Before I became a serious student of Yoga, I used to liken life only when there were climaxes – or in some cases, dramas and crises. I was looking at life as a series of goals and destinations – living in the future and somehow missing LIFE itself in the search. The Midlife Transition has taught me to see life in a new way.
I noticed myself rushing through breakfast to get to work and rushing through work to get to a luncheon — and then rushing through lunch to get to the next meeting — am I alone in this, or can you relate?
Most of us view performing the routine repetitive tasks of our lives as the “in-between time” the stuff we have to take care of before getting on to the things that really count.
But if you stop and think about it, most of life is on the plateaus -the “in-between.”
Do you know that the actual playing time for a National Football league in a non-play off year is 16 hours a year. The other 8,744 hours are “in-between.”
When we focus our eyes on the end result, we often miss the NOW. When goal orientation dominates our thoughts, we can begin to devalue a great deal of our lives. When we take up a path of mastery and learn to stay on the mat, even the “in-between” tasks become transformed. We become content with what we have.
Goal seekers never seem to be satisfied with what is. My yoga master once asked us if we would rather have 10 million dollars or 10 children, and all of us in the class of course said, – 10 million. No, he replied, if you had 10 children you would not always be wanting more.
What in your life Is or Can Become a Practice?
It may be a sport like tennis or golf, or some form of music or dance or the performing arts. Like me you may be dedicated to yoga or meditation or to a service like medicine or massage.
Lately I even turned looking for a relationship into a practice. It’s amazing. I no longer look at every man under a tree saying, “Are you the one.” I’m no longer look for the end result. Instead I’ve begun to think of myself as in relationship school – and I’m actually enjoying the process a great deal more.
Staying on the Mat has helped me learn
to live my life in the moment,
to stop seeking the more,
to love the plateau and
to find satisfaction in repetition.
I now ask myself daily – how am I giving my life to practice for it’s own sake?
It was reminded of this the other day when I went to a concert . After it was finished, I overheard a woman saying to the pianist,
“I’d give my life if I could play like you.” He turned and stared at her intently and said, “Lady, I did!”
SEE YOU ON THE MAT.
