Remain curious
Remain curious, and possibilities suddenly appear
"I didn't know this was a theory class," responds a student in a Hatha Class to my question, "what did we cover last week?"
Ok...now...Yoga begins.
There’s a me that could go saboteur on this perfect stranger, and tell her off, with a smile. The old take-no-s#!t me is alive and well, kept at bay more often than not. The current me drew from my experience with a general public that only superficially engages with Yoga. I took a breath, summoned tools to suspend judgement, think critically and discriminate between what is reactive and proactive. And Yoga-ed her with a brief explanation that movement without theory would not be Yoga at all, and my task is to teach Yoga.
In an unconscious attempt to create a more manageable and certain existence in the chaos that is life, we all constantly, rapidly conclude. It's a path of least resistance and inner hassle. Someone is curt? They're a jerk. Abnormal lab result? I'm doomed. You drive a Beamer? You're loaded. Old car? You're broke. Wear heels? Vain. Didn't understand the instructions? Cognitively impaired. I can't do this as well as you? I'm old. You're not married? Something must be wrong with you. Co-sleeping with your children? Ruining them. Not giving them Tylenol for fevers? Abuse. All day, every day, we see through our conditioning. We readily conclude and then act based on partial, highly conditioned assessments. It somehow validates our very existence. Who would we be without curtsying to our own samskara-s as if they were the whole of who we are?
Holding on tightly to our POVs, deeply ingrained patterns of conditioning, feeling, thinking and being, we miss life and its opportunities for expansion out of our confined existences. Holding on tightly to our POVs, deeply ingrained patterns of conditioning, feeling, thinking and being, we miss life and its opportunities for expansion out of our confined existences.
Yoga leaves room for a more magical life, for us and those whom we encounter, replete with refreshed perspectives that render us present, thoughtful, reflective and clearer. This is not as an end, but as a means toward improved life experience, including health parameters such as cardiovascular function, digestion, elimination and social parameters, such as job satisfaction, relationship quality and ability to withstand interpersonal challenges.
As we receive information, according to Yoga sage Patanjali, we process it according to our state of mind. The more agitation and preoccupation we have, the more rote our existence truly is. We are alive, yet living in a parallel universe that is disconnected from the whole picture of the moment.
Diligence and reflection directly related to our personal transformation needs are Patanjali’s 24/7 recommendations for us. Life will give us opportunities all day, every day, to leave room for subtle spontaneity. A faithful patience, otherwise known as isvara pranidhana, allows room for a new and alternate reality. As we loosen ties to outcomes and regulate our inner selves while we live through up times, down times and all times, we open doorways to new experiences within and within our lives.
When in doubt, play with children. No one teaches this better than the children. Daily, I am pulled out of my “let’s do this” mentality by a 13 year old wizard who lures me into singing and dancing, playing table tennis and watching him create 3D models of outer space. And I forget, readily, my adult, linear, task and goal oriented identity for some moments. It opens doors to a more enjoyable life, and a liberation from the confines of my own patterns