Looking Good

There is a commercial on the local TV channel that advertises a certain new car that has many wonderful features such as IPod connection, bluetooth, and various driving advantages. Not a car buff myself, I don't understand nor pay much attention to the commercial. However, what perks my ears up is when the voice on TV says, "And you will look GREAT driving it!" as its final and most important selling point. Vanity strikes again.

Of course we all want to look good, because it makes us feel good. But if we put too much emphasis on simply looking good on the outside, without examining how we feel inside, then all we have is appearance without substance and feeling.

During a yoga class, when there is a mixture of those who have practiced for many years and those who are fairly new or brand new, it's often very intimidating for beginners to compare their own skills with others. Some new comers never return, feeling hopeless in their own ability to "perform" and to look as good as others. What is not apparent to the naked eyes is whether those who look great are actually feeling the benefits of practicing from within, with an open heart, soft eyes, steady breathing, and relaxed mind.

When we struggle and work too hard to reach our perception of perfection, we risk injury, not only to our body, but also to our mind and spirit. Vanity has been a downfall for many since time eternal, and it is no exception in yoga practice. Being humble and reflective, accepting our limitations, and viewing the practice as a life long journey will bring us much comfort and peace of mind. Looking good is only a superficial success.

"Life is a compromise of what your ego wants to do, what experience tells you to do, and what your nerves let you do." ---Bruce Crampton---
Namaste,
Clarie

Satya: Honesty & Truth

During our recent trip to Disneyland with our daughter and grand kids, as soon as we arrived we visited with my relatives and then rushed to the amusement park and stayed until late. By then we were exhausted. On the way walking back to our hotel, we stopped at a nearby Denny’s to grab a quick bite.

The next morning I discovered that my camera was missing. I had left it in the restaurant in my semi-conscious state the night before. I called the restaurant, thinking that for sure such thing happens all the time and they would have it in Lost-and-Found. Unfortunately, nothing was turned in. My nice little Sony Digital, full of happy shots from the previous evening, was in someone else’s possession, someone saw nothing wrong with taking another’s property. I only hope that the person who kept my camera needed it more than I did, even though it was a very dishonest act and had made me sad.

In Yogo Sutra, Patanjali, the “Father of Yoga”, listed in the first limb of The Eight Limbs of Yoga, the importance of honesty and truth. Satya, or truth, is “the highest rule of conduct or morality”. It is not limited to speech alone, but applies to all manners of thought, word, and deed. Untruth thoughts can lead to untruth words, untruth words can lead to untruth actions. Conversely, truthful thoughts lead to truthful words, and that lead to truthful behavior.

As yogis and yoginis, we must be honest with ourselves in our practice. We accept our own limitations without deceiving ourselves with false display of skills. If we are only focusing on the form without feeling from our heart, we are not being truthful with the practice. The practice of asanas (poses) is not an end in itself. It is only one of the steps to continue on our journey to find our true and authentic self. When we are able to accept ourselves and accept each practice with joy and open heart, then we are truly on the yoga path.

However, don't get stuck with the struggle of feeling from the heart. My teacher Aadil Palkhivala always encouraged us to look into our heart during practice, but he also reminded us that if we only wanted to exercise our body, it's okay too. As long as we are truthful to our intentions, we are already on the path.

"Sometimes it is more important to discover what one cannot do, than what one can."

---- Lin Yotang ---

Namaste,

Clarie