The Pink Tree

A few weeks ago, a tree started blooming a few blocks away with these beautiful pink flowers. Every branch covered and bursting with color. I walk my dogs by it all the time - always slowing down to admire the "Pink Tree" as I call it.

Then last week, something happened. I got glasses. On the next walk, we headed to the Pink Tree and I saw clearly, for the first time, that the tree was actually covered with little orange and white flowers. Without my glasses, the colors blurred to make pink. With them, they stayed separate as orange and white. So was my beloved Pink Tree not pink at all?!?!

This got me thinking about perspective. Was I "wrong" in thinking the tree held pink flowers? No. It is what I saw, it is what I experienced. How could that be "wrong"? Yet, I also got lucky enough to experience an additional point of view on this tree - one that people with better eyesight saw. What an amazing situation to be in - to be able to remove my glasses to see one thing, then put them on to see something completely different. Neither one is wrong or right. Both are just my body taking in the surrounding information and using whatever tools it has at that moment to process it into something understandable. Some of you may be saying "but if the flowers are orange and white, then your observation of pink is incorrect". I disagree. Who says they are orange and white? Some computer reading in reflections of the sun and thus spitting out a numerical hue? How is that more valid than my own experience? If I had never gotten glasses, and those pink flowers are all I could see, then pink flowers were my reality. Why would someone else's point of view invalidate mine? Why do we feel this need to constantly be "right" or "wrong"? Why is is so hard for people to understand everything in this world is subjective? There may be a point of view opposite of yours yet just as valid since it is a reality for someone else - like your point of view is a reality for you.

This world would be a much more peaceful place if people had the courage to try to understand additional points of view, rather than immediately dismiss them because they are "wrong". To step outside their own experiences and try to see it from someone else's. The line between Right and Wrong blurs quickly when you can truly immerse yourself in someone else's reality for a moment. Suddenly you can see maybe there are multiple Rights to every situation. Next time you find yourself getting defensive and supporting your own point of view, try to step back a moment to see where your opponent is coming from. Not just their argument, but also what tools they have at their disposal, what life lessons they have under their belt to bring them to their conclusion. You'll be amazed at what you find.

Observation

Last night was the first class of yoga teacher training! First off, it was amazing to meet the people I have only known thus far online. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone better and learning from them. To have a room full of people as passionate as you are about a certain way of life is an unbelievable feeling of acceptance.

We learned a lot in those first 4 hours, but the biggest lesson that stands out is Observation. When most people think of a teacher - whether in a classroom or yoga studio - they think of someone who lectures, directs, takes control. Someone who leads. But a good teacher's role is opposite. To be a successful teacher, 90% of it is just observing. Listening. Watching. Sensing. Being so in tune with each individual student that you can deliver to them exactly what they need in a package they recognize.

Everyone has knowledge to share. Everyone has the capability to be a teacher to someone at some point every single day. But whether or not the student benefits from your knowledge is in how you deliver it. You need to sense what that student needs in that moment in order to get that lightbulb to go off in their head. To doso, you need to watch how that student approaches things themselves and mirror their own actions. Maybe someone is a visual learner whereas someone else seems to make the leap from metaphors. Maybe someone learns more while pushing themself whereas someone else is scared to move beyond that comfort zone. Maybe someone encourages debate whereas someone else gets defensive. To connect with someone, you must talk their language if you want them to respond. Teaching isn't about the knowledge you have, its about how well you can get it across.

The good news is, this intense observation is something that you can learn and cultivate. We did an exercise in class that I had done once before in a meditation class. I encourage everyone to give it a try and see just how observant you are.

Place a raisin in your mouth and close your eyes. Now just observe.
Where did you place it in your mouth? What shape is it? Can you feel the ridges? Can you feel where it is touching your tongue? Your cheek? Your teeth? What was your first instinct when you placed the raisin in your mouth? Did you act on this instinct or resist? Take a bite of the raisin. Which teeth did you use? Did you bite all of the way through or just a little bit? What feelings arose once you tasted it? How did your body react physically? Was there more saliva? Was it harder to resist just finishing it off was the flavor was released? Can you feel how many separate pieces there now are?

Just taking 5 minutes a day to really observe a situation as "insignificant" as eating a raisin (or getting into your car, or turning off your alarm, or taking a shower) gives you a glimpse of how many things happen that our brain never alert us to. We are missing out on all of this amazing intel about ourselves because we go into auto-pilot. By taking control of our observations, we can learn more about ourselves and can, in turn, more readily help others.

Here's a few to quick start your observational journey. What do you see?