Unveiling the Masterpiece Within

How a still life helped me see a yogic principle in a new way

The Hidden Radiance

Last year, I visited the newly renovated KMSKA museum in Antwerp and had an experience that changed how I see both art and yoga. The museum had been closed for ten years while they renovated both the building and the paintings. I thought the Rubens and van Eyck paintings would impress me most, but what really caught my eye was much simpler: a water drop on a grape in a still life painting. This tiny detail helped me see a yogic principle in a completely new way.

After seeing the magnificent entrance hall and a few impressive rooms with huge old Dutch master paintings, I stopped in front of a still life. Usually, these paintings are too dark for me to really enjoy them. But that day was different. This still life looked so real that I felt like I was standing in the 17th century! (a siddhi (special power) that I am still to master!) The restoration work had brought back the painting's original light and colors. The yellow lemons looked juicy, the green leaves so natural, and the grapes seemed so ripe with their dewdrops that I could have plucked them right off the canvas!

Nearby, a video showed how a conservator worked carefully on a painting, applying solvents to the canvas with precise movements. I could see her dedication, patience, and focus throughout the process. Each stroke of solvent removed centuries of dirt, oxidation, and age. New vibrant colors emerged, and details appeared from the shadows. I realized that these old masters actually painted with incredible brightness and light, but time had hidden their true vision from us. The brightness was the original state—the darkness just came from years of dust and aging. Sometimes, we appreciate things more deeply when we finally see what's been hidden from us!

The Veiled Self

As I watched this unveiled painting, I couldn't help but see a parallel to our own spiritual journey. We're also like masterpieces that have become covered up over time. As we live our lives, we collect patterns, habits, wounds, and expectations. Each of these gradually dims our original brightness, our Sat, our true nature.

In yoga, we talk about avidya—translated as ignorance or misperception—the veil that hides who we really are. Most of us are taught to look outside ourselves for happiness: in relationships, in getting approval from others, in the things we buy, in temporary pleasures. But yoga reminds us that the source of joy and love has actually been inside us all along, just waiting for us to uncover it.

The Restoration Practice

Our inner restoration, just like art conservation, needs specific techniques. The first step is simply noticing—becoming aware that we're living in a kind of darkness, like those paintings before they were restored. Only when we recognize this can we really start to transform.

Watching the conservator work showed me clear similarities to our yoga practice: we need specific techniques, patience, discipline, and consistency. This is what sadhana(our personal practice) is all about. The Sanskrit word tapas (discipline / heat) is about this commitment. It's the heat that helps burn away what's covering our true selves.

When we show up on our mats regularly, we face resistance, monkey mind, and all kinds of uncomfortable feelings. These aren't pleasant, but they're necessary for our growth. This work isn't always comfortable. Those solvents that remove centuries of dirt from paintings need to be applied carefully. Too harsh, and they damage the original painting; too gentle, and they don't remove what's hiding it. Our practice needs the same balance—challenging enough to transform us, but gentle enough not to harm us.

Over the years, my own yoga practice has changed a lot. The real unveiling only started when I surrendered and started to see my practice as an offering—something sacred rather than something to achieve. When I softened in this way, I found a new sense of trust.

The Paradox of Presence

Here's the beautiful paradox at the heart of yoga: What we're looking for isn't something we need to create or get. Our true Self—Sat Chit Ananda (existence, consciousness, bliss)—is always there: it is our original state. Our brightness, our connection to Source, to Love, has never left us. It's just been covered up, and we've forgotten about it.

One of my teachers compares our true Self to a diamond with many facets that has lost its shine. Our practice is about polishing each facet until we can restore its natural brightness. Our path isn't about becoming something new but remembering who we already are.

When I get on my mat, I don't just think about this—I experience it. When I surrender to the grace I find in the movements, in my breath and kriyas, in meditation and the space between thoughts, I get glimpses of this light, which brings me joy and peace.

The Only Way Out Is In

The wisdom of yoga leads us inward. The only way out is to go within.

This inner journey takes courage. We have to face our shadows, patterns, and resistances. We need the patience of that art conservator who knows that revelation comes layer by layer, with consistent care and attention.

When we commit to this journey of unveiling—through yoga poses, breathing techniques, meditation, sacred rituals and self-study—we're taking part in a sacred restoration. With each practice, we apply the gentle solvent of awareness to the layers that have dimmed our light. We don't create the masterpiece; we simply reveal what's been there all along.

An Invitation to Revelation

So I invite you to approach your practice with this spirit—this willingness to let your practice reveal You to you. Set the intention to unveil and to be curious about what will emerge.

• Ask yourself: What am I ready to release today?

• What veils am I ready to dissolve?

• How can I soften enough to let my light shine through?

  
  

Remember that the most profound teachings often come in moments of surrender rather than striving. The master painting doesn't need to become more vibrant—it just needs to be freed from what's hiding its original brightness.

And know this: breath by breath, practice after practice, the masterpiece that is you is steadily emerging into the light.

Sat Chit Ananda. Truth, Consciousness, Bliss.

It has been there all along.