Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes

By Mitchel Bleier

Owner & Visionary Yogapata

The Universe is perfectly playful, which is why I never understand the expression, “it’s too good to be true.” Really? If it’s happening, then isn’t it true? And why should that be too good? It’s like we are just waiting for something bad to happen. So, you know those times where everything is going great, like your kids are happy and successful, or your career is exactly where you want it to be, or harmony has returned to a friendship that was struggling, or you just got asked to be Lululemon’s ambassador (okay, I know what you’re thinking, “C’mon Mitchel, really?” - well no, not me, but Tracy was). You’re just floating everywhere you go. You’re happy. Then the phone rings, or it’s an email, maybe Facebook, and in the rare occurrence an actual live physical interaction with another person and your bubble’s burst. Floating one moment in love with everything, and the next feeling stuck in someone else’s fears and insecurities. See, the Universe is such a playful phenomenon. It’s like it is testing us - hmmm...is it a test? That would presume a pass/fail outcome. Okay, maybe a little, but certainly an invitation. These are the precious moments to really see how deeply yoga works.

There’s an old story of a Prince named Hemachuda, and a Princess who was a sage, named Hemalekha. She was so advanced in her wisdom that all the treasures of the palace never satisfied her. They were all temporary indulgences. She was seeking eternal happiness. Her apparent dispassion irritated the Prince, so he went off to a tower and meditated based on the instructions Hemalekha gave him until he achieved such a high state of consciousness and found lasting peace within himself. It was so perfect that he never wanted to leave. One day the Princess came to him and said, “Darling, you are still as far from Self realization as the reflection of the stars in a pool is from the sky. What kind of realization is it that vanishes the moment you open your eyes?” So Hemachuda went back to the kingdom and ruled. His family was so impressed with the difference in him that they wanted to learn too. The ministers were so impressed with the Royal family that they all wanted to learn. The people were so impressed with the ministers that they wanted to learn. In the end nothing changed. The King ruled, the ministers ministered, the washermen washed, etc... But everything changed. All the people went about their business with Self awareness and profound mutual respect for each other.

It’s easy when everything is going great to be “spiritual,” so I like to think that it’s those moments when the Universe plays around with you as your invitation to open your eyes and realize that your Self realization is not going anywhere just because you lost your job, or someone passed away, or your marriage (or relationship) has ended, or someone is attacking you... Once you are awake, you’re awake and no one can take that so why would you allow it? News is just news, like days are just days - they’re not bad or good, they just are. So next time that news comes streaming at you, know that your lasting peace is still present in your Self and you will always see life as the playful phenomenon it is.

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