Raquel's Journey: Yoga and The Art Of Living Peacefully

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

No matter how long you practice Yoga, meditation, Pranayama, or how many Sun Salutations you perform in the morning, it is still possible to encounter a difficult person in traffic, work, school and anywhere else. Why someone would choose to be difficult, every day, is a mystery to most of us.

So, let's look at some ideas for peaceful co-existence. In this life, you are guaranteed to encounter good people and not so good people. Some people may not like the way we look, talk, walk, or something else, but it is our reaction to being disliked, which takes a toll on us.

Let's face it; most of us want to loved by everyone. Yet, can you name a person who is loved by everyone? When you think deeply on this point, you will notice that some of the most peaceful people, who ever lived on this planet, were executed or assassinated. If you could talk to the executioners, and assassins, they would justify their actions.

Think of all the wars, genocide, witch hunts, and pogroms of the past. There is a common thread to all of it. Oppressors are always intolerant and self-righteous. With that said, intolerance and self-righteousness are very big problems, but they seem to start innocently.

How often have we felt we were better than someone else because of religion, race, gender, monetary status, ethnic origin, education, intelligence, or something else? Do we waste time by talking about other people to make ourselves feel better?

Even within circles of Yoga, some will make distinctions, in the quest for superiority. On the surface, it seems innocent enough, but a lit match can become a forest fire, under the right circumstances. A Yogi, or Yogini, should never be self-righteous or intolerant.

Is a vegetarian a better person, than someone else, because he or she is making an ethical decision not to eat meat? There are a few vegetarians who try very hard to make meat eaters miserable, and there are meat eaters who do the same to vegetarians. Neither group is right to alienate the other.

A Yoga student, who eats meat, drinks coffee, and eats doughnuts, is not a "bad Yogi," but he or she knows wiser dietary choices could be made. In time, Yoga practice will cause anyone to make wise, or moderate, choices in all phases of life.

If you practice Yoga regularly, you are a public representative of Yoga. Knowing this, you can help people, but do not criticize them, if they make unwise decisions. I once heard a Yoga teacher say: "Only a stupid person would refuse to take responsibility for his or her health."

Let's re-phrase that just a bit to: "Taking responsibility for your health is a sign of wisdom." Our power to influence the world around us is rooted in our example and the temperament of our message. We should always be kind, tolerant, and righteous, but we should never be self-righteous.

To practice non-judgment is difficult at all times. We should be especially careful to practice non-judgment when we look at ourselves.