Yoga and the Power of Faith

These magnificent trees growing near my husband's new home in Delaware put me in a state of awe.

June 13, 2026 will go down as one of the greatest days in NYC history as the New York Knicks captured their first NBA title since 1973. Most importantly, it brought the entire city together in ways I've never experienced in my close to 41 years living here. Go, New York, Go, New York, Go!

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It has been a magical June for us here in NYC.

Knicks in Five fever took over and brought a collective joy I don’t think I’ve ever felt in my many years living here!

Also, the 57th – can you believe it’s been 57 years?!! – annual NYC Pride March and various related celebrations took place throughout the month. Watching the Pride March from the sidelines, I couldn’t help but be touched seeing folks celebrating with wild abandon and self-acceptance who they are as individuals. And folks welcomed, accepted and celebrated each other, no matter who they are and who they love. Though some might wish it not to be the case, DEI is alive and well.

And for me personally, my husband, is finally able to leave Florida and move back up north. We found a lovely home in Delaware that we are both falling in love with more and more as each day passes. (To my NYC students – don’t worry, I’m not leaving my long-time home here; rather I’ll be going back and forth.) Particularly, I am falling in love with all the trees growing near our home and am looking forward to communing with them on my walks.

There’s a lot to celebrate right now, and I’m so grateful.

And it begs the question – how did we get here?

Something that Albert Camus said really resonated with me:

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”

It is summer time for us now in the northern hemisphere and we see magnificent trees showing off their beautiful leaves all around us. They almost seem invincible.

But what we often forget is that back in the depth of winter when they were decidedly nothing special to behold, they were still doing that quiet work that would ultimately help them reach their full potential.

I heard NY Knicks star, Jalen Brunson, express the sentiment after Game 5 that (I’m paraphrasing from memory) “all those quiet, lonely times working out in the gym during the summers finally paid off ….” His summers were the “winter times” of his basketball season. And it was in those unseen moments when no one was watching that he found his belief and nurtured his skills enough so that one day he and his Knicks would be become invincible, even if it ends up being just for this one magical season only.

Similarly, like the magnificent trees of summer, like this year’s indomitable Knicks, like all those LGBTQIA+ activists over many years, no one sees all the small things you do on a daily basis and did during your “dormant years” – your winter times – when no one was watching. But hopefully they do see the results of your many actions in all the beautiful things you’ve become.

Practicing yoga is like living through the depths of winter over and over again. We simply do the next thing, take the next breath, untangle the next situation that surrounds us.

Rabindranath Tagore wrote:

“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.”

Faith is a key component of practicing yoga, meditation, and/or whatever spiritual belief systems you practice. We show up over and over again and practice in whatever “soil” we currently find ourselves in.

And we keep showing up because at our core we believe that we are something bigger than just our own small selves and we want to represent It with as much beauty and magnificence as we can.

And occasionally, with the help of Divine providence, we get to have break-through moments, experience “summer-like” moments, when we can see and feel for ourselves the magnificent fruits of our many quiet acts of faith over many years. And, like many of the Pride marchers, we can celebrate whole-heartedly and with wild abandon just who we are exactly as we are.

So, here’s to all the small things you do when no one is looking. Here’s to you for showing up to your practices over and over again. Here's to your resilience and faith. Here’s to your indomitable spirit and energy which keeps you moving forward as it is buoyed by the belief that You are something beautiful, unique and wonderful.

Happy Pride in being you.

May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May you “keep the faith” as you do small, beneficial and quiet things when no one is watching, …
And may whatever manifests from your unseen acts of faith, may they ultimately benefit folks closest to you and from there spread out to somehow help All Beings Everywhere.

Aloha and Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun

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Images from this past month that reminded me of the power of Faith

In my Chair Yoga Dance class this month, the peak posture was "Tree Pose." Our students graciously supported each other in "Group Tree Pose" to symbolize the idea that when trees connect (like California's Redwoods), they can grow to be taller and stronger than they can by themselves. They also showed off the beautiful "trees" each has become through each's lifetime of quiet, unseen acts powered by faith, will and determination.

This message at the NYC Pride March 2026 says it all. The many that came before us simply put one foot in front of the other and led us to this magnificent moment in our movement. Incredible acts of faith, over and over again.

This family left the NYC Pride March about the same time as me. Clearly these parents are raising enlightened children. I came away with a deeper sense of faith that there is hope for our future!

Photo Credits:
Photo of "group tree pose" shot by Shigeko Suga.
All other photos shot by me.