It's Contagious

Last weekend I had the privilege of studying with my teacher and 48 or so other students in Berkeley, CA.  In doing so, I caught flights to and from the training.  And although I could write this weeks thought around the topic of a dysfunctional S.I. joint (sacra-iliac in the lower back), instead I was given inspiration whilst waiting for my flight back to Southern California.

I flew Southwest Airlines from Oakland and for those who haven't experienced this airline it goes something like this...you are divided into boarding groups  (A, B & C) and by numbers.  As we were waiting to board, all clustered in a waiting area seemingly too small for the number of passengers, I couldn't help but notice a family with two young kids.  They garnered my attention because the young boy (I'm guessing around seven years old) was getting in trouble.  He was being scolded by both his parents who were telling him to "stand still", which seemed to be quite the challenge for the young boy.  And he wasn't told quietly just once, but harshly in hushed tones a few different times.

The family tussle seemed to die down when I next looked up only to observe that the father who had been chastising his son for "moving around" was standing, wiggling, fidgeting, shaking one leg and chewing on his fingernails.  The fathers' nervous energy was highly contagious...his son had caught it.  But like many contagions, you don't often notice that they're being spread.  Finally, the family pre-boarding call was announced and the puddle of twitching moved onto the plane.

I sat there thinking about the disconnect so many of us experience between our actions and what is reflected back to us.  It was as though the fathers' energy (in this case) was transmitted on a cellular level to the son, yet the father had no idea that he was modeling this behavior and was even more agitated at his son for being agitated!

So, you may be asking, what does a twitchy father have to do with yoga?  The answer...awareness.  What we say, how we move, what we think create the wave of vibration that echo out from us.  If you want to feel more peaceful, surround yourself with peaceful people.  If you want to dance uninhibited, head to a rock concert.  If you wish to be inspired, hang out with inspiring people.  If you want to feel the end of the world is near, watch the news.  If you want to watch your own reactions, head to a yoga class.

What we expose ourselves to is the energy we absorb.  And the energy that we project is detected by everyone we come into contact with.  We don't need to speak the same language to send out good vibrations...a sincere smile resonates loudly in any culture.

If part of the reason you practice yoga is to find a sense of inner connectedness and calm, then you need to be in the vicinity of that quality, whether it be from the environment, animals or other people.  The energy that surrounds us is contagious, so elevate your own sense of awareness to fine tune the vibrations that you wish to penetrate your life.

For the agitated father, I wanted to suggest taking a deep breath and try to release any unnecessary tension being held in the body without spewing it out over his own child.  But, in that moment, that wasn't my purpose.  It was simply to remember to pay attention to my own choices and reflect out the ones of how I wish to be in the world.

Peace, love and happiness is what I'm shooting for...