The Work of Chagall

I hope you all had a great weekend. While I was on my recent trip to Vienna we visited the Albertina Art Museum. Just to be fully transparent; I am not an art person but we wanted to check it out and the museum happened to have a large Marc Chagall (1887-1985) exhibit commemorating 40 years since his death.

This retrospective displayed over 100 pieces of his work spanning his entire life. When you see that many pieces all together, you learn quite a lot about the artist. Chagall had a very difficult life full of exile, persecution and loss. In most of his paintings, while full of bright colors and whimsical scenes, you often see examples of suffering mixed in. These paintings mirrored his own life experiences. He blended happiness and joy with suffering, displacement and a deep connection to faith. 

This resonated deeply with me because it is what a mindfulness practice offers. Sometimes the suffering is in the forefront of the “painting” we have in the mind, but there are always splashes of joy that we can touch. The reverse is true as well and that is important to remember. We can experience wonderful joy even through suffering. 

As I shared this message with students last week I asked them to use their bodies as a way to practice this idea. We are going to have aches and pains; it’s important to notice them with compassion, and then spread the awareness around to all that feels good in the body; to the overall experience of the practice. If we wait for our bodies to feel “perfect” before we enjoy our yoga practice, we will likely be waiting forever. It works the same way off the mat. If we can represent the joy in our lives in the “painting” we create in the mind, it helps us be more open an adept at seeing it. It’s the practice of blending it all together that allows us to meet both the presence of joy and suffering with tenderness and acceptance.