Sometimes, I'm the asshole
Updated: Feb 14, 2022
“If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole.”
Quote by Raylan Givens from the tv show “Justified”
One of my favorite quotes, and also an opportunity to PAUSE and check it, and maybe even check yourself!
Full disclosure: I’ve never watched a single episode of the show “Justified” and am not even completely sure how this amazing quote found me!
And it’s become an integral piece of my personal practice of svadhyaya!
Backing up: Svadhyaya!!
One of the ethical components of the 8-limbed Yoga practice.
Backing up just a tiny bit more: Yoga is wayyyyy more than just asana (the poses, or shapes, we take on the mat).
Yoga history is riddled with controversy, abuse, and all of the -isms. AND when we separate the teacher from the teachings, we find a complex, and thorough system to guide our life’s direction(s).
One could spend lifetime(s) studying all the intricacies just one aspect of this system, and this blog is just a small taste of the richness that is available.
So those 8-limbs of Yoga, super briefly:
Yamas - restraints
Niyamas - rituals
Pranayama – breath
Asana - physical postures
Pratyahara - sense withdrawal
Dharana - active focus
Dhyana - ease of focus
Samadhi - total absorption
Note: Asana isn’t the first, or even the last branch. It’s hidden delightfully in the middle - and according the psychological research the most likely to be forgotten. :)
Instead, the foundation of Classical Patanjali inspired Yoga is a set of moral obligations, or jewels as author Deborah Adele describes them.
Briefly, as nothing exists in a vacuum, I’ve listed the 5 Yamas, followed by the 5 Niyamas. Each deserves it’s own reflection, and maybe one day I’ll write it all down. (hopefully no one is tallying the topics I promise to cover one day)
Ahimsa - nonviolence
Satya - truthfulness
Asteya - non stealing
Brahmacharya - honoring on one’s energy (often translated to sexual energy, and I've also heard that it applies for all energetic exchanges)
Aparigraha - non hoarding
Saucha - cleanliness
Santosha - contentment
Tapas - self-discipline
Svadhyaya - self-study
Ishvara Pranidhana - surrender
Where the first 5 Yamas are concerned with relationships with others, the 5 Niyamas move to an internal focus. I love referring to the as rituals because none of these are an “one and done”. They require commitment, and ritual inspires reverence. <heart eyes>
Svadhyaya falls under the second limb: Niyamas, RITUALS!!
Note: describing them as rituals is something I’ve recently shifted into. Niyamas are often called observances.
Self-study….UGH and also YAY! I like to think about this part a little bit like the Sour Patch Kids, sometimes it’s sweet to dive deep into your soul and discover new/hidden things about yourself, and often it’s SOUR to dig around in the muck.
“If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole.”
So what does Svadhyaya have to do with this quote about assholes?
Glad you asked!!
It’s become a part of my self-check monitoring system. It’s an opportunity to check myself, and my story.
If it’s just one asshole, one not-so-awesome moment, or happenstance, then my work becomes releasing that energy back to them. Chances are the one asshole is hurting, healing, or hiding. That one not-so-awesome moment was purely random, or that happenstance isn’t such a big deal. Breathe IN, Breathe OUT….let it goooo, let it be.