Beyond Words: Finding Magic in the Unspoken Moments

Have you ever tried to describe the perfect cup of coffee to someone? Or that moment when your favourite song hits just right? There's something that gets lost in translation, isn't there? It's like trying to catch water with a fork—the essence just slips through.

This is exactly what we bump up against in our daily lives. We're constantly trying to package our experiences into neat little boxes with labels: good day, bad meeting, weird energy, great practice. But life has a way of spilling over the edges of our categories.

Alan Watts, that wonderfully witty British philosopher who brought Eastern wisdom to Western ears, put it perfectly:

"If you talk all the time, you will never hear what anybody else has to say... The same is true for people who think all the time... You have to stop thinking to find out what life is about."

Think about the last time you watched a sunset. Maybe you were trying to capture it on your phone, thinking about how to describe it in your Instagram caption, or wondering if it was as good as yesterday's. In all that mental chatter, did you miss the actual sunset?

When Labels Get in the Way

It's like that moment in a yoga class when the teacher says "listen to your body," and suddenly your mind kicks into overdrive:

- "Is this what listening feels like?"

- "My hip feels tight... or is it my hamstring?"

- "Should I be feeling more than this?"

- "Am I doing this right?"

Sound familiar? We've all been there. It's like trying to fall asleep by actively trying to fall asleep—the very effort prevents the thing we're trying to achieve.

Finding the Space Between Words

Here's a little experiment: Next time you're hugging someone you love, try to experience it without the mental commentary. Not "this is nice" or "I should hug more often" or even "I love this person." Just... hug. Feel the warmth, the pressure, the subtle shift of breath. It's a completely different experience, isn't it?

The same goes for that first sip of morning coffee. Instead of immediately deciding if it's good or bad, hot or cold, strong or weak—can you just experience it? The warmth, the aroma, the way it feels on your tongue? There's a whole universe of sensation in that single sip that our labels can't quite capture.

Bringing It to the Mat

This is where our yoga practice becomes such a gift. It's our laboratory for exploring this "unspeakable world" that exists beyond our mental chatter. Here's how we might dip our toes in:

1. Start With the Obvious: Notice how quickly you label poses as "easy" or "hard." Could you let go of those judgments, even for a breath or two? What's actually happening in your body in that moment?

2. Embrace the Weird: That strange sensation in your left shoulder? You don't need to name it or fix it. Just like watching clouds pass across the sky, can you simply observe it with curiosity?

3. Find the In-Between: The space between inhale and exhale. The moment between poses. The silence between thoughts. These unnamed spaces often hold the richest experiences.

Making Friends with Mystery

It's like trying to explain why your favourite joke is funny—in the explaining, something essential gets lost. Some things aren't meant to be captured in words. They're meant to be experienced, felt, lived.

An Invitation

As you step onto your mat today, I invite you to experiment with letting go of the running commentary. Can you experience a forward fold without immediately assessing how far down you can reach? Can you feel a warrior pose without mentally comparing it to yesterday's practice?

This isn't about reaching some exotic state of enlightenment. It's about finding those small moments of direct experience in our daily lives:

- The exact feeling of cool water on your face in the morning

- The indescribable comfort of sinking into your favourite chair

- The peculiar way your cat stretches in a sunbeam

- The precise sensation of your feet meeting the earth as you walk

These moments are always available to us, hiding in plain sight, just beyond the reach of words. They're what make life rich, surprising, and endlessly fascinating.

Remember, this isn't about getting rid of thoughts or labels—they're useful tools! It's about noticing when they're helpful and when they might be getting in the way of experiencing life's full flavour.

So here's to the unspeakable world—not as some lofty philosophical concept, but as that simple, immediate experience of being alive. It's right here, in this breath, in this moment, waiting to be discovered.

And sometimes, the most profound thing we can do is simply show up and experience it, no words needed.