Talkn' Smack
Just yesterday, walking my dog down the streets of South Lake Union, I got the best mental picture. Two dogs from 20 yards away spotted each other, froze and silently faced off. Without so much as moving a muscle or making the slightest bark, they were talking smack.
Even though my dog, connected to me through the leash, was one of these characters, it gave me pause to laugh. As humans, we are doing this all the time, but we are oblivious to how our animal instincts demonstrate our thinking minds, almost as if emitting pheromones. As I have said often in class, I can be a very head-down hardworking gal, and in that I have often frightened off others. I can be so me-centered that I don’t even realize I am scaring others away. I am putting out messages I am unaware of.
This comes to class with us too. Picture a room full of people in Warrior II. A person stands with limp arms, a bent back leg, unaware of their lack of energy. What they are putting out feels dull and dead, resigned. Picture the person on them next mat – standing tall, strength in the front leg, reaching through fingers tips, with a huge scowl on his or her face. Humm… energy is there, but not in the way I want to live. Then see the next person over. Perhaps this yogi is standing strong, but it looks light. His fingers are long, his back foot is planted and his belly is pulled in. His breath reaches the far corners of his lungs in slow, steady breath. He wears a slight smile. This person knows he strong, but doesn’t need to will that to happen. It is just is.
And this is why I practice - to bring this person, the strong but graceful, focused but joyful, human being to reality in my life. This is a person who knows what she is putting out to the world. I am consciously creating what others see and experience, building a community of vibrancy and growth around me.
Of course it is a practice. It is not as though I am perfect at this (just ask my husband!), but it is changing in my life. I have learned I can’t willpower my way into being conscious and happy, kind and generous, but I can practice being mindful of what I put into the world and how I show up. I practice, practice, practice, and poof, something shifts. One day I notice that I am happier and kinder. Something that was a challenge no longer is. Things seem different, but in reality, I am simply different.
It all boils down to that really. The difference is me and it begins with what I put into the world. If I can stop talking smack unconsciously, I have all this space, time and energy to put something else in that I actually want. I am going to “talk” joy, abundance and light. Care to join me?