Cry Baby

Jane, my Yoga teacher, told us this great little dandy today.  She shared how this weekend she was babysitting her best friend’s two month old little peanut.  It was a beautiful day, so she put the little peanut in the baby carriage and decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood.  The little peanut was not too keen on the carriage.  As the walk began, the peanut began to yell.  Jane ignored her.  As they walked further, the little peanut began to scream a little more, and Jane still ignored her…her maternal instinct was telling her that she was just fussing.  She was right, because a few moments later, the peanut started to relax, and her crying turned into sleeping, and both Jane and the little peanut enjoyed a beautiful Saturday afternoon walk.

What does this have to do with Yoga?  

Well, Jane used it as a great metaphor to explain how the mind works.  When something is unpleasant or not to our immediate liking–the mind instantly reacts by crying out.  If we just ignore it for awhile, eventually the mind will relax into the moment and find great peace.  

True, oh so true.

The cool thing about today is that I was already on that page before I even got on my mat in the studio!  When I got home from school, there were kids in front of my door throwing dirt and rocks at each other.  Yeah.  That’s what they do around here.  My whole doorway was full of rubble, and tons of stones lay near my bedroom window.  I asked them again kindly to take their sticks and stone throwing to another part of the community.  Then, my next-door neighbors were arguing and screaming…which isn’t the most relaxing environment to come home too.  This stuff bugged me, I won’t lie.  When I was walking Nyla it started to creep in my mind again….and I guess you could say started crying like a big baby!

But I literally chose to ignore it every time I became aware of its presence.    I simply switched my mind to more pleasant things.  And left all that unpleasant yuck to rest in the past.  

Months ago I found out I would be loosing my job.  First reaction my mind went through was panic and despair.  I felt like the sky was falling and the ground was rising up to suffocate me. Recently, I’ve finally relaxed into it.  But there were months of beating myself up, of suffering.  When, the key is to simply ignore the mind’s reaction, and instead focus on the peace that is actually present in all of us– no matter what the situation or circumstances are.  Am I saying ignore the reality that in a few months I will be unemployed?  No, that’s silly.  But ignore the drama that the mind attaches to things that are initially unpleasant, and instead, take a walk with them for awhile.  Maybe you will realize that it’s actually a beautiful trip–the weather and landscape, ever changing may it be, might contain moments of delight–a beautiful sunset or two.  

Peace & Love.