Discernment: June 2026

Practicing Discernment with Moonflower Yoga & Ayurveda Studio in Brookfield

Over the past two months, we've explored the practices of Presence and Becoming the Witness.

As I've been personally practicing these teachings, I found myself asking a very Pitta question one day:

What's the point of all this?

Not in a cynical way. More from a place of curiosity.

Why practice presence? Why learn to witness our thoughts, emotions, and reactions? Why spend so much time observing?

Of course, mindfulness offers many benefits. Research shows it can reduce stress, improve focus, support emotional regulation, and enhance overall wellbeing.

But yoga asks a deeper question:

What is all of this preparing us for?

The more I sat with the question, the more I realized that these practices are not the destination. They are preparing us for something deeper.

Presence invites us into this moment. Becoming the Witness teaches us to observe what is happening without immediately becoming entangled in it. Together, they create space.

And within that space, something remarkable becomes possible: Discernment.

In Sanskrit, this quality is known as Viveka—the ability to see clearly, distinguish wisely, and choose intentionally.

I would even go so far as to say that discernment is the jewel of these practices.

One of the mantras that has been echoing through my mind lately is:

Om Mani Padme Hum

Often translated as: "The jewel is in the lotus."

As we practice presence and witnessing, we begin cultivating the conditions for the lotus to bloom. Layer by layer, petal by petal, we learn to see more clearly.

And within that opening, we discover the jewel.

The ability to discern.

The ability to choose what truly matters.

The ability to recognize what deserves our attention, our energy, and our care.

And perhaps even more importantly, the ability to recognize what is ready to be released.

As I was writing that last sentence, something unexpected happened.

A wilted peony from a bouquet I had purchased at the [Brookfield Farmer's Market] suddenly detached itself from the rest of the flowers and fell to the table beside me.

I laughed. Perhaps the weight of its wilt was no longer serving the bouquet. Perhaps nature was offering a lesson in discernment.

Not everything is meant to be held forever.

Not every obligation deserves our energy.

Not every thought deserves our attention.

Not every reaction requires a response.

Sometimes discernment asks us to release what no longer supports growth so that something more aligned can flourish.

The Space Between Stimulus and Response

This is where the practices of Presence and Becoming the Witness become so powerful.

As Pema Chödrön writes:

"It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space."

One of my teachers, Kate O'Donnell, often shares a teaching she received from one of her own teachers:

"The best response comes after a pause."

Simple as it sounds, this wisdom has stayed with me for years.

The pause is where discernment lives.

Without presence, we often move too quickly to notice what is happening.

Without witnessing, we become identified with every thought, emotion, and impulse that arises.

But when we slow down enough to observe, we create the possibility of choice.

Another teaching from Pema Chödrön captures this beautifully:

"The more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain."

To refrain.

To pause.

To choose.

To respond rather than react.

This is the heart of discernment.

Presence creates the pause.

Witnessing helps us stay in the pause.

Discernment emerges from the pause.

Discernment in Yoga

In many traditional yoga teachings, Viveka is considered the foundation of the entire yogic path.

While Patanjali presents the Eight Limbs as a framework for practice, many commentators describe discernment as the wisdom that must precede and inform the path itself. Before we can practice skillfully, we must develop the ability to distinguish between what brings greater clarity and what creates greater confusion.

Discernment allows us to recognize the difference between habit and intention.

Between impulse and wisdom.

Between what supports our growth and what keeps us stuck.

One traditional teaching states:

"The remedy that removes ignorance is an unwavering flow of discriminative discernment (viveka)."

In other words, discernment helps us see things as they are, rather than as our conditioning, fears, or preferences would have us see them.

It is not about judging ourselves.

It is about seeing clearly.

Discernment in Ayurveda

This is also where Ayurveda enters the conversation.

Traditionally, Ayurveda and Yoga were never meant to be separate practices. They developed alongside one another, each supporting the same ultimate goal: helping us live with greater awareness, balance, and connection.

In many ways, Ayurveda is a practice of discernment.

Rather than offering rigid rules about how we should eat, move, work, or rest, Ayurveda invites us to observe.

What am I experiencing today?

What qualities are present in my body, mind, and energy?

What is supporting balance?

What is creating imbalance?

The answer may be different from season to season, month to month, or even day to day.

A nourishing choice in winter may not be the most supportive choice in summer.

A vigorous yoga practice that feels grounding one day may feel depleting the next.

Discernment asks us to move beyond habit and into awareness.

Ayurveda gives us a language for that awareness.

It teaches us to notice patterns, rhythms, and relationships. To become students of our own experience. To observe before we act.

And isn't that exactly what Presence and Becoming the Witness have been teaching us?

The more present we become, the more clearly we can observe.

The more clearly we observe, the more skillfully we can discern.

The more skillfully we discern, the more aligned our choices become.

This is one of the reasons I love that Moonflower offers both Yoga and Ayurveda. They are not separate paths. They are companions.

One helps us cultivate awareness.

The other helps us understand what that awareness is revealing.

Together, they invite us to live with greater intention, clarity, and trust in our own inner wisdom.

Returning to What Matters

This month's theme also reminds me of a line from The Final Analysis, often attributed to Mother Teresa:

"In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

Discernment continually brings us back to what is essential.

Not what others expect.

Not what culture rewards.

Not what our fears demand.

But what feels true, aligned, and meaningful.

The practice of discernment asks us to look beneath the noise and return to our deepest values.

To remember what matters.

To release what doesn't.

And to trust ourselves enough to choose accordingly.

A Practice for This Month

As you move through your days this month, I invite you to notice moments when you feel pulled toward an automatic reaction, obligation, or expectation.

Pause.

Take a breath.

Become present.

Become the witness.

Then ask yourself:

Is this worthy of my energy?

Is this aligned with what truly matters?

What am I being invited to release?

You don't need to have the perfect answer.

Simply creating the space to ask the question is itself a practice of discernment.

As we continue this journey together, may you allow the lotus to bloom.

And may you trust that, in time, the jewel will reveal itself.

May you discover the clarity to know what matters, the courage to release what doesn't, and the space to trust your inner wisdom.

Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu ~ May all beings everywhere be happy and free.

With compassion,

Katie