There is something so special about a sunset.
It matters not where we are in the world. To simply gaze upon the beauty of that ending to our day can take the breath away.
Over the past year I have slowly and steadily built up a presence on Twitter. I am rather known for my photos of flowers which accompany most of my tweets. Now and again though I pop out a sunset and so many people Retweet and Favourite these pictures that I have to wonder why!
I have lived in amazing parts of the world where the sunsets are quite simply spectacular and yet my recent photos are taken on the back door step looking over our concrete garden wall at the houses and Stepping Hill Hospital opposite, and without fail they appeal to folk all over the globe.
Every evening sky is different, the scope of nature is enormous and, for me it shows me the power and glory of our universe.
Sunsets tend to soften our surroundings, they take away the harshness of our locality. In the same way that a covering of snow make even the factories over the railway bridge look beautiful, so it is when the sun eases its way down to the horizon.
The end of another day….
The completion of work, tasks, living and striving!
The approach of the night with its hope of rest and recuperation.
The sun and all its energy quietens and disappears and for some it gives respite from intense heat, whilst for others there is a sadness at the loss of those warm rays.
Living in this house gives us an immense panorama. The sky is big and wide and we can see the journey of the sun through the year. At the moment the days are longer and on the longest day we know exactly where the sun will be but then the sun moves back behind the hospital and so the days shorten and the journey into winter begins. There is no avoiding or ignoring the passage of time whilst inhabiting this abode!
In yoga we honour the beginning of each day by meditating whilst doing Sun Salutations. We draw upon the immense energy and vibrancy of the sun, as have generations of people throughout time. The sun warms, enables growth but must be treated with respect as anyone who has lived in the depths of The Lowveld, Zimbabwe will know…..6pm and aready 30 degrees centigrade!
I adore the heat and it is rarely too hot for me…I learned to simply sit and allow the heat to soak through me. It became a meditation and still does when I get the opportunity to visit somewhere hot.
The end of such days were blessed. The evening breeze soothed and calmed us and then the fire ball disappeared for another day!
Now, of course, I live in the cool climes of UK and there is a delight to sleeping in a cool house with a cosy quilt rather than lying under a wet sheet that only just provided respite. But wherever I have been the sun setting on a clear evening takes my breath away.
Namaste
