In this free yoga video class we do some hip openers and contemplate how perception can play a self-limiting role in our lives. As an example, I recently sold an old 1983 Mercedes I had for the last 5 years. It’s really been a great car. I converted it to run on vegetable oil when I first got it – all diesel engines were originally created to run on oils, and they still can!
Anyway, lately I’ve had the perception that the car was invaluable because it was “free” to drive and in my mind it was in pretty good condition, and with a little TLC I’d make it last forever and never get rid of it. But, I started to get clues and have my eyes opened that maybe this perception just wasn’t true at all. For one thing, I started to keep track of all the time and money I was putting into to the car, and it was significant. Just this cost alone was the cost of a monthly car payment, not including the cost of my personal time. Not only was there the cost in parts and labor to keep the car running, but the fuel wasn’t really “free”. It took a lot of time to deal with using veggie oil, and because of cold weather and car issues, I wasn’t using the vegetable oil that much anyway — so that part wasn’t true either.
What really opened my eyes is I took the car to my mechanic recently, while I was still dedicated to the car and my relationship, and I was talking to some body repair guys who were in the shop. I had mentioned how I thought the car was great and wondered what it would cost to bring the body fully back to it’s glory days. One guys said with a straight face, “Sell it. You never want to get emotionally attached to a car.” This was really the final eye opener. I came to realize all my perceptions where self-created, and self-limiting. I’d dedicated myself to making this car work, when really it wasn’t of any benefit to me. It was costly, it wasn’t in the good of shape, and it was using all my time.
After having my eyes opened to really what I had, it didn’t take long to sell it to someone who was willing to put the necessary effort into keeping it alive. And, on the totally exciting front, after letting go of the weight of this multi-ton car, I bought a 200 pound scooter that actually is (almost) free to ride, extremely low maintenance, and FUN!
This whole story is really about what yoga is all about. Yoga is about letting go of weighty perceptions that are self-limiting so we can get to the light, fun stuff. This doesn’t happen over night, and it’s also an ebb and flow of letting go and getting light, and then something else can come along you need to let go off to get back to the light. So, You just keep practicing. As you practice you try to practice with a willingness to shed those views of yourself that aren’t helpful as well as perceptions of your world that don’t do you any good, so you can see your true, fun, light self. Happy Scootering! – John