The Big Screen TV

As we drove home on Thanksgiving Day, we drove by a big box store with a line pf people out front...all waiting for the store to open to buy, I imagined, a new big screen TV.

I joked about it in class today.  I compared wanting to buy a big screen TV to wanting to master an arm bind. Thinking that once you have that big screen TV or that arm bind, you'll be happy.

Now, I'm not knocking you if you have (or want) a big screen TV.  Or if you really want to master that arm bind.  I like cool stuff as much as the next person.  I am questioning whether or not you'll really be happy.

You stand in line for hours for that big screen TV.  You take it home, set it up, invite your friends over.  That's fun & cool & you feel happy.

Then the TV gets old.  A bigger, fancier one comes out & your friend buys it & everyone goes over to his house.  You're sitting alone in front of your TV & you're not happy.  Next thing you know, you're waiting in line again next Thanksgiving for another, bigger TV.

You see the pattern?  When does it stop?

I'm even reluctant to say yoga makes you happy.  I know I'm happy when I practice.  There are days when I would love to stay on my mat all day long so I could stay happy...because I have unhappy stuff going on & I would love to avoid it.  But the reality of my life is that I have to get off my mat & deal with that stuff.

And for me, that's the real benefit of yoga.  It's great to be happy when you practice & step off your mat.  But the challenges of life don't go away.  Yoga gives you the tools to deal with those challenges: your breathe, your balance, your focus.  You may not be happy when you're dealing with those challenging situations.  But maybe with time & practice, you'll feel a little less stressed.  You'll be present a little more often.  You'll let the challenging moment go more quickly. 

Are you spending your whole life chasing after a bigger TV?  Are you spending every day waiting for the next time you can get on your mat?  Keep getting on your mat, every day.  But start also start taking your yoga off your mat, every day.