Hakuna Matata, metaphorically speaking

The first Broadway show I took my children to see was the “Lion King”. Because they had seen the movie version, and they knew all the music, I thought that it would be much easier for them to sit through the theatrical production. We went to New York with our dearest friends, and bookending the children in between us, we were prepared for any eventuality of meltdown behavior. What happened was amazing! Our children, at the time 6 and 4, were mesmerized by the show. The sang along to “Hakuna Matata”, and they waived their toy Pumbas and Timons over their heads…like lighters at a rock concert. All in all, it was an extraordinary first Broadway for them.

One confusing thing that did happen was not to my children, but rather, to me. In the beginning of the 2nd act, trapeze artists were cavorting, twirling and swinging above the heads of the actors playing Simba and Nala. Lush green “stage” vines came from the ceiling and the acrobats flew through the airs on them, always in pairs. It simply didn’t fit with what I knew of the story. So, loudly whispering (despite my reminding my children to be quiet in the theater) to my friend, Debra, I said, “I don’t get it ! What are they doing ?”. Deb whispered back, just as loudly, “Love is in the air ! It’s a METAPHOR !” I’m sure we were on the receiving end up some ugly glances from the people behind us, but I was so shocked that I “missed” what was, quite literally, flying over my head.

How often in life do we miss something that’s right in front of our faces ? How many times does a deeper meaning just pass right over us ? How often do we simply not notice the details of other peoples’ lives ? How many times do we skip right over a person’s response, when we say “How are you ?” In Yoga, we choose to look deeper into life; in body, mind & spirit. We make a conscious effort to look beyond the surface meanings of an action, and move into the next level. We attempt to work through physical asanas, as we find the next layer of ourselves hidden beneath. In short, we’re looking for the metaphors in our lives. We hope and choose to discover what each symbol in our life choices has made for us, and looking back, we can reflect on the trail of breadcrumbs, metaphorically speaking, we have left behind. As we gain insight into our own understanding of ourselves, why we are the way we are, and who we could be, we can also grow in our understanding of others, especially those most dear to us. As we practice “Lion Pose”, we are called to look inward, as we release tension outwardly. This juxtaposition of gazing inward, and exhaling out, helps us to gain insight into our body/mind connection.

That isn’t to say that every comment a loved one makes is on multiple levels. Nothing annoys my husband and teenage son more than when I say “But, how do you REALLY feel ?”, when asking them about how an activity, a day or a game went. I understand that, at times, I do tend to look under rocks where there aren’t any. That is to say “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”, and sometimes “It was fine” is an appropriate answer. So, while digging under the surface is good, at the end of the day, we just have to remember Hakuna Matata…no worries….and open our eyes to see what we are meant to see. But, it's always good to look up and notice if love is in the air.

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it. " ~ Rafiki, from "The Lion King"