WEEK 36.1 (Sept 6-Sept 12) – I AM ROOTED BUT I FLOW

Navigating the Shock Waves: The Parable of the Second Arrow

After an explosion, there is often a shock wave that ripples out, touching people far from the blast. This is a powerful metaphor for how the impact of events can extend far beyond the initial moment of crisis. We might not be able to prevent the explosion itself, but we can learn to navigate the shock waves that follow.

In Buddhism, there’s a teaching about how we deal with suffering. It’s called the parable of the “Two Arrows.” The Buddhists say that whenever we face misfortune, two arrows are shot in our direction. The first arrow represents the actual bad event — a situation that causes real pain or difficulty. This first arrow is often unavoidable, something beyond our control. However, it’s the second arrow that makes all the difference.

The second arrow is our reaction to the first. It’s the mental and emotional suffering we create around the event. This suffering is optional. While the first arrow is the pain of the experience itself, the second arrow is how we respond to that experience — our fears, anxieties, judgments, and stories we tell ourselves.

Imagine walking through a forest. Suddenly, you’re struck by an arrow. This is a painful and unexpected event. But before you can even process the first hit, a second arrow is released. This arrow is your emotional reaction — perhaps it’s anger, frustration, or self-blame. But unlike the first arrow, you have a chance to dodge this one. The second arrow only strikes if you allow it.

The Buddha explained it simply:
“In life, we can’t always control the first arrow. However, the second arrow is our reaction to the first. The second arrow is optional.”

Avoiding the Second Arrow

So how do we avoid the second arrow? First, recognize when the first arrow has hit. Acknowledge the pain, frustration, or discomfort — whatever form it takes. Allow yourself to feel it without judgment. It could be emotional pain, like sadness or anger, or physical pain, like discomfort or tension. Just notice it.

Next, observe your emotional reaction — the impulse to lash out, to complain, or to blame yourself. This is the second arrow. It’s the narrative we create around our pain, the additional suffering we add to what is already there.

Once you see the second arrow coming, pause. Give yourself credit for recognizing it. In that moment of awareness, you are learning a new way of responding. You free up energy that would otherwise be spent in suffering and redirect it toward circumstances you can control. While you may not control what happens to you, you can always choose your response.

We encounter the second arrow many times throughout our day. This practice is not about denying our feelings or suppressing our initial reactions. It’s about recognizing that we have a choice in how we proceed. By becoming aware of this choice, and resisting the urge to fire endless second arrows at ourselves, we can gradually release ourselves from unnecessary suffering.

Remember, it’s not the first arrow that defines us, but how we choose to handle the second.

“The true essence of a yoga class is not found in what happens outside the body, but in the quiet transformations that unfold within. There comes a moment for everyone destined for greatness when they must face their own reflection and ask: What is holding me back? What barrier is keeping the seed of hope within my heart from blossoming into the full bloom of my potential? Tonight, let your mat be your mirror — a place to reflect, to see not just who you are, but who you are becoming.” – David Scott

“I am rooted, yet I flow. I am grounded, yet I bend long before I break. My depths are vast, but my worries are light. My dreams and hopes know no bounds, yet I find contentment exactly where I stand today. What I possess holds little meaning; in needing so little, I find the freedom and lightness to journey further. I am not driven by the desire to arrive, for it is along the path that I discover my passions and learn the truth of who I am. I hold the courage of a lion, the vision and intuition of an eagle, and the gentleness of the Buddha. I am a yogi.”– David Scott

“Sometimes it’s not strength but gentleness that cracks the hardest shells.” Richard Paul Evans

Life is a balance of holding and letting go.

The ones most grounded reach the highest.

“The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.”- Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die

“When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval.” – Epictetus

“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” –Dalai Lama

“When you seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.”

“Our greatest strength lies in the gentleness and tenderness of our heart.” Rumi

“When you feel that second arrow triggering anger, learn to take a breath before you respond. A moment of patience during a moment of anger can save you hundreds of moments of regret.”

“Can you look without the voice in your head commenting, drawing conclusions, comparing or trying to figure something out?” – Eckart Tolle

“Forget injuries, but never forget kindnesses.” -Confucius

“Life gives us whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of our consciousness.” – David Scott

“Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.” ~ Alan Cohen

Practice and all is coming… “Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.” – Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois

“Yoga is a dance between control and surrender – between pushing and letting go – and when to push and to let go becomes part of the creative process, part of the open-ended exploration of your well-being.” –Joel Kramer

Find moderation in all you do… “The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long” – Lao Tzu, Te Tao Ching

“Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness.” – Edward Smith-Stanley

“Think of the self-love you are giving yourself in your yoga practice tonight, as a medicine for healing the earth.” – David Scott

“Before you heal someone, ask him if he’s willing to give up the things that make him sick.” – Hippocrates

“You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.” – Navajo

“The greatest wealth is health. We tend to feel our illnesses, but we seldom feel or appreciate our health.”- David Scott

“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.” – Arabian Proverb

“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” – Buddha

“Place your hands into soil to feel grounded. Wade in water to feel emotionally healed. Fill your lungs with fresh air to feel mentally clear. Raise your face to the heat of the sun and connect with that fire to feel your own immense power.” -Victoria Erickson

Yoga teaches us to create a life that feels good on the inside and not just the outside.

“Everyone says love hurts, but that is not true. Loneliness hurts. Rejection hurts. Losing someone hurts. Envy hurts. Everyone gets these things confused with love, but in reality love is the only thing in this world that covers up all pain and makes someone feel wonderful again. Love is the only thing in this world that does not hurt.” – Liam Neeson

“Love is when you look in someone’s eyes and see everything you need.”

“To love is just a choice… We either choose love or choose fear but we can not serve two masters. The cost of not following your heart is spending the rest of your life wishing you had.” – David Scott

“Yoga is about clearing away whatever is in us that prevents our living in the most full and whole way. With yoga, we become aware of how and where we are restricted — in body, mind, and heart — and how gradually to open and release these blockages. As these blockages are cleared, our energy is freed. We start to feel more harmonious, more at one with ourselves. Our lives begin to flow — or we begin to flow more in our lives.” – Cybele Tomlinson

“May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being, may you walk gently through the world and know it’s beauty all the days of your life.” – Apache Blessing