Dear Yogis:
Recently, I was lucky
enough to tag along on my husband’s business trip to Munich, Germany. Among the
sea of Schnitzel, Weiner-Wursts and beer, seeing the way people lived in
a different country was an eye opening experience. From the way people treat each other, to their
active policies regarding the ban of GMO’s (Genetically Modified Food), Germany
seemed to be awakening all around us.
Cool Things I learned In Germany:
1.)
Biking is accepted as a legitimate way of
transportation. So much so, that they
even have their own bike lanes on really busy roads.
2.)
Almost 80% of people leave their bikes unlocked!
Unlike Chicago, this was a subtle and remarkable display of trust in other people.
3.)
German people LOVE their dogs. When I say love,
I mean LOVE. Dogs are allowed everywhere; from eating at the table in a
restaurant, to being allowed on the subway.
4.)
On the local subway system, there is no prison
like turnstyle at the entrance, nor is there a designated person(s) to monitor
ticket sales. Tickets are self-serve.
5.)
Germans love to fly on “ze autobahn”, which is a
highway with no speed limit. There are just speed minimums, which are typically
enforced with a honk or swift cut off from surrounding drivers. Don’t ask how I
know this.
6.)
Germans love to wine and dine. It is socially
accepted in their culture to go out to dinner for six to eight hours. When out
to eat, the waiter or waitress will never take it upon themselves to leave
patrons with the bill. Instead, patrons must ask for the bill when they would
like to cash out. It was kind of nice not feeling rushed; especially when meals
consist of lots of beer and yummy food. Ahh, need time for food coma. :|
In my ten day stay there, it was refreshing to witness people trusting
each other. Because trusting each other
is accepted as a social norm, there seemed to be more of a peace integrated into
the way people live among one another.
So how does all this information relate to life on the mat? In order to
begin to trust others and live a more awesomely harmonious life together, we
have to start with trusting ourselves. While practicing Bikram yoga there, many
of the classes were held in German. Since I am not fluent in German, I quickly
found that I had to find a balance between trusting myself, my surroundings,
and the people I was sharing a space with.
On my first day, despite my fear of being in a new environment, I trusted
myself to be in the front row. Normally, I would have retreated to the back. I
was faced with trusting myself within my practice and reminding myself that
there is no “perfect posture”. I wasn’t there to show off or compare myself to
others. No, darn it! I was there to
meditate and focus on each present moment.
Trust yourself on the mat by letting go of the idea of permanence, and
give into the limitlessness of the human mind and body. Begin to give into the
trust that the human body is more powerful in healing itself than we know. Trust
is a simple concept, but a little goes a long way. Keep doin’ what you’re doing,
Yogis, and continue to use yoga as a tool to help heal the body from the inside
out.
Tschüss! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment