A couple of mornings I have seen another way of doing the sun-salutation together with holding a mala in your hand, as if a prayer. At first I thought he might be doing it wrong but then I came to think of it as being practiced in a more “old-fashioned” way which made me understand there has to be something special to it, lost in the Western way of doing yoga. It reminded me of how we can bow our head down, not only literally but also with the intent to show respect and humility, like for example in church sometimes when I pray. It is called Yoga Nindra, where there are motions to use to work on specific issues like pride, anger, generosity etc, which suddenly brought yoga back home, so to speak.
Speaking of anger, I am examining this emotion in various ways, when not to suppress it but express it, how to process it afterwards and how to release it. Anger is known as one of the poisons in Buddhism and while this can be discussed in general and uplifting terms, I always strive to use myself and/or people I am relating to, as examples when I share so that this teachings can be used and applied for them to be of true importance and validation (something I really miss in the self-help genre). While some never writes personal stuff, I do in a deliberate attempt to make people think and become more aware of which impact we all have on each other. How we treat one another, that some, especially yoga-practitioners the western way, seem to refuse to acknowledge in an even more self-centered way, posing away all day long to seek validation and show off, as if completely missing the whole point of doing yoga, both physically and mentally. When done right, it clears away repetitive patterns and allow us to recieve our own insights and inspiration with more presence. Clearing your mind and your heart to create something new and improved.
By using compassion we can re-frame our experience to feel less judgmental of a loss or upset and thereby lessen our anger. For example, an acquaintance of mine once said in 2013 that she lost her subway card that was just filled for a month and while it upset her, she also received my words as a comfort when I said that perhaps it became a gift to someone who couldn’t afford to buy his/her own, which made her feel better (and to rely on my own former experiences) and less personally affected. Today as I spoke to another friend about this anger issues and examples of dealing with re-framing, she shared how someone once had lost their wallet by a thief who then became chased by others. The one who lost it, also ran after, screaming in Tibetan that it was a gift. Thereby the thief would feel less bad, and so also he who had lost it.
The point is, at least for me, we (others) should take responsibility to not put anyone (me and others) in a situation that would have to create anger or stealing to survive, ever again, like in 2008 and 2011 with several attempted repeats jeopardizing my health, work and life. You don't think I have the right to be angry in 2017 after showing all this patience? Does that mean that you have to make me angry all the time? Or can you allow me to live my happy life with those that appreciate my best self in good health while I provide my services based on my education, skills and experience to those who wants to buy?