Respect

Hello Friends!

I was talking with one of my teachers, and relaying a story a yoga teacher once told during a class, and my reaction to it. Her immediate reaction was, "You HAVE to write about that in your next newsletter!!!"

So here you go: I was in a class with a yoga teacher we'll call "Bob". Bob was telling us how he was in a public restroom and before he washed his hands, he turned the knob on the paper towel dispenser so he didn't have to touch it after washing his hands. (He was preaching to the choir so far, because I do the same thing.)

Bob commences washing his hands, splashing his face, whatever... While he's taking care of business, he notices the guy next to him is done washing his hands and is shaking the water off his hands, wiping the water off his hands, and repeating. Bob finally figures out that this gentleman saw Bob get his paper towel ready and was WAITING for Bob to finish so that he could dry his own hands.

Bob then pauses for dramatic effect, and says theatrically, "Now THAT is respect." Pardon me, for being so contrary, but the first thing that popped into my mind was, "Sorry, Bob, RESPECT would have been you telling the poor man to take the towel and THANKING him for noticing and waiting so politely without rushing you."

The lesson here is that we all get very self-centric, and think that WE are the ones due respect. (Check this out next time you're in traffic and get angry when someone won't let you merge, yet you find yourself behaving the same way when you're in a hurry.) We forget that everyone is due common courtesy and respect and the best way to engender respect is to be respectful and behave in ways worthy of respect. Given that we aren't (well, I'll speak for myself!) all perfect, I hope that when we realize that we have not behaved in a way that is worthy of our fellow humans and their respect, that we acknowledge it, and apologize-- if not to them, at least in our own hearts.

Respectfully, :)

Liz Doyle
www.LizDoyleYoga.com
lizdoyle@msn.com
206.660.2321