Not a joke :)
What does Scrooge, a spider and a Yogi have in common?
Connection. It’s about connection, which is Yoga. In other words, #itsallyoga.
I’ve always been fascinated by the work of spiders to build and maintain their webs, when I can observe from a safe distance, that is. It’s the abandoned webs that I don’t like (usually felt across my face as I unintentionally walk through its skeletal residue). Were these webs abandoned for their failure to serve, or did the failure to serve cause the demise of the spider herself?
I’ve heard it said that spiders build a new web every day. EVERY DAY?!? A spider knows relatively quickly if the web is working. How does the spider know if the web is working? Does it catch the day’s meals? Does it provide the safe-haven of protection? If it doesn’t, it’s NOT working. The spider’s life will be at risk.
I am grateful that my daily activities do NOT have the survival significance of a spider’s web. But the timely feedback would be helpful 🙂
A feedback loop is helpful for learning, especially when learning new skills. If the feedback comes quickly enough to change the course of action before it’s too late, its especially helpful. Think of Scrooge on the night before Christmas. Can Scrooge change his ways before causing his own after-life demise? Can the spider adapt her web before starvation or becoming prey to a larger beast?
How long does the spider wait to affirm or negate the effectiveness of her web?
I don’t know if a new web every day is true, but the analogy of building our web everyday, whether we’re talking spiders or the Scrooge, is a bit like the concept of karma.
We build our circumstances.
We build our relationships.
We build our story.
We build our life.
Every day; one day, one action, one breath at a time.
Michael Stone, yoga teacher and author (LWY Book Club title!), The Inner Tradition of Yoga, defines karma as volitional action, meaning willful or intentional. Karma operates in feedback loops, The present moment is shaped by both past and present actions. If you want more yoga philosophy study i your life, check out Guru Circle & Book Club or my signature 6-month program Yoga Living for learning and implementing the 10 habits of happiness and the 3-step strategy for inspired living.
What are you building?
