16- Are you experienced?

 

According to statistics, I am an anomaly. I don't relish the thought of having all the the trimmings required to be a model citizen and yet, some I have. I think its a philosophical diversion. 

We are told minute by minute by all forms of media what things we are too acquire. Which soda to consume, which 'snack-food' will double as an athletic energy supplement, which water will enhance our performance, which clothes will get us the spouse of our dreams and which car will send the message that we care about the environment while driving our flex-fuel SUV.

I think the poet Mick Jagger said it well while he was seeking his form of enlightenment, his form of Satisfaction: When I'm drivin' in my car -  And the man comes on the radio - He's tellin' me more and more - About some useless information - Supposed to drive my imagination.......When I'm watchin' my TV - And that man comes on to tell me - How white my shirts can be -But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke The same cigarettes as me.

Its all around us.  We are supposed to be the sum total of our acquisitions. 

If my house were to burn to the ground, and I had one thing to save, it would be my hard drive(s).  They contain thousands of photographs of all the adventures and people that make up my life. These are the people I love and the places I have shared with them.  The meals, the laughs, the moments that make up life are here. These acquisitions of experience are what make up life. The clothes, cars, furniture, and gadgets are not. These items make my life easier but they are not my experiences. They have no emotional value.

In yoga, when on the mat, the experience you are having is what molds your moment. You can be traumatized by the intensity of the asana (pose) or you can be thankful for the gift the asana gives. At the end of the practice, you will be left with what your perception, your experience is.

I choose to appreciate the time, hard or easy, I am thankful for what I have gained. There are days that are quite difficult and days that flow, but at the end of the practice, as I lay in savasana, I always find grace and express gratitude for the experience.  

In spite of any difficulty I can always find the gift of the experience. Sometimes it is hard to admit or concede that the experience contains a gift but when I lay in bed at night, just before sleep, I find what has been offered. I accept it and am thankful. 

I am the sum of my experiences.

Namaste-