"If you look at it right" : Finding clarity in unexpected places.

"Once in awhile, you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
– Grateful Dead, "Scarlet Begonias"

We often think of insight, peace, or clarity as things we can only access in stillness — in a quiet room, on a meditation cushion, a yoga mat, or deep in the forest. But what if the path to presence was less about silence and more about how we see the world, even in its most chaotic and colorful forms? That is to say, what if we just need to change our perspective?

This question lives at the heart of a yoga class I created recently, inspired by that iconic Grateful Dead lyric, and my recent trip to San Francisco to celebrate 60 years of Grateful Dead music — a reminder that wisdom doesn’t always arrive dressed in white robes. Sometimes it shows up barefoot in tie-dye, swaying in rhythm, surrounded by 60,000 people singing in harmony in a field, under the San Francisco sky.

Finding Peace in the Crowd

Every time I attend a Dead show it feels more like church than a concert. Sure, there’s tie-dye, dancing, and the undeniable scent of cannabis and patchouli in the air — but there’s also a collective openness. A feeling that somehow, everyone is looking for the same thing: a moment of connection, a glimpse of light, a reminder of joy.

And in that swirl of music and movement, there it is — clarity.
It doesn't shout.
It hums quietly beneath it all.
It says: “You’re already here. Pay attention.”

What This Has to Do With Yoga

In yoga, we talk about drishti — focus, perspective, where we place our gaze. The Grateful Dead lyric is really a teaching on drishti:

“...if you look at it right.”

How many times have you been in a pose, thinking it’s all wrong, only to shift your perspective and realize you were exactly where you needed to be?

That’s the practice.

Sometimes the mat feels like home. Sometimes it feels like a mess. But in both places — calm or chaos — insight is available. The only requirement is how you choose to look.

The beauty of this lyric, and of this practice, is the reminder that clarity doesn’t need ideal conditions. It can, and does, show up anywhere: In a packed venue pulsing with energy, in a quiet forward fold, in a difficult conversation, in the moment you exhale and realize you’re holding too much

You don’t have to go looking for the light.
You just have to look at everything — even the strange places — with fresh eyes.

Next time you’re on the mat — or in the middle of a crowd, or lost in the weirdness of your day — remember:

Once in awhile, you get shown the light in the strangest of places…

You don’t have to find the perfect environment to be present.
You just have to look at it right.