Each week in teaching my yoga students I encourage them to let go of the ego and remove the facade they are required to keep up all day. As we slowly dig deeper, I encourage them to open themselves up to whatever may come - be it good or bad - and learn to accept themselves, and life as it is. Through practicing this each week in a safe and sacred place, it is my hope that they will slowly become more accepting of themselves and others. I personally believe that it is through acceptance and non judgement that we will become a happier, more peaceful, and more accepting society.
That is the yin.
This is the yang. I also exist in the corporate world where none of these practices are valued, or even tolerated in many cases. We are expected to wear a mask and keep up the illusion, despite strenuous and stressful circumstances. Showing any signs of vulnerability are frowned upon and viewed as weak.
So how can we reconcile these two worlds? Yoga teaches the value of balance, and for the yin to exist, we must have yang. The yang cannot be discounted or ignored.
In my personal experience coexisting in these two worlds often leaves me feeling like a crazy person being pulled constantly in two vastly different directions.
I would love nothing more than to renounce my current existence and live a life of yin, a life of calm, a life of peace. But what value would I be to society then? How could I connect to people in need if I had no concept of their reality? What is my pain and struggle here to teach me? How can I reconcile the two worlds and feel whole?
Just some questions to consider over the weekend...
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