This place is beautiful. The earth here is solid, full of life and bedrock and the sky is so huge, it extends forever. Sunlight in Taos draws artists from around the globe who wish to recreate such celestial refractions upon the form of their work. Every morning lustrous sunbeams kiss the curves of the Sangre de Cristos at dawn and lick their way down the mountains, aflame with the glow of another full day at sunset. There is something about the way life looks in Taos. Following the Noble Eightfold Path, Right View, our personal perspective, is the first step towards freedom. Our view, or opinion of life defines how we live it. If we see beauty every day, we see the world as beautiful.

Right view is about perspective and also, honesty. To view the world as it truly is, free from the delusions and tricks our minds can play on us, is to see, (and be) clear. Often, people come to Taos “by accident”; on the off chance that world travels bring them up the winding canyon roads into our little town. These encounters are just good timing, like sunlight that illuminates the Rio Grande gorge, a rift that splits the earth deep into it's core. The Gorge is a true “peek” into the heart of the earth, and traveling down the river is to follow the currents of grace. Similarly, visitors to Taos experience profound and otherwise unknown integration with nature, true spirit, and even themselves. That feels good, and so, they stay.

Many others enjoy Taos for the expansiveness. Space. Around the world, communities are becoming more and more crowded, stressing the delicate relationship between earth, beings and sky. We literally have space to breath in Taos, room to stretch and room to grow. Much like houseplants, when humans are given room to explore and to be creative, we learn what serves us best, we grow stronger roots, and connect to the essence or heart of community. As we become intimate with our own true nature, we see more clearly our role in relationship with others. Spaciousness to be ourselves leads to making honest choices, and living with more integrity. In this way, Taos encourages us all to look more intensely at the reverberations of our actions. A little town with a big heart can stay small, act local, and still connect globally.

The art made in Taos speaks highly of our chance to be real here. Creativity is our clearest expression of heart, the easy way to express our own perspective of life, love and the pursuit of freedom to do both. Rightly so, there is nothing casual about life in Taos, as there is nothing casual about life in general. The sheer elevation of the high desert hints at a closeness to the expansive sky, a place where our hearts and dreams are free to roam. Taos' art world is vast because to live fully is to be creative and artful in your action. Art is just the thing we do when we feel full of life.

The acme of Taos mountain seems to float in the heavens, hinting at the integration between real, tangible life and something bigger. We are surrounded by peaks that reach into the sky here. It is within the mountains where mystical secrets are held, in nature where we find truth about humanity, and among the members of a diverse community like Taos where we are free to be most authentically ourselves. The raw natural beauty of Taos is reflective of unfettered relation with truth, Right View, and real life. This is a place of both honesty and connection as well as wild freedom. Come to Taos and join our community for some yoga at Shree Yoga Taos.

-Suki Mierzejewski, Genevieve Oswald, Amani
Shree Yoga Taos
575-758-8014
shreeyogataos@gmail.com
www.shreeyogataos.com