More than just a few times lately, I've had people comment to me about how they wished on some level that their lives were like someone else's -- a friend whose pictures they saw on facebook, or a person they look up to whose life seems like something they themselves would want. Who hasn't experienced at least a pang of envy when their friend tells them they'll be attending the most amazing yoga event of the century, is wearing the newest, most hot-off-the-machine pair of Omgirl pants, or who just seemingly has the perfect life? We've all been there, in one way or another, and it's easy to go there when the conditions are just right! Over our many years of being alive, humans have assumed on some level that their neighbor, cousin, or friend has a life that's better than their own. Why else would we have the phrase, "the grass is always greener"?
Thankfully, the life-affirming Tantrik philosophy that we have the opportunity to study within Anusara reminds us that we always have a choice as to how we orient ourselves in life, and it is this choice that gives us access to the manifestation of our true potential. It goes so far as translating the word "santosha", or "contentment", as not just having what we want in life, (or what someone else has), but actively choosing to want what we already have. While this can be a huge boon to a yogi, getting there can be a challenge, especially when we live in a culture that "reminds" us over and again that we want or need what's in every ad or movie we see. Even within the yoga culture, we are constantly made aware of amazing clothing lines and sublime retreat opportunities that oftentimes are completely inaccessible to us. Yet it's within these moments of challenge that we're given the opportunity to deepen the process of actively choosing the richness that our own lives provide us with. Reclaiming the energy that's been hijacked by the retreat, the clothing, etc., and turning it back toward our own lives, we learn to work effectively with whatever situation we're in. Rather than wasting our own vital energy wishing for the things we can't have at a particular time, we learn to redistribute this energy through creating, sustaining, and transforming what's happening in our own lives. Turning toward (pravrrti) the gifts that we've been given, and cultivating those qualities we wish to have more of within ourselves and our lives, we gain empowerment to be who we are, at our core. This empowerment gives us the ability to more fully value who we are, what we have to offer, and how we're offering it distinctly in the world.
We chant, "Om Namah Shivayah Gurave" in the first line of the invocation. "I honor the Light of Consciousness that dwells within." This line is one in which we deeply, fully, honor the energy that has chosen to embody us. My teacher Douglas Brooks reminds us that "we are the gift that the Universe is offering". Redirecting our awareness inwardly and turning toward the gift of ourselves automatically shifts the relationship we have with ourselves, our lives, and the world around us. It puts us in a completely affirming place and in so doing, grants us full access to the energy we've been gifted with, inviting us to create whatever it is we so choose in life. In this, we are reminded that we can choose over and again to honor this bigger Consciousness by remembering its presence inside and by going with it, bringing more goodness and beauty to life through our actions in our own lives and thus in the world. In deepening the relationship we have with the Consciousness that dwells inside, we value it more, and can in turn value what others have to offer without wishing it were ours. In other words, when we honor our own gifts, we are more able to honor others' gifts for exactly what they are. With this life-affirming philosophy, the grass is evenly green in many different places, yet with its own unique shade and hue.
Looking around shows us that people in general have a lot to offer, and that awesome opportunities come to so many on a regular basis. Yet the same is true for us! We want to be happy for Leslie when she goes to Barbados for a rad 10-day yoga retreat, or for Judy when she buys half of Spiritual Gangster's Fall line to rock in class all season long. And all of this when we're practicing at home in our old school yoga wardrobe. It's in these moments that directing our awareness to the Consciousness inside is of utmost importance. When we see the gifts and opportunities that our friends have, we can remember that we, too, have the amazing opportunity of interacting with Consciousness in ways that are totally unique to us and exactly what they need to be. We've been given what's perfect for where we are at a given time, and remembering this is key. Seeing what's going on with our friends can help shape our desires for what we seek to create in life, but the moment it pulls us out of ourselves and the Consciousness within, it becomes just another way to waste energy that we could be putting toward really amazing aspirations.
In what ways do you fully honor the gifts and opportunities that you've co-created in your life? How do you feel when you're in a space of deeply valuing your own life? How do you respond to others' opportunities when you're in this space? What things tend to pull you out of alignment with the Consciousness within? How can you redirect your energy inward when you get pulled out of yourself to work with it in a more life-enhancing way? Each question can provide a deep level of insight to keep energy flowing in a positive direction rather than getting stuck for days at a time in a place that's not so comfortable. Choosing to fully honor and work with what's happening in our own lives at any given moment gives us the ability to see the beauty in each shade of green on every side of the fence!
