Yoga and the Art of Being Simone Biles

Simone Biles and Lord Hanuman both serving higher causes.

This past month we witnessed Olympians demonstrate super-human, “Hanuman-like” abilities. But in some ways, their amazing physical feats were the least of their accomplishments. Yes, being able to do a split-leap, like both Simone Biles and Hanuman can, is beyond the ability of most of us “mere mortals.” But what is not beyond our ability is the example that both Ms. Biles and Hanuman set out to show: when the cause is great enough and serves the many and not the few, we somehow find the ability and the resolve to complete the mission that we were put on this Earth to accomplish. It is our life’s work to figure out what that purpose is and to fulfill it to the best of our abilities.

Before the Olympics, one might have thought that Simone Bile’s mission was to rack up gold medals for the U.S.A. Little did we know that ultimately her mission became doing something that we yogis and yoginis aspire to accomplishing each time we come to practice: to overcome our own minds and all the false identities it has accumulated, like “Olympic Gold Medalist” in her case, or perhaps in ours, “slaves to our jobs.” In the narrower picture, she had to overcome the “twisties.” In the bigger picture, though, her mission became highlighting the mental health needs of high-level, high-profile athletes. Given the vast amounts of money the media pays to showcase Olympic stars who could potentially bring home a lot of gold to the U.S.A. and the networks, it is no small feat to turn one’s back on all of that in service to a higher and more important cause. Bravo, Simone!

In the story of Hanuman, a God who appears in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, he does the most amazing thing – he does a giant split-leap over the ocean to rescue Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, the master he was serving. Imagine that! Now Hanuman had some amazing abilities, but he had forgotten he had these. However, they were awakened when he was presented with a mission, a cause that was great enough. Simone Bile’s quest to overcome her own mind is no less difficult and perhaps a more arduous journey than was her quest to win multiple golds. (Similarly, by the way, a yogi/ni should always remember that being able to do “super-human” yoga postures pales in comparison to being able to keep one’s mind steady and calm on a consistent basis throughout life’s turbulent waters.) But the quest was awakened by the situation she found herself in and out of sheer self-preservation, she somehow found the strength to pushback against the critics and pursue this path anyway. 

Though she turned inward to heal, the outward effects were widely felt. She inspired many to take a pause from the rat-race and spend time caring for oneself – one’s “little self” in this case, as opposed to one’s “Higher Self” – in the face of all the forces saying, “you can’t do this!” Well, personally, I did! I’ve spent the last month nurturing, preserving, and prioritizing my own health and well-being. So, Simone Bile’s cause/mission ended up being much bigger than just the needs of only her individual self.

Like Hanuman and Simone Biles, we are all tasked to do something important with our lives. Yes, there are times when we think we can’t accomplish our mission. And sometimes, like Ms. Biles, we stumble (literally and figuratively) onto that mission. But like both, we can pause, remember what is in our Heart, and reinvigorate our devotion to that cause. In so doing, we can all be Olympians – super heroes accomplishing amazing things – in our own way.

And remember this: we’ve all done something super-human – we got through the pandemic! We’re stronger than we ever thought we were. Yay!

May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May you remember what you were put on this Earth to do, …
May you accomplish your Mission, … 
For the benefit of ALL beings everywhere. 

Aloha, with Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun

Finding Love in Central Park on a late August Sunday afternoon. Nothing like an “Artist Date” to promote self-healing!