I hope you and yours are healthy and well! I've been on a road for a few weeks, traveling with my family in our RV. When I travel, I always try to film a video or teach a class outdoors, but because nature is unpredictable, it can be very tricky to film outside.
Last weekend, when my friend Linda was visiting us in Sedona, we went for a hike at Bell Rock. The landscape was so beautiful that we were inspired to go back on a weekday when there were fewer hikers, so we could film a YouTube video. On Monday morning we woke up early, packed all the gear into the truck and got on the road by 6:00 a.m. so we could beat the hikers and the strong sunlight. After a 30 minute drive, we arrived at Bell Rock, paid for parking, unpacked the gear, and began to hike up.
Under normal circumstances, hiking in Sedona is a good workout. Hiking while carrying a yoga mat, tripod, and camera gear, is a totally different story, but we didn't mind one bit. We were all in so we could shoot a beautiful video with the the red mountains in the background.
We arrived at our pre-selected spot, set up the camera, tripod, and microphone. We rolled out the yoga mat and I took my spot, and then we realized the angle of the sun was not what we expected. It was shining in my eyes and I couldn't help but squint my eyes until they were nearly shut.
I started to have a sinking feeling that we weren't going to be able to shoot this video. Having the sun in my eyes would be really distracting and I wouldn't be able to focus well enough to teach a good practice. We looked around for another suitable spot and tested a few options, but after about 20 minutes we realized we were going to have to abandon the project. We reluctantly packed up all the gear and began to hike back down.
The yogic concept of vairagya, non-attachment, teaches us that very day, in every aspect of life, we must try our best, but not be attached to the outcome of our work. There are always factors outside our control.
Years ago, this same experience would have played out very differently. I might have been angry about the time wasted. I might have berated myself for not foreseeing the risks involved. I might have spent the rest of the day kicking myself for planning such a ridiculous, far-fetched video shoot. But none of those reactions would have brought any benefit.
My understanding of vairagya helped me focus on enjoying the adventure with my good friend. It helped me appreciate my willingness to take a risk. And it helped me let go of expectations and disappointment so that I could focus my mind on the next tasks of my day.
This is the value of vairagya - doing your best and being ready to do your best again, regardless of the outcome.
I hope you have a great week,
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