Changing your point of view

There was once an old woman who spent all her days crying over her two married daughters. The older daughter was married to an umbrella salesman. The younger daughter had married a noodle maker.
When it was sunny the old woman cried for her older daughter thinking no one would buy umbrellas and surely her daughter would be poor and not have enough food to live.

On rainy days the old woman thought of her younger daughter and cried because noodles cannot dry without the sun and surely her younger daughter would suffer from not being able to make a living.

So the woman would cry on sunny days for her daughter married to the umbrella salesman and on rainy days she would cry for her daughter married to the noodle maker. Month after month she cried incessantly and became known as the weeping lady.

One day she met a Dharma master who told her she should change her point of view, "When the sun is shining, think of your daughter with the noodles. She will be selling lots of noodles and make a good profit. When it is raining, think of your other daughter selling lots of umbrellas. She also will prosper."

Hearing the wise words of the master, the old woman recognized their truth. Now when it is sunny she is smiling thinking of her daughter selling noodles and when it is raining she is smiling thinking of her daughter selling umbrellas.

The old woman transformed from the weeping lady into the smiling lady.

When you practice yoga and feel frustrated because the pose is too difficult, bring your attention to your breath. Take a full deep breath and feel your inner body expand. Let go of some of your muscular trying and focus on connecting with an inner power and a feeling of being supported and uplifted by your connection to the Divine. Know that there is as much power in letting go as there is in holding on. Know that action is more important than form.

We all have different talents and weaknesses. Our weaknesses can teach us if we allow our focus to stay positive. When it rains the noodle maker's wife may not be able to dry her noodles but the wheat needed to make the noodles will grow. When the sun comes out again she will be able to dry her noodles. Life ebbs and flows. The more we allow ourselves to step into that flow, the more we will feel a smile on our faces.