Imagine you are a child in kindergarten, & everyone has been given a potted plant to take care of. Each child tends to his/her plant, watering them, protecting them from caterpillars, & so on. This process goes on daily, for weeks. Then, one day, the whole class arrives to a room full of beautifully blooming roses – roses of all colours, shapes & sizes. They are all equally magnificent, both collectively & individually; but somehow...there is a feeling deep within you that your rose is the most special of all, isn't there? The colour of your rose may not be as bright as another, it may not be the biggest bloom of all, it may even have a few imperfections here & there. But still! ‘There’s soooooooomething about my rose that makes it so special!’ Yes, it may not live up to other people’s idea of beauty, you may even acknowledge this very fact within yourself. That’s why we are using the word ‘special’ instead of ‘most beautiful’ or ‘most xyz’. Differences will always exist. How can they not? If there is no darkness, how can there be light? If there is no left, how can there be a right? Yes, there exists a rose bigger than mine, there also exists a rose smaller than mine, there are some more fragrant than mine; the very existence of each rose makes them special in their own right. But what makes my rose special to me? Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince by is one of my favourite stories. It seems like a children's story, yet is pregnant with the philosophies of life. Dear friend, it has nothing to do with the actual rose itself, but the amount of love & devotion you have poured into it. To your friend, your rose flower may seem very normal, just like any other rose flower. In fact, his rose flower is the most special to him! & why shouldn’t it be? How amazing - such a seemingly simple thing changed our whole perception of a flower! Just one variable is different: the presence of love & devotion. You took care of your plant daily, provided water when needed, protected it from the harsh elements, gave nourishment in the right amounts; & the result was a rose flower. Your friend did the same with his plant too. So you both have a certain bond with your own roses, not with each other’s. Have you observed it? The things on which you pour your love & devotion are the things which are dearest to your heart. It may not be ‘the best’ according to what society says, it may be far from perfect, but still, you wouldn’t trade it for anything else! It may be your job, your hobbies, your relationships - a million other people will be doing the same thing as you; but what makes it unique to you yourself is that you have put your heart into it. & that makes all the difference! The mysterious thing about this whole phenomenon is that these two elements move you, & not the other way around. You cannot force them into being. They just appear out of nowhere & become the moving forces behind your actions & thoughts. Without any expectations nor thoughts of possession, everything just flows naturally, joyously, without unnecessary exertion. With sincerity, you do what needs to be done. Everything else just drops away naturally, without resistance. In fact, it seems more of a burden to suppress & stop the flow of things instead of just allowing them! Holy schmoley, Olivia..! Do love & devotion have their limits, though? They only seem limited when aspects of the mind are brought into play. If you are watering your rose plant daily, providing different fertilizers, but hoping to get sunflowers the next week....................then what? Is this truly an act of love? At the height of their existence, love & devotion are strong enough to let go. In their pure essence, they may appear to be cruel, but at the very core of the matter, their actions are for the greater good. What roles have love & devotion played in your life? How are they manifesting & being expressed in your being? Are they really there for the greater good, or just as an excuse to play small? Are they bringing joy & happiness to your life?
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About Prabh LehriI am a yoga teacher based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am passionate about yoga as a form of healing on the physical, emotional & mental level. I have been on a yoga journey for almost a decade and have been formally sharing my experience in the last 4 years. Archives
December 2017
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