Private: Insults and Expectations
It was about a year ago when Andrew said to me “We should start a podcast to talk about this stuff”. We were having a cup of chai at a local coffee shop – as we had been doing for several years – to talk about being on a spiritual path, Yoga, and whatever else was going on at the moment.
Let me rewind to February 2020 – all the world is operating at high-speed intervals while the universe is making some chess moves. I signed up for a 30-day membership to a new yoga studio to help meet my New Year’s goal to “do more yoga.” I saw Andrew’s name on the teacher's class and remembered having taken his class in a different gym sometime prior, so I signed up for it. I don’t remember much about the class itself, but I remember him walking in and saying something to the likes of “check your ego at the door; we are about to practice yoga.”
Chogyam Trungpa says, “The real function of the spiritual friend is to insult you.” Over the course of years of getting to know him, I often came back to that ego statement as the first time he insulted me. Trust me, there have been many times he’s insulted me. Before you think,” wow, Jen.. find better friends”, let’s be clear. Andrew was not insulting my yoga asanas, my yoga attire, my knowledge or abilities.. he was bluntly calling attention to the inner parts of my mind. The parts of a person that shows up to a yoga class and thinks, “I’m not flexible enough for this class,” and “I have to keep up with my neighbor,” or any of the thoughts that keep you distracted during a class. It was an invitation to explore yoga beyond the asanas.
That little insult opened my mind to wanting to pursue this path to understanding myself better. It was as if the Universe threw up a neon arrow sign that flashed in bold letters, “Jen- The path you seek is this way,” and Andrew was standing there holding a map. That is how we found ourselves in yoga studios, Zoom calls, parks, coffee shops, and now a podcast studio talking about the intricate and intimate details of being on a spiritual path.
I am confident that neither of us could have expected a friendship to form or the opportunity to hear our voices and stories being shared in a podcast, but that’s the beauty in living without expectations – it frees your mind from the distractions so you can clearly see the path.
Welcome to No Expectations the Podcast – Our purpose in sharing our stories, experiences, and knowledge is to help others walking on their own path. Think of Andrew and me standing under your own neon flashing sign. Wherever you find yourself on this journey, we invite you to listen and take what you need. Maybe we will make you laugh, maybe not… no expectations.
Jen
