Is it blasphemous to compare His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Stan, my cardio dance instructor?
When I was making the two-hour trek home after seeing the Dalai Lama speak several weeks ago, I was filled to the brim with happiness. I couldn’t wipe the goofy smile off my face. Every so often I’d find myself chuckling as I remembered the witty tidbits of spiritual wisdom he had shared, that ever-present twinkle in his eye underscoring the message.
At some point during the drive it occurred to me: “This is how I feel in Stan’s class.” Transcending the chuckle, I burst out laughing at the comparison. What could the demure, red robed, bespectacled leader of Tibetan Buddhism possibly have in common with the big, buff fitness guru at my gym?
The first time I went to Stan’s Friday morning cardio dance class close to two years ago, he was talking about a baby that had been born the day before. I assumed Stan was the father. His muscled physique and the jaunty tilt of his baseball cap gave him a youthful air that I didn’t question.
I was about to give him a hard time for coming to teach so soon after his baby was born. Then it became clear that he wasn’t the father, but the grandfather. Huh? OK, so when he took his hat off there was no hair underneath. But that’s a look for young guys too these days, isn’t it?
Before I could give it any more thought, the class began. Stan’s broad smile lit up his face and the entire room along with it. He seemed to be infused with the music as he led the first steps that would nudge our heart rates up progressively over the next hour.
Music transforms Stan. Before class, he appears to be soft-spoken–a big man with a quiet voice. Most of us are still half asleep when we shuffle in, and Stan lets us wake up gently.
The instant the playlist starts, however, something kicks in that electrifies the man’s presence. The huge smile triggers upturned lines around his eyes, the mark of a lot of laughing over the years. He twitches his head to the beat while the rest of his body parts move in disparate directions. It’s hard work to follow his moves, so much so that you don’t even notice that your heart is pumping at 90 percent of its capacity.
It’s a full sensory experience. The visuals are striking–a graceful, muscle-bound man moving as if he were a professional football player and hip hop dancer combined. I almost threw Richard Simmons in there as another reference point, but, despite their shared specialization in aerobic dance, it would be a slap in the face to Stan to compare them.
And then there’s the sweat, which starts to bead on Stan’s head by the end of the warm-up. His sweat-wicking baseball cap can only absorb so much, though, so he keeps a towel nearby both to dry his head every so often and to wipe up the big drops on the floor before we slip.
The sweat is multi-sensory as well. You see it flying off of Stan in front of the group, you feel it running down your own body as the class intensifies, and, with enough exertion, you can even taste the salty fruits of your labor when it streams down your face to the corners of your mouth.
Though the sweat is silent, Stan is not. Hearing him sing along with the music and burst out periodically with a “woo!” or “yeah!” or “that’s right!” adds another sensory layer to the experience.
I cannot stop smiling. In the early days, I was embarrassed by my lack of smile control. But then I looked around and realized that everyone else was smiling too. I love watching new people in the class struggle to stop grinning. Like me, they always lose the battle. Having felt that tension in myself and watching it in new students, it’s clear that we are not practiced in the art of unabashed smiling. Kind of sad, isn’t it?
I used to think that the exercise alone provided the mood boost. There is no question that cardio work, in particular, triggers chemical reactions in the brain that make us happier.
But that’s not all that’s going on in Stan’s class. I feel great after I run, for example, but it’s not the same as sweating through a session of high impact dance with Stan.
Stan’s inner light, his absolute presence, is what makes him an incomparable energizer. His aura is almost palpable. It is not only the exercise that lifts my spirits. Stan, himself, generates a contagious joyfulness that I carry home with me after every class.
I’ve had some amazing opportunities in recent months to attend talks by leading spiritual teachers–the Dalai Lama, Eckhart Tolle, and, just last week, Marianne Williamson. I’ve come away from those events feeling an odd combination of deep inner peace and high energy.
I’ve never discussed spiritual issues with Stan. I don’t need to. His presence leaves me with that same combination of peace and energy that the greatest spiritual advisors produce. I get my fix every Friday.
