The Art of Living --------- A Ten Part Series by a Modern Day Yogi --------- Part 3 Looking and Seeing

The Art of Living – 

Part 3: Looking and Seeing

Have you ever noticed what happens when you pass someone you don’t know on the street? Some people may smile or look away. Others may catch your eye for just a few seconds. We are often in the presence of people we don’t know or others with whom we have a long acquaintance. Do we see them or just look at them? 

Recently while teaching a yoga class I observed that one student had a look of grace and calm on her face as she moved gently through a Sun Salutation. She looked at me and when our eyes met is was as though we saw each other for the first time. I felt she saw that I was not just a teacher but a guide and I saw her as not a student but a mentor. She is older and wiser than me, and over the time that she has attended yoga class, we have come to know each other better. She has a daughter like me, and occasionally she says something about her daughter that I relate to as a mother. Over a few years I have seen her deepen her yoga practice. If I did not see the progress in her practice I would have been wasting both of our time. So, now when I mention that her movements are done with such grace, she smiles.

 I know that when you are walking along the street everyday it is hard to notice something different in just a glance but with every glance you are sure to find the person there has changed right before your eyes. Maybe they changed their hair cut, or now wear glasses, or perhaps look a few years older. If you ride the train, or bus to work or school, you will surely see the same people a few times a week. And over time you may have just been looking at the person sitting next to you. What would happen if you actually saw that person and recognized that they are the same as you? Like you they are living life to the best of their ability given their unique circumstances. And maybe they like you have a dream to live in peace and find love and happiness in this life. We are all growing and changing with each passing moment. One day, maybe tomorrow we will actually see each other, maybe for the very first time.

Namaste

Dee Williams

www.kanjinyoga.com