What an amazing day! I attended a workshop... pardon me, a Joyshop... with Nithya Shanti, a Buddhist teacher, and spent the day being filled with all sorts of wonderful ideas and concepts of how each of us can instantly make our lives better, or at least accept that our lives are good just as they are.
I went to this by myself, which is - first and foremost - quite out of character for me. There were about 20 people who gathered in the very beautiful home of a lady named Sandra, who was extremely generous with her hospitality. We removed our shoes and left them outside the doorway of a very large, empty bedroom and sat on the floor, some on pillows or blankets, others just on the floor. "Please leave shoes and egos outside the room" Nithya told us. Throughout the course of the day, we became friends with the others in the group, we explored some of the things that were causing us pain or unhappiness, we heard stories and anecdotes, we encouraged and praised one another... and I never felt that anyone was being fake or unreal about the things they were saying. It was a very uplifting experience to be accepted by people whom I had never met. And at the same time, it was uplifting for me to not allow myself to judge or hold preconceptions about any of them.
One exercise we did was a greeting. We paired off with people and had to look them in the eyes for at least 5 seconds. Now, if any of you remember from a previous post, I am a shy person (despite what some of my friends will try to convince you). I tend to get intimidated easily when it comes to close personal contact. When I get nervous, I have a hard time looking people in the eye. The idea of this exercise was not very comforting to me. However, Nithya gave us a greeting: "The highest in me bows to the highest in you. May today be the happiest day of your life." And the response: "And so it is." I forced myself to look straight in the eyes of those I spoke with. I said the words with great conviction and I truly believed that I respected that person with such high regard that I was willing to (figuratively) bow to them. I spoke slowly and clearly, and after the response came, I gave them a compliment. I never realized how cool eye color can be! One man had icy blue eyes. A woman had very deep, dark brown eyes. Another had light greenish-hazel eyes. One woman told me my eyes reminded her of the color of a rich coffee. No one has ever told me that before! One woman had a family emergency of some kind that was bothering her, so I wished her and her family the best of luck. Another had a cold, so I wished her well soon. This was such a simple thing to do, and yet it brought all of us remarkably closer in a matter of minutes. It was quite intimate, and very cool.
So, the first lesson: When you're speaking with someone, even if you don't particularly like them, look them in the eye. Speak kindness with conviction and respect. Act in this manner to others, and others will more likely act in this manner to you. Namaste :)
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