Day 40
Day 40 Is Here!
Round 1 of the the 40 days may be over, but the practice isn’t. Keep on moving. We have 7 more days for the people who finished these 40, and 7 more for those of you who are finishing yours. Even if you are complete with your 40 days, keep practicing with us this week.
Check out Ryan’s story and make sure to make it through to the end because we have exciting announcements for you.
A Case of Mistaken Identity or A Lion’s Roar
(Ryan’s version of a Vedantic tale shared by Vivekananda, Osho and other teachers)
“Baaaa Baaaa!” Bleated the lion.
Yes, you read it correctly. There once was a lion who thought he was a sheep…
Nothing against sheep, but I wonder why do we often follow the flock agreeing with everyone else, when we know things are not the way they should be? Why do we give up our power to make decisions and go along with the crowd? Why do we bleat at injustice, hate, ignorance when we really should be roaring?
Having lost his mother at birth. The lion cub grew up by accident amongst the sheep grazing and bleating like them. He always felt that he was different, but accepted that he was one of the sheep. The young lion-sheep grew up to be big and strong, but continued to follow along with the others, eating grass, walking and bleating like the rest of the flock. His life was comfortable, but rather dull, lifeless and boring. But he knew in his lion heart that something was missing.
One day an old lion came from the wild jungle to the tame pasture. All the terrified sheep ran to hide. The old lion was astounded to see the what looked like a lion with the sheep. The lion-sheep run away and hide behind the barn!
“Why are you running from me?” The old lion asked.
“Baaa bad man. Leave us bbbbbe!” Bleated the the lion-sheep.
The old lion looked and listened with amazement.
“Come with me.” He said as he dragged the young lion-sheep to the lake.
The lion-sheep wailed and wept all the way to the lake. Once they arrived at the lake the old lion encouraged the lion-sheep to look into the water.
When he saw his reflection he suddenly roared like a lion! The old lion said, maybe you should “go to your kingdom in the forest and enjoy the rest of your life. We are Kings. I am just like you and you are just like me.” In that moment the bleating was gone and the lion remained. The old lion went on his way.
The young lion walked confidently and humbly, but not sheepishly back to the flock to give thanks, he told his family of sheep that he would watch over them from the forest, and told them that he chose to be wild and free.
He had realized who he was and lived happily ever after in the forest, in his kingdom.
Don’t forget who you really are. We are born with infinite potential. We have the power of Creator in our heart. Roar!
Osho says:
Daily Angel Oracle Card: Conditioning, from the Osho Zen Tarot, By Osho:
This card recalls an old Zen story, about a lion who was brought up by sheep and who thought he was a sheep until an old lion captured him and took him to a pond, where he showed him his own reflection. Many of us are like this lion – the image we have of ourselves comes not from our own direct experience but from the opinions of others. A “personality” imposed from the outside replaces the individuality that could have grown from within. We become just another sheep in the herd, unable to move freely and unconscious of our own true identity.
It is time to take a look at your own reflection in the pond, and make a move to break out of whatever you have been conditioned by others to believe about yourself. Dance, run, jog, do gibberish – whatever is needed to wake up the sleeping lion within. Unless you drop your personality you will not be able to find your individuality. Individuality is given by existence; personality is imposed by the society. Personality is social convenience.
Society cannot tolerate individuality, because individuality will not follow like a sheep. Individuality has the quality of the lion; the lion moves alone. The sheep are always in the crowd, hoping that being in the crowd will feel cozy. Being in the crowd one feels more protected, secure. If somebody attacks, there is every possibility in a crowd to save yourself. But alone? only the lions move alone.
And every one of you is born a lion, but the society goes on conditioning you, programming your mind as a sheep. It gives you a personality, a cozy personality, nice, very convenient, very obedient. Society wants slaves, not people who are absolutely dedicated to freedom. Society wants slaves because all the vested interests want obedience.
People who have been in search of truth have always gone in aloneness. And people who want to find the meaning of life have always gone into themselves, where nobody else can enter.
Aloneness outside, aloneness inside – and you have come to a point where you can roar like a lion. Of course, millions of sheep are going to be annoyed with you because they cannot roar like a lion, and they cannot soar like an eagle. They have been told just to believe in the crowd in which they have accidentally been born. A person who remains part of a crowd never attains his true individuality. He remains fake.
You have heard the expression which exists in almost all languages: a sheep hiding itself in a lion’s skin. These kinds of sayings are not out of the wisdom of centuries, they are out of the ignorance of centuries. I would like to put the proverb right: the truth is that you are a lion forced to live in the skin of a sheep.
And there is no need, and there is no place where you have to knock to find the blessed one. Yes, there is a space where the blessed one is already waiting for you, and it is within you. Neither Jesus nor anybody else can lead you there, only you. If you revolt from being a sheep and gather courage to roar like a lion and to move like a lion, you will be the blessed one.
Like the ocean is your god-self;
It remains for ever undefiled.
DAY 40!
Thank you, each and every one of you, for showing up and practicing. We were astounded to have over 700 movers from around the globe join us for the 40 Days of Practice.
We'd like to celebrate and commemorate our time together by giving back to our community.
We have created a limited edition 40 Days of Practice Tank, and will be donating 40% of proceeds to Downtown Eastside Women’s Center here in Vancouver, BC.
40 Day Pass Extension:
As a 40 day participant, regardless of when you joined, y’all have access to classes until February 16th.
Having trouble booking classes past February 9th?
Open a web browser, and log-in to Mindbody
Click the link below, which will take you to a sale confirmation page
Click check out, and place order and you will activate your pass extension. *note: your cart total should be for $0!
Please reach out to vancouver@oneyoga.ca if you have any trouble with this process.
THE DIGITAL STUDIO CLASS SCHEDULE
Today, Tuesday February 9th
7-8am PST Karma Vinyasa with Blanca Moreno
4-6pm PST Wrap Up Round 1!!
with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau + Ryan Leier
Tomorrow, Wednesday February 10th
8-9am PST Vinyasa with Kiyah Leier-Marshall
4-5pm PST Vinyasa with Vanessa Bourget
6-7:15pm PST Vinyasa with Risto Duggan