What stickers are you wearing?
On the first day of Acroyoga International Teacher Training in Bangkok, one of our teachers, Pascal, told us a story another acroyoga teacher had shared with him. The teacher was driving in his car and had become very frustrated because the car in from of him was in his way and moving very slowly. He continued in his car, thinking disgruntled thoughts and angry thoughts. Then as he pulled up right behind the vehicle, he noticed that there was a sticker on the car that said there was an elderly driver inside. Then suddenly his frustrations faded away and instead he felt some compassion. That was all it took. Just a sticker.
What did I take away from this story and why has it stuck with me for a few weeks now?
We often don’t notice the “stickers” other people are wearing
It is easy to treat everyone we meet with the same exceptions we hold for all people. But really, everyone is going through something completely unique and there is no way for us to know at first glance. This can be true for when we meet someone at an Acroyoga jam for the first time, or when we encounter an unfriendly taxi driver, or even in the work place when dealing with a grumpy colleague. We never know what stickers they might be wearing, and when we do, often our feelings towards that person will soften.Why don’t we take a moment to ask someone to show us their “stickers”?
Next time our colleague reacts snappy or rude, instead of responding with the same attitude maybe we change our approach. It doesn’t take a lot to stop for a moment to ask that person, “Hey, is everything ok?… Oh wow, I had no idea, thank you for sharing, and I am sorry you’re going through that. Would it help if we pushed that meeting back a few hours?” Or next time at an acroyoga jam, take a moment and ask your partner how they’re doing instead of just jumping straight into the standing Hand2Hand and just getting to know if he/she might be needing some healing therapeutics instead.Practice transparency
Next time, I am going through something and need others to treat me with some extra compassion, I hope I will be able to be transparent and let them know. This is easier said than done, of course. We might think it’s much easier to just go through the day and act like nothing is wrong because we don’t want to bother people with our issues but I truly think that if we can all practice more transparency, we’d be surprised at the results.
My hope is for all the people in my life to practice and experience more compassion, love, transparency, and connection. Especially since I encounter so many people on the yoga mat each day, I hope that I could be more understanding and considerate of where they all might be coming from. Each person is so unique, wearing their own batch of stickers, and I am grateful to be able to hold space for all people regardless of what they’re bringing with them.