Hi everyone! It’s time once again for a message from your favorite yoga-dog, Tiki!

So, recently on my walks I started to encounter something that I’m not particularly fond of: a child. I’m sure he’s a very nice little boy and all, but whenever he would see me, he would come running after me like a little maniac trying to pet me. This always startled me - it wasn’t part of my normal routine, and frankly, I just found it terribly annoying. I started having my mommy walk me at different times to try to avoid the little guy, I tried walking different routes to avoid him, but the more energy I put into trying to avoid him, the more that kid would appear. Sure enough, he’d come running up to pet me, and I was so annoyed that all I could do was snarl and bark at him. This went on for a few days: I was spending all my free time thinking of ways to avoid him, and somehow he would always be there.

Finally, I remembered something I’d heard during yoga class about how everyone we encounter is really a teacher for us. This is especially true of those people we tend to find annoying – they are really just reflecting to us some part of ourselves that may need a little work. For me, I realized I needed to learn from this little boy how to relax and go with the flow, and maybe even get outside my usual routine and let him pet me. I learned that I can choose how I respond to any given situation, so I couldn’t blame him for my feeling snarly and annoyed. I was able to shift my perspective and choose a different response. Instead of being annoyed every time I saw the little boy, I looked at it as an opportunity for me to grow as a Chihuahua. And the funny thing was, when I settled down, stopped snarling and let the little boy pet me, it was actually really nice. It made him so happy, and it felt good to get my back scratched.

So this week if you start to feel really annoyed at that person who cuts you off in traffic or at your overly-demanding boss, remember that that person is there specifically for you to help you grow. Be grateful to them for the lesson they have for you. You might be surprised how much better you feel when you’re not just reacting to what’s going on around you, and you realize that you can consciously choose to view any situation as an opportunity. So if someone comes running up to you wanting to pet you and scratch your back, stop your snarling and just let them – it might even feel good!

Namaste,
Tiki