A chat with a wise mute
By: Jay Ramalingam
Tags: Life Well Lived, Balance, Hatha Yoga, Practice, Perspective

Lily and Rita are twins. Lily is intellectually analytical and Rita is intuitively creative and they could not be more different from each other.

Balance (image credit)

It was a dark evening on a cold winter day. Lily was pissed about many things in life. She was overwhelmed and tired. She felt like she had been going around in circles except for moments of progress. She wanted some peace.

Lily wanted to talk through this situation with someone and unwind. And, she felt even more pissed when she found Rita totally carefree and happy. How could this mute be so happy?

Lily: “What are you so happy about?”

Rita: “mmm” and gestured happily.

Lily could understand Rita very well. She could understand Rita’s rich gestures and translated the response effortlessly to “I really need no reason to be happy. If I am not hungry, I am happy. La la la”.

Lily muttered to herself “this life is totally unfair”.

Lily: “Do you even understand that just last week Joe cheated us? I keep thinking about Joe and how to get back at him. I want to see the expression on his face when we get back at him. How could you not be angry after all that he did to us?”

Rita: “mmm” and gestured.

Lily understood Rita saying: “What is ‘last week’? I am feeling good about everything right now.”

Lily swore to herself “this mute does not yet understand yesterday or last week! And, I bet she does not know Joe from John.”

Lily: “Do you not at least worry that without the money that Joe took from us we will be in trouble in future?”

Rita: “mmm”

Even before Rita gestured, Lily could understand immediately that her question was pointless. Of course, Rita does not understand the concept of a future.

Lily could see Rita being happy not recognising Joe from John and not knowing the difference between yesterday and tomorrow. Rita seemed to be simply floating about serenely in her deeply blissful state.

Lily: “Do you even care Rita? I worry about who else might cheat us. Though we are healthy now, I worry about if we will lose our health or home. I worry about not being able to pay the electricity bill. I worry if John will like my dress and hairstyle. I worry if something will happen to John before we see him again. I worry that I worry a lot. Do you even care?”

Rita: “mmm mmm”

Lily understood Rita as saying, “yes I care Lily and I care deeply. It bothers me a lot that you worry so much. I feel that world is so rich and we are the world. I feel that there is food to eat when we are hungry. And, I am not hungry now and so I am happy. If there is a problem and we can do something about it we will do it, so no need to worry. If we cannot do something about a situation, worrying will not help either. So, no need to worry. Take a chill pill and relax!”

Lily felt a bit better and relaxed a bit. She thought we will deal with problems as they come. She knew that given Rita’s outlook, Lily will have to plan and execute on todo lists for both of them. Lily has to take care of things based on what has happened and what is yet to come. But, she felt quietly confident about her ability to deal with situations however life unfolds. She relaxed even more and felt a bit carefree. It was a strange and a good feeling.

By the way…

Lily and Rita are conjoined twins and will hopefully stay together till the end.

And, oh by the way, Lily is your left brain and Rita is your right brain!

We all need Lily and Rita working well together in a balanced way for a life well lived. Lily is usually the dominant, intellectual, problem solving, chattering part of us. Rita is the wise, creative, unconditionally happy but silent part of us. If only we learn to get Lily to quieten a bit whenever possible and allow wise Rita to express herself, our miraculous life will be fuller, lighter and brighter.

Hatha Yoga is a balancing practice for our physical, physiological and psychological aspects. You can balance your Lily and Rita with help of sessions on YogaSthita YouTube channel.

Inspired by

“My stroke of insight”, TED talk and book by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.