Full days at the KYM

Last few weeks, I was taking my daughter to her soccer and basketball games, making sure we had the dogs walked and fed, and the daily commitments of being a mother,wife,yoga teacher,daughter,friend,sister,all the labels I somehow find myself identifying with as my life unfolds daily..somehow, all those disappear as I walk the streets of Chennai..I am a foreigner, the one that stands out in the chaos of these hectic streets. The smiling and curious faces just let me blend in as I mingle with the crowds. I never feel alone..somehow, the spirit of this land meets me at my soul..and the invisible parts of me come alive. I question always, "who am I"? I am more than my job, my roles,my many personas. Everyone will see me through their own perception ..today, one of my elderly students,who was every bit of 70, was trying to converse in his broken English.(.the language here is Tamal..) he had come with his many aches and pains and very eager to learn a yoga practice..I was having a grand time with him when he stopped and looked at me, and in a curious way asked,"how old are you?75?. Yes, that's right,he thought I was 75!! I politely said no, I am only 57" to which he replied,"oh, you are so many lines",, my ego raised her diva pride and immediately I began making plans for botox treatments upon my return to the States..wow, nothing like a tired Indian man to think you are older than him!! I had to step back and just laugh at the full picture..everyone is going to see what they see..but come on,75?.. When did I get old?? I always see myself as 32? Oh ,o.k.45..but to stop and actually experience the possibility that I am getting older each day..that life is so impermanent..Yes,I am aging, and life is going to present new ways for me to be seen in the world..I ask that I stay willing to grow deeper and allow for the changes in my physical presence to move with grace and acceptance into wisdom. To be the wise elder and to appreciate the stories I have lived that have made the inside of me so rich. To nourish the beauty within is my work..and so I must remind myself not to be attached..even though I wanted to run to the spa!! Today,I want to appreciate the beauty in this land, see it through eyes that are clear..and remember, I am more than my labels, my identity, my outer accomplishments, my roles ,my imperfect skin...I am..Sat nam..just the light behind the face of all those many new wrinkles. This was not easy to feel, but so important to accept..life is always changing and so am I.
So at the end of life what really matters in not what we bought but what we built; not what we got but what we shared; not our competence but our character; and not our success,but our significance. Just live a life that matters. Live a life of love..( and every now and again..enjoy a good hair day!!)


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