In the Bhagavad Gita there is a great quote – “Peace comes immediately after you let go of expectations.” I had an experience over the Thanksgiving break that really showed me how a lack of expectations can make even the most stressful situation exciting, fun, and memorably.
My wife and I went to Massachusetts on Thanksgiving to pick up our son and take him to a football game — he is in the UMass Marching Band, and their last performance was the day after Thanksgiving. The big plan was to pick him up in the afternoon, go to the hotel for a little while, and then we’d go out for some nice Indian Food somewhere.
Once we got to the hotel we realized we were in trouble in the dinner department — all the restaurants we had passed on the drive there were closed. None of us had ever eaten at a restaurant on Thanksgiving so we didn’t even consider there would be a problem. What was great is that we were all very open about the whole thing, and thought of it like an adventure. We were staying in Foxboro, MA, which is a distant suburb of Boston.
Since we couldn’t find any restaurants in Foxboro, we decided, what the heck, let’s find something in Boston. None of the three of us had ever been to Boston, so we were up to the new experience of it. Sadly, we ended up in a neighborhood that wasn’t the best choice in terms of restaurants or otherwise. We ended up having about a dozen motorcycles and ATVs come up behind us, headlights off, and then race around us and head over the median and race off in the other direction. It was all part of being in the moment for us, and also a clue that we should probably go back to the hotel and figure something else out!
Ironically, there was an Indian Restaurant right next to the Hotel that was closed when we left to head into Boston, was now open! We had a lovely dinner, and a crazy adventure to boot. It was an experience where we all a bit road weary from traveling, and hungry, put we had this great openness to what was going on which made it all worthwhile.
Then the next day, Friday, was the football game. Emmett needed to be at the stadium at 11:30am, so we left the hotel in time to get there by 11am. Right as Emmett was stepping out of the car he said, “I forgot my trumpet at the hotel!” Amazingly, instead of panicking we turned around and had a great time speeding back to the hotel to get the trumpet. We just accepted things as they came without expectation, and it turned a stressful situation into an exciting car ride.
This kind of exciting adventure without the confines of expectations is what the yoga practice is supposed to be. Each day when you come to the mat, the idea is to let go of expectations. The idea is to allow this practice that’s about to begin to be it’s own unique practice…it’s own unique vacation. Without expectations, even the most sketchy “neighborhoods” of the practice can be viewed as an opportunity for learning, adventure, and fun. That freedom of expectation can be used with the breath as well. Each breath truly is unique – each inhale and exhale another turn in the road – and if you approach it with curiosity the joy of this moment is revealed.
Enjoy your practice as if it’s an exciting, unfolding drive into the uncharted territories of your heart and your Self.