“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
― Mother Teresa

Namaste Friends,

I am going to wax philosophical  and pose a question:  Can any one person know what it is to be completely inside of another person’s life experience?  Can they know all that one might think, feel, desire, fear, love?

No way. Each of us has our own unique life experience, and no other person could possibly know what is going on inside your mind, body, and soul. So why do humans think they have the right to pass judgement on other humans? This false sense of righteousness sends me over the moon. It definitely hits my Achilles heal that hasn’t walked a mile in anyone’s moccasin but my own.

But I’m guilty of it too; they other day I received an email from an “angry elf”.  She was making all kinds of assumptions and accusations that were founded on pure poop.  I immediately found myself judging her  right back.  “This woman is crazy!” I had a whole slew of adjectives running through my mind in reference to her, and none of them were in the yogic vernacular.  So when I caught myself getting all riled up over her false accusations and misjudgment, I reeled in my thoughts and stopped the stupid speak that was polluting my whole being.  Instead, I gathered myself up and went to my meditation room where I visualized she and I walking together in a peaceful field and I asked her to tell me her story.  She started to cry and told me all about her troubles.  She had many.  When I left my meditation I had a softness in my heart for her.  I felt compassion toward her even though in reality she is deeply irritated with me.  The “story” she told me in the meditation might be completely off base, but that isn’t the point.  The point is that everyone has a story, and if we knew everyone’s story, we all would soften.  We wouldn’t be so quick to judge.  If she knew my story, maybe the venom that came from her mouth would have been a bit more like honey.

Human beings cruise around the planet casting opinions about each other without really having any background, foundation or significant purpose in doing so.  We take one look at someone and we create a whole dramatic interpretation about them based on how they look, talk, walk, etc.    We didn’t consider that maybe this person was sexually abused; or has a secret eating disorder; or is a recovered drug addict; or is battling a bipolar issue.

You’ve seen it.  How many times have you been in a car with someone, or perhaps you have done this yourself, where we get frustrated with the driver in front of us, “What the hell is this idiot doing?  Jesus!  Move it asshole!”  All the hateful language comes flying out toward someone we don’t even know; creating more negative energy in the cosmos.  Words are sound vibrations.  Everything is vibration.  Including you.  The energy we spend on being angry and judgmental is detrimental to everything that is energy or vibration, which is EVERYTHING.  Judgment and hate are toxic. Period. We need to soften.

Meanwhile, the person we are screaming at has a story and I am sure if we heard it, we wouldn’t have used our brilliant swear words to “help” alleviate the situation.  Instead, we would send them blessings and well wishes to help them move along with ease.

So here is my challenge to us all: Choose a day to practice metta, or lovingkindness. Try your hardest to not make one unsubstantiated  judgment, criticism, or opinion. When (and you will) find yourself going “Gollum”, catch yourself in the moment, and send that person a blessing for wellness and peace.  Even if they just about cut you off the road because they were texting.  Just try it.  For a whole day.  Then at the end of the day review how many times you had to switch gears, and assess if it was hard or easy to send them well-wishes.

If it was easy, excellent!  Do it again the next day.  If it was hard, I might suggest you deepen your practice of yoga.  Truthfully.  If it is hard for you to send love and goodness to your fellow man, regardless of their story, then I would worry for your heart.  Not only will it eventually harden in the physical sense, like from heart disease or a heart attack, but it will harden to having a joyful life experience.  There is no way on Earth or in heaven that you can have a happy life with a hard heart.  Judgment and anger is far worse for the heart that any plaque or cholesterol laden food.  Who doesn’t want happiness and joy in their life?  To get it; you have to give it.  The law of attraction.  Whatever we put out energetically is exactly what we will get back.  This isn’t a new concept; but we the people are slow to get it embedded into our thinking.  So I am gently prodding us with some metta:  Listen to each other’s story; find compassion; judge less and love more.  It will not only make you feel better, but it will raise the collective vibration. As my Grandma Violet always said, it is much better to hand out warm fuzzies, than cold pricklies.

I leave you with a traditional meditation for the wellness of  all beings.

May you find yourself surrounded by lovingkindness.

Have a blessed day,

Katrina

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

OCTOBER: Shri Sculpture. Create your favorite yoga pose in a papermache sculpture. Include your favorite yoga quote to inspire you deepenyour practice. Cost: 5 weeks—$75NOVEMBER: Discover and demystify drawing using drishti, the art ofvision, seeing and perceiving. Sutras 1:15, 2:12. Cost: 4 weeks—$60DECEMBER: Create a series of prayer flags that you can hang anywhereyou like..these colorful creations will not only decorate your homebut bestow any space with good blessings. Great as a gift.Cost: 3 weeks—$45

This weekend:

Yoga on the Steps is looking for last minute fundraisers for this Sunday’s (Sep 23) Yoga on the Steps breast cancer fundraiser to raise funds for Living Beyond Breast cancer. Visit www.yogaonthesteps.com and click on ‘Denver’ and ‘register’ to sign up. We are looking for each person to raise $50 for the cause but all donations are appreciated. We’ll meet this Sunday at Cheesman Park 8:30 am for a day of supporting those with breast cancer, an all levels yoga class complete with a wellness vendor area. Please sign up to help today! Join the event on fb at http://www.facebook.com/events/330290070351803/.

Much thanks to Asiana Harper, who will be representing Karma on the Steps that day.  Asiana is our October teacher of the month.  All her classes will only be a $10 drop in for the whole month.  She teaches on Wednesday evenings at 6pm and Friday mornings at 9:15.  A true goddess!