Last night was the Academy Awards- a night full of glamour, gratitude and, let's face it- disappointments. For every winner, there are at least a handful of ridiculously talented people who do not win. Last night was no exception! If you didn't catch the show live and haven't seen the inter-webs yet today, I'll catch you up- The final prize of the night, Best Picture was awarded to La La Land... the whole cast and crew got up on stage, gave enormous amounts of thanks; tears were shed and smiles were shared... and then... the dreaded 'guy with the headset' appeared on stage. Uh oh. Something was wrong. Turns out the winner wasn't La La Land after all but the oscar belonged to Moonlight. Everyone was very gracious and handed their golden men over to the real winners, and we got to see a whole new set of speeches, an explanation from 'Clyde' and a slew of apologies from Jimmy Kimmel. Whoa. Talk about a hit to the gut. This year seems to be full of these sucker punches- Steve Harvey had a similar faux paux with the Miss America pageant, and the red and blue are still arguing over the legitimacy of our nations greatest race back in November. Disappointments and losses are a part of life. In fact for every win you have, you probably have at least double the amount of losses. The cast and crew of La La Land seemed to handle the situation with class, and grace. I would wager that this doesn't send them into the throws of despair, but rather inspires them to pursue their craft with more passion and dedication than ever before. To get to where they are, they have had to lose, big time. Or they will. It's inevitable. So HOW does one lose, over and over and NOT fall apart?
This is where the yoga comes in! Vairagya or Non-attachment to sensory objects, is a practice of directing your attention inward. Focusing inward, on your highest truth and inner light doesn't mean you give up your desires or wants of material things, let's be real, we aren't all monks living in caves- this is the real world. The key is to notice what happens when you LOSE those things or don't get what you want. If you become angry, frustrated or fall into a pit of despair, you may be attached to the external, and that my friend will cause you suffering. Vairagya is when we are ok, win or lose. We do not attach our worth or happiness to the things we acquire or status' we achieve. The idea is simple, but the practice can be a challenging one. As with the cast and crew of La La Land, if they were to attach themselves to being "Academy Award Winners" this could easily break them. But I'm willing to bet that isn't what drives them every day. The ego loves winning but that isn't what keeps you going when it gets hard. Your inner light, divinity, highest truth, God- whatever you like to call it- is much bigger than a statue. The world needs your talents, gifts and passion so share it and let go of the outcome. That's when you'll really win.