Stay In Your Own Hula Hoop

This past week a friend of mine posted a quote on Facebook by Krishna Das that truly resonated with me.  It read:

"We have to learn to love people even if they are not giving you what you want... and then not take it personally. If you feel hurt, you have to recognize that they are not hurting you because you are you, but because they are them. You have to try not to be so hard on yourself."

When things resonate with me, I like to share them for two reasons. One is that if it connected to something inside of me, then it might do the same for someone else.  Two, it reminds me where I am in my own practice.  It's as though whatever I'm working on bringing into my greater awareness shows up through quotes, conversations or interactions.  It's as though the Universe knows what challenges me and then offers up another piece of the lesson.

I have heard Judith Hanson Lasater say many times in my trainings with her that "you can't control how other people are going to react to what you say or do.  All you can control is your own reaction and actions".  Another way I think of this is to stay in your own hula hoop, that is, to keep working on what is yours and let go of what isn't.

One cool thing that happened as I brought this quote and theme into a class this past week was the reaction it sparked in one of the students.  I was offering the image of how many hula hoops do you have spinning at one time?  Are you like an eight-limbed Hindu goddess twirling many hoops, with only one of them being yours? The student said, "By taking on other people's hoops, we don't have to look at our own."  What an insightful observation and comment!

When we take on other peoples stuff, it often has the effect of drawing us away from looking into our own shadows.  If we can keep distracted by how other people are reacting and acting, we can avoid the painful pieces of examining our own soul.

Our culture is rife with opportunities to get distracted via reality television, gossip magazines, posts on social media and conversations with others that go no deeper than their reactions to all of the above.  It's no wonder our time here in soul school often seems to be on the slow track...too much noise, movement and distraction.  Isn't it time that we let go of all the other hoops and just look at what's within our own?

My thought for the week is about getting connected to our own selves.  It's a truly challenging process yet undertaking something like a yoga practice, at the very least, gives us the opportunity to take a peak inside.  Sometimes as soon as we begin to look, we want to slam the door shut but with consistent practice, a supportive community and a compassionate instructor we can begin to let the light in through the cracks to illuminate our darkness.

The quote I read this week in my classes by Carl Jung sums it up precisely:

"There is no coming to consciousness without pain.  People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own soul.  One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but my making the darkness conscious."

And once you've done that...grab your hula hoop and head outside!  Barefoot of course!