Steve is the leader of his voluntary weekend charity group, he is hyperactive as per definition but often his over-ambitious attitude is misunderstood by the group leading to internal conflicts. He came to the church this Sunday. After attending services at church my friends and I love to hang out at a cafeteria with punctured eggs and hot, refreshing cups of Americano. Fred, Donna, Megan, Aaliyah, Naomi and I sat around the table but Steve reached for the corner seat by the window and was constantly looking out, lost in himself. In the middle of our usual banter, I broke Steve’s silence by asking him, how come he was not rushing to his usual weekend projects by now? Steve looked at me with despair in his eyes. He said the weekend project was in an orphanage but it stands cancelled as his team betrayed him at the last moment. He said with anger pouring with every word, “Their pace is like the turtle as against mine.”
“Steve, hold on! May be they have other priorities. Don’t judge people,” said Donna. Steve was defensive and retorted aggressively, “Then why would they commit to be a part of the team.”
He was clearly in a state that needed our attention. He had lost hope in his team and in himself and they were reflecting the same dejection towards him. He has always been a leader from his childhood and had volunteered for a number of projects but it is not a happy place to be in I realized. I asked Naomi to step in, she is a life-coach and psychologist and knows about human behavior more than any of us.
We have all been there. Conflicts happen not just at work but in families too. Ego clashes are a commonplace in all relationships. So, how do we maintain the balance?
Naomi said, “Have you ever seen a pendulum oscillating.” We all uttered a yes in unison followed by chuckles. “So what’s the pendulum got to do with my problem here?” asked Steve irritably.
Naomi said, “Steve, the pendulum oscillates full swing to either side but ultimately it rests in its mean position. If the mean position shifts, its path will change and it will not serve its purpose. What I mean to say with this analogy is that, no matter how much passion you have for something always know to return to your mean position. When you are aligned with your intention you don’t get lost. You stick to your trajectory no matter what. The balancing power lies within you. If you know how to simmer your passion when needed you will never face the conflict of pace and purpose.”
We all were in deep thoughts as we heard Naomi. In our minds we were relating to our situations and this analogy of alignment befitted every one of us. We generally sway and get scattered forgetting to pause and take stock of ourselves and our ecology. We need ‘yoga’ which is nothing but alignment of mind, body and spirit. Yoga is a practice of mindfulness. With International Yoga Day coming we all must remind ourselves and others around us about the importance of stillness. Whenever we trip our scales, we will face resistance and inertia. We must know when it is time to step in, step out and step aside.
Steve was looking relaxed and we all thanked Naomi for this awesome reminder to all of us.
World Music Day,
June 21, 2017 
