I had the absolute blessing of visiting Denver over the weekend, a city that is quickly capturing my heart (along with a certain Denverite).
We visited Core Power Yoga for a session that my body seemed to not be having; the Denver elevation made for little sleep the night before and we had a busy day of sightseeing by way of bicycle. Nonetheless, I went in with an open heart and a determined mind. An hour of child's pose is better than no yoga at all.
I am once again convinced of the necessity to get on my mat, no matter how tired my body may be. The grounding and heartwarming strength delivered to my soul transcends any shortcomings of my physical body.
Our beautiful teacher, Stephanie, shared a deeply touching moment from her practice with the lovely Seane Corn. Seane encountered many unique individuals while working at an underground gay nightclub. A particular gentleman wearing nothing but chaps once told her, "I wish people could just look past my story and see my soul."
This story equally touched my heart, as I firmly believe our identity is not confined or defined by our story, our past or our circumstances. But the way this man shared a piece of his soul showed the very truth of the matter:
When you look at someone, see beyond their story and into their soul.
We are all guilty of making rash judgements upon first impressions (or second or third).
But what if the next time you see someone you know, or especially someone you do not know, take a moment to catch yourself in judgement.
Choose to see beyond their gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance, or ethnicity. Each of us has a series of stories that has led us to create the person we choose to be (or in certain cases wish we weren’t). Whatever the circumstances, whatever the story may be, our soul transcends who we are in human form.
So, what if we treated people as souls instead of stories? What if we looked beyond the physical to honor their presence as the Divine being they truly are?
Judgement is a natural tendency of the ego, but the key is to catch ourselves in this trap and choose a higher awareness.
Smile to the people you were normally scoff at. Open the door for someone who could use an extra hand. Send a warm meal to someone in need. Offer company to a lonely comrade.
If we extend our soul to impact another’s with kindness, warmth, generosity and love, surely these objects of human kindness will be reflected back to us.