Vegas (Par Deux)

First of all let me start this post with a disclaimer for anyone that really loves Las Vegas, I will respect that you like that kind of stuff if you respect that I like to hang out in headstand. Deal? Ok then.

As I stated before Las Vegas was a strange land for me because most of what they promote is not my cup of green tea. And to be honest because of the time restriction with the wedding and all, I didn’t get a chance to see the other side of Las Vegas, the beauty of nature outside of the city that everyone talks about.

But what I did see brought to mind a verse from The Yoga Sutras, a book of verses written in the ancient language of Sanskrit approximately 2000 years ago by Master Pantajali, “yogash chitta vritti nirodha”. The English translation is “Yoga is the individual discipline that leads to the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.” And what that means is stopping how the mind turns things around, thinking that our happiness comes from outside of us when in fact it comes from within us.

We can have fun and be entertained by spending money, buying new clothes and going to strange lands, but when the money runs out and the clothes get old, then what happens then? We spend more money, buy more clothes and go to more strange lands. See the cycle happening here. Stop for a moment and look inside, remember the last time you did an anonymous good deed for someone and how good it made you feel (please don’t say you don’t remember the last time). That’s what I am talking about, that is where lasting happiness comes from. If you want to be happy, you first have to help someone else become happy. Simple, but it takes some rewiring of the brain because that is not how we all think.

Here is an experiment if you are up to it and try it for a day or so, don’t buy anything that you really don’t need but go out of your way to help others, try another way to bring happiness into your life. I know, I know it sounds really weird and it did to me too when I first tried it. Think of it has taking a gamble, playing the odds; laying down a bet, going by the seat of your pants or any other gambling term they use in Vegas (I googled them). Bet it all that is just might work….and just breathe.