a few minutes I grew impatient, and went on alone. I swam in the pool, explored the cave, and hiked to the river and back. When I returned to the stair case, I found Simone still sitting near the top where I had left her. I was concerned, wondering if she was scared of heights or possibly injured. As I approached, she gave me a beautiful smile and I saw her eyes were shining with tears. “Thank you” was all that she said.
Initially, I was disappointed. I had looked forward to sharing my favorite parts of the park with them. But at the same time, I could see that Simone had gottenmore from the experience of sitting on the stairs than I had with all of my explorations. While I had been chasing the experience, Simone had been immersed in it.
The second limb of Yoga includes Tapas and Santosha. Tapas represents the effort to achieve goals (which lie in the future), while Santosha is about finding contentment in the present moment. It is said that balancing both is crucial in life. They must work together in order for us to both shape the future and then enjoy the results.
s we prepare for the upcoming eclipse, we can see how lacking either Tapas of Santosha can impact our experience. With insufficient planning we might find ourselves at the wrong place, or without the special glasses to allow us to look at the eclipse safely. On the other hand, once the eclipse begins, if we lack Santosha, we will not be fully present to witness reality, especially if it does not match our expectations.
