It was a Friday evening and I was flying back home. I boarded the flight early and suddenly got into an activity of watching facial expression of each person boarding after me, just for fun. After a while it struck me that over 100+ faces that I watched, something was missing and something was always present.
Almost all faces carried a similar pose, yes I mean POSE, expressing tiredness, strain, and dull eyes. And not a single SMILE !!
As soon as one found his or her seat, instantly started frantic engagement with their phones.
Sample of today’s life!! Do we need to look beyond this visual to understand stress we go through in life?! It pained deeply.
Yes life is demanding for sure. Yet is this POSE called stress so real and is it justified?
I call it POSE because it is not natural in us. We hold on to it and don’t want to let go.
Stress is a mere habit of the mind that we hold dear despite the suffering.
Solution is simple. Yoga says move from POSE to POSTURE (asana in the mind ). Slacken the effort to hold on to the POSE, it becomes POSTURE which is natural.
SMILE on a face is POSTURE for we let go of strain etc. Is it so difficult?
What are we waiting for? Break the habit, drop the POSE, and relish the joy of POSTURE.
Drop the pose – be in posture – let poise be your nature
Thank you. Excellent observation. As a frequently traveler myself, I have noticed very often in the airports and in the plane all of our heads are immersed on that few inches screen. Even though there is a family which are travelling together, four of them will be four different devices, rarely observe/communicate with each other. It has become habit. It is said Habit is the second nature. They think it is natural. Information that is gleaned out of their smart devices might create stress and also the very fact eyes have to continuously look at that small screen there is that physical fatigue and strain. They do that for hours and hours. Since the smartphone is also used to communicate by using WhatsApp, Messenger etc…. there is that anticipation of receiving response to a message that is sent out. This chain has to be broken. Our Sadhakas might set an example by not engrossing unnecessarily on their smartphone. Only use when it is necessary thereby set an example for rest of the family members and community in general.
Very well explained about the natural stressful face we seen everywhere … In one word its life less. Yes a beautiful n natural smile begins the new life …..