So yes, the strong, sweaty man you see in the photo above does have quite a lot in common with the Dalai Lama, even though he prefers sweat-wicking workout clothes to flowing red monk robes.
Are you lucky enough to have a version of Stan (or the Dalai Lama) in your life? I’d love to hear about it!
Bill Apablasa says
I think we all have the Dalai Lama in us….that’s the whole idea! And I think the Dalai Lama would be the first to agree. Wonderful….wonderful post!
Martha says
I agree, Bill. And I think I read somewhere that the Dalai Lama has a pretty strict fitness regimen himself. I wonder what he wears (maybe bold pants?) For my readers who haven’t had a chance yet to check out Bill Apablasa’s brilliant writing (including his post about stepping out into the world wearing bold pants), head over to http://theother999rooms.com as soon as you can!
Caroline eppinger says
Wish we had a Stan in Stuttgart. I would lI’ve to participate to such a cardio dance experience. My Pilates class is also good healthy training and makes happy for the day. But nothing like what you describe.
Martha says
Wonderful to hear from you, Caroline! I’m glad you have the Pilates, which is beneficial on so many fronts. I do a class that’s a combination of Pilates, Tai Chi, and yoga, and I love it. But I have to admit, there is something about pushing my heart rate up with the help of such a special instructor that brings it all to another level. Thanks for commenting!
Jacie says
We all have that inner light, if we choose to turn it on. Every day we make a choice: to embrace all that life throws at us, curve balls and all; or reject these life-lessons and harbor negative energies as a result. The choice is clear: better or bitter? I’m convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it.
I’d love to join you some Friday. Sign me up! :-)
Martha says
So true, Jacie! You have figured it out, as anyone who meets you and sees that very bright light of yours can attest. Let me know when you have a free Friday morning that you can spend getting sweaty with a girlfriend. Thanks for connecting here!
Doris says
Hi Martha!
I completely understand what you are feeling and describing – it is always a person (or better her or his attitude, spirit, charisma, smile or whatever you can call it) that is needed to add this little something to a sport activity (or any other matter – e.g. think only of a “good” or “bad” teacher from the school!) to be THE perfect “fix”…
I think I found one yoga teacher here who has this something… Need to go there more often ;-)
I am very glad you have such a repeating experience!
Martha says
I would love to hear more about yoga in Singapore, Doris. Did you practice yoga in Stuttgart, or are you new to it?. Glad you have found an instructor with that special “something” in your new country. You have that “something” as well! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. xxoo
Carol Huntley Cohen says
Martha Ann, this is a great post. I love this comparison. I’m SO aware finally, that
today’s enlightenment is not the olde enlightenment. The times are completely
different – and so is human consciousness. We’re gritty angels these days. We dive right in to life. We can be ornery. We are bringing the light and the dark together – unifying everything. The darkness is our divinity. It’s called self-compassion: main ingredient in integration/enlightenment/whatever the name. His Highness has had to do this within himself too. And I’d guess, so is Stan taking a crack at it. We are all enlightened when we claim it.
My yoga instructor of 20 years has it too. She’s been a light to me.
I’m finding my “deep inner peace and high energy”, too!!
I love you, Martha.
Carol
Martha says
“We’re gritty angels these days.” Love it, Carol! And sweaty ones, too! It’s an exciting time for all of us. Thanks for sharing your long-term perspective. As a newbie who’s figuring out this consciousness stuff as I go along, avoiding old school rules and regulations (I’ve always had problems with authority figures), it’s great to hear that today’s enlightenment is not the old enlightenment. What a relief!
Marius says
i wonder …Dalai Lama work’s out?
Martha says
I have heard the Dalai Lama talk about the importance of exercise as an essential link in our mind/body/spirit wellness. He himself spends about two hours each morning engaged in physical activity, including yoga-like meditation poses during his prayer cycle and cardio work either outside or on a treadmill. Pretty cool for a busy man in his mid-70’s! Here’s a link that might be of interest: http://www.celebritydietdoctor.com/the-dalai-lamas-morning-exercise-routine/ Thanks for your comment, Marius! ~ Martha