Emily Lamberty, The Light Within Me Honors the Light Within You, photography and paint, 6x6in., $175
Part of a series of stills captured from video, this is a yoga sequence outdoors at dawn in the marshland of The Great Salt Lake. It is intended to appear as if you are viewing it as a slide show or a moving picture in a dark theater where the screen is as high and as wide as the eyes can see. It evokes a connection with nature and shows the sun illuminating the subject. Similar to the other piece, the sequence takes you through a journey, evoking the lightness of being a yoga practice brings. (You can't tell in the photo, but the graphite background has tiny sparkles).

Artist Statement
Finding beauty comes easily for me. I can find it anywhere. Especially on this spiraling adventure of life. At times, it can be difficult to see the light, to embody the lightness of being. Reflecting on my own path along this journey, I find the brightest light in nature and my yoga practice on and off the mat.

When I moved to Utah in 2016 to heal and take a break from the chaos of city life in New York, it was a radical act of self-care. It also demanded starting over once again. It was an opportunity to put into practice the arsenal of healing tools I had added to my toolbox, but also explore a new culture and be open to what's next without knowing. While I was in Salt Lake, I added yoga and gemstones as tools in the toolbox.

Practicing out in the marsh by The Great Salt Lake in the wee hours of the morning gave me the opportunity to commune with the ecosystem of the marshland as the divine light of the sun gently rose above the Wasatch Mountains, slowly and subtly transforming the sky as the birds greeted the day.

Yoga reminds us not only of our connection to the divine and this planet, but the journey of life (the adventure) and all that comes with it–discomfort, growth, expansion and contraction, darkness and light, and most importantly, how lucky we are to be here.

ॐ शान्तिः