THERE ARE MANY ROADS THAT LEAD TO ROME….MINE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE





THERE ARE MANY ROADS THAT LEAD TO ROME….MINE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE







Last week, as I reviewed the pictures I had taken of Sanjana’s (my daughter) dance performance, this particular one brought an ‘ A-Ha’ moment.

The two major epics from India have been close companions and guides for me since my childhood. I have learnt so much from these stories that have shaped me in so many ways. A more recent important influence in my life has been yoga (including meditative practices).

One of the narratives I have told myself is…. “I regret that Sanjana has little knowledge of the epics and no interest in yoga.” This regret has led to criticism.

But as I paid attention to this picture…a deeper truth dawned upon me…..

My desire to see her immersed in both these influences (of mine) were for three reasons:

1)   Because I wanted her to imbibe the wisdom and good practices;
2)   Because I wanted her to do something that I did (therefore endorsing me in turn); and
3)   Because I wanted us to share a common experience or two (this was my personal need for connection that I was grasping at)

As I broke these down, it became apparent that reasons #2 and #3 were self serving – Meeting my own needs for validation and connection.

And now onto #1…..my desire for her to learn from ancient wisdom and practices….

Her deep dive into the traditional dance form of ‘Bharathnatyam’ does in fact provide her this immersion into the wisdom and practices. The epics form the foundation of this dace form and the movements are in so many ways drawn from the same root as has Yoga. She was in fact learning the stories, values and practices all right….Just in a different way from how I had!

Yup, there are more ways to add up to 9 than just 5+4!!!

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