Dear Revolution Community,
The Bhagavad Gita says, “It is far better to perform one’s natural prescribed duty, though tinged with faults, than to perform another’s prescribed duty, though perfectly.”
I think about this shloka a lot. The yogis teach that there is a tendency as humans on Earth to project outwardly. If you’ve ever had a bad day at work and came home in a bad mood, whoever you live with probably “couldn’t do or say anything right.”
Or if you’re late to get somewhere, nobody else can move fast enough. As opposed to the days when you’re taking a leisurely drive and let everyone go before you. Whatever is inside of you gets projected onto the world outside of you.
Usually the things that drive you nuts about other people, that you maybe want to try and control, are things that you don’t like about yourself and are trying to suppress internally (unconsciously).
This is a natural progression of the human mind, but the yogis teach that the path to enlightenment goes opposite to this. Think again of the driving example, you are running late and no one is moving fast enough. The person in front of you slowing down is sending your body into a panicked and anxious state. The car that snuck in front of you at an intersection and is going the speed limit is making you sweat and curse loudly alone into the car. The yogis teach -stop looking outward, look inward.
You notice- my body is feeling very tense in my shoulders and jaw. So you relax them intentionally. My breath is caught up and shallow, so you intentionally smooth it out. You slow down for a minute and ask yourself why is your body/mind reacting this way? “Because I don’t want to be late to work.”
What’s the worst that can happen if you’re late?
“I hate late people, they inconvenience me and I don’t want my boss to be disappointed in me even though they aren’t a stickler for time.”
Why do you hate late people?
“Because my father and I used to talk badly about the people who came into his office who were late. That they were lazy losers who don’t care and won’t get anywhere in life.”
Why are you late then?
“Well I spilled something and the water line broke and this morning was a mess.”
Now you discover that there is an internalized belief that “I’m a loser who doesn’t care.” What emotion comes with that? Shame and self loathing.
When was the first time you felt that way? “When I came late to school in the first grade and the teacher made me stand in the front of the classroom and the students laughed at me.”
Are you that little boy now?
“No.”
So can we now break the cycle since we see where it began consciously?
“Yes”
We bring our past moments into this one don’t we? Whether we intend to or not. Once we understand their source, we can ask ourselves rationally what about a situation is making us reactive rather than experiencing it as it is?
Meaning “as it is” in all its perceived “imperfections”? That you may just be a good human who made a mistake? Or you may be a good human having a hard time? Making space for whatever actually IS to just BE. This allows deep self-regulation to be present.
Our upbringing, culture and experiences teach us that there is some ideal we are supposed to be and THEN we can feel peaceful, content, happy etc., but perfection is an illusion. A false construct, a fake identity (ahamkara) that gets projected onto us that we then project onto the world.
When we drop the false identities, understand where the expectations come from, and learn non attachment to what things SHOULD look like to allow things to be what they ARE, we start to come into the space of doing our born duty.
Authenticity is one of the highest vibrations. Shame one of the lowest. When you get into a space of clarity of vision of yourself, you also come to experience that around others.
There is no separation (through your perception everyone is you). Other people don’t exist as they are, they exist to you as you perceive them through the lens of yourself. Relationships with others are a lesson of experiencing a mirror.
Instead of, this person should do x, y, z, we get into a space of how does this make me feel? Where do I feel it? When did this happen before? Then from a place of peace, we can make actionable choices that are in alignment with our true self, not the false identity that is causing us such deep suffering.
Getting on the mat daily gives us a safe space to do this work, whether it’s changing your relationship to your body through a pose, releasing some stored emotional experience through a stretch, changing your mind a little through the teacher’s dharma talk, or holding yourself to the experience for the whole one hour of class- consistency in your practice creates deep changes in your body, your mind and your life, so you may do your own dharma imperfectly and AUTHENTICALLY. I hope to see you on your mat with us soon!
Peace and Love,
Amanda and the good folks at Revolution Yoga
Originally shared in our September 2024 newsletter.