Tangled Up in Blue

Life is built in layers—stories, flavors, ideas, even the way we experience the world around us. A great story is never just a single thread; it is woven together with emotions, perspectives, and time. The same event can be told in different ways depending on who is telling it, what details they choose to highlight, and how their own experiences shape the narrative. Much like history itself, stories unfold in layers, revealing new meanings the deeper we go. A book read in youth may feel entirely different when revisited years later, because we have changed, adding new layers of understanding to the experience.

Recipes, too, are a study in layering flavors building upon one another to create something complex and whole. This is a pic of me while the hubs explains how this cocktail reveals itself in stages, the first sip offering one note, then evolving as the drink lingers. The same is true for food. A rich sauce is not just one taste but a combination of slow-simmered ingredients that deepen and transform over time. Each layer has a purpose, whether it is contrast, balance, or surprise, and together they create something greater than the sum of their parts.

Nature reveals itself in layers. While swimming in the ocean in Panama, I felt the distinct separation of warm and cold water, a hidden structure within what seemed like an endless, unified body. The air above held yet another layer of temperature and texture. Ideas work this way too. What seems simple at first can reveal deeper meanings as we explore, peeling back assumptions and seeing what lies beneath.

Yoga van also be explained as an exploration of layers. The Koshas: five sheaths of being that move from the outermost physical body to the deepest essence of self. A single pose begins with Annamaya Kosha, the physical layer, where we focus on alignment, strength, and balance. As we breathe and settle, we engage Pranamaya Kosha, the energetic body, feeling the subtle flow of breath and vitality within. Holding the pose longer, we move into Manomaya Kosha, the mental layer, noticing thoughts, resistance, and emotions that arise. With deeper awareness, we access Vijnanamaya Kosha, the wisdom body, where intuition guides us to refine or surrender. Finally, in the stillness between breaths, we touch Anandamaya Kosha, the bliss body where a moment of presence deepens our connection. Like a story unfolding, a meal revealing its flavors, or the shifting temperatures of the ocean, yoga teaches us that meaning is never just in the surface experience but in the layers we explore beneath.

XO

JK