Good morning, beautiful people. This week’s Yoga Tool is Mudita, or unselfish joy in others’ lives, especially their successes.
Is that even possible?
Yes. Even though we’ve all experienced pangs of envy when someone gets the great new job, or a friend is ginger-ale fizzy about their relationship, or something you really want went to someone else. You may not have even known you wanted it until they got it.
But that envy isn’t real. Taking genuine interest in other people’s lives, and feeling true joy in their successes, comes naturally when we remember that we are all divine lights, and we all shine equally bright—not one more than another.
We can feel true joy in others’ successes when we remember that we’re all divine lights, and we all shine equally bright.
Mudita is the Yoga principle of unselfish joy for others. It’s a gentle reminder that we are all one. We may travel around in separate temples—our individual bodies—but our spirits, our inner lights, are all the same wattage. We all shine equally bright. We’re all connected. We’re all one.
When we remember that, we stop competing and comparing. We realize that we get to share joy, equally. You’ll experience success; she’ll experience success; he’ll hit some sort of life jackpot. And then we, or someone we know and care about, will lose something, and we’ll be there to remind each other that success and loss come and go. Nothing is permanent, except our divine lights, burning so brightly within, like north stars guiding us back to who we really are.
When my friend Francesco Clark had a catastrophic spinal cord injury after a diving accident, his body changed. He was standing and walking one day and in a wheelchair the next. His circumstances changed, rather drastically. But he, Francesco, his essential self, was unchanged. He was still the same sunny, beautiful person with the biggest grin I’ve ever seen, and because he was essentially unchanged, you get to see that grin a lot. The man lights up the world.
Our identities aren’t dependent on all that external, changeable stuff—job titles, relationship status on Facebook, bank account amounts, our physical states. You, the real, inner, beautiful you—that’s what is constant and eternal. Remembering that makes Mudita a natural response to someone’s success story.
I’m sharing in your success today, beautiful people. And you are a success, because you’re a divine light. Have a great day, and Om Shanti…