You know it’s often possible to get the wrong impression about things.

Our minds do this to us constantly. The citta emotionally setting objects into their respective categories of understanding to “help us.”

There is a sutra for this of course, just like there is a sutra for everything!

Yogasutra 1.8

viparyayo mithyā-jñānam-atadrūpa pratiṣṭham

False understanding is mistaking something for something else.

This Patanjali verse speaks about the habit of misinterpreting. A kind of “knowledge” that does not correspond accurately to Reality. Something like mistaking a rope for a snake or misinterpreting a shy girl for a stuck up snob. Our minds deceive us so constantly that it is often quite difficult to discriminate fact from fiction. And now we can see how in this golden age of information, we’re drowning in a glut of false impressions.

“What is real?” — We must constantly ask ourselves.

It’s true as well that we get the wrong impression about people. And, especially, in as virulently racist a society as ours, with an accumulation of negative stereotypes, it is distinctly likely to have implicit bias buried like seeds of samskara (unconscious impressions and habits)… And from whence they came — we have no idea.

For example, we just assume that Larry Bird is a supremely intelligent basketball player and that Serena Williams is a naturally gifted athlete. And forgetting to examine this thought-construct, we go on constructing the rest of our assumptions based upon this initial premise.

When cross examined (as any good philosopher should do when positing an argument or counter-argument) we come to learn that there was no greater conditioned athlete than Larry Bird and his natural hand eye coordination was truly a gift from god, while Serena Willams is one of the most hard working and cerebral tennis players who ever lived.

So, it is with great pleasure that we introduce Laruga Glaser to you.

Of course you know her already!

She is extremely famous in our little world. She, is someone who might be thought of as an athlete or an “asana-jock.” Some might jealously (in their small little minds assume she is stuck up) where in fact — if they took the time — would discover her to be reserved, poised, extremely thoughtful, philosophical and discerning.

We tried to probe into past offenses or micro-aggressions she may have experienced; Yet, incredibly so, we learned that Laruga herself isn’t into carrying baggage. She's moved on.

She is, in fact, a Swedish citizen.

Listen with us and learn what a “Brutus” is from one of the most celebrated Ashtanga Yoga masters of our time.

The Finding Harmony Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Harmony Slater and co-hosted by Russell Case.

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