“Wake up, kids, we got the dreamer’s disease.”

—Lyrics from “You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals

It’s official: I’m sick. I’ve got a terminal case of dreamer’s disease, but I couldn’t think of a better ailment to suffer live with! I’m a Pisces, a dreamer, and a firm believer in what you get is what you give, so, naturally, I dig the lyrics of the New Radicals song “You Get What You Give” and have deemed it my official yoga theme song of the week.

I could write all day about what a dreamhead I am, but, actually, the message of this song for me is more about the practice of forgetting your selfishness and making others happy. This is a central theme in Patanjali’s yoga sutras.

“Forget your selfishness, make others happy, and you will be the happiest person. By seeing others happy, you can’t be unhappy. But by making everybody unhappy, you can never be happy yourself. So, at least for your happiness, bring happiness to others.” —from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Or, in other words; you get what you give. Give happiness, get happiness. Give compassion, get compassion. Give a shitty attitude, guess what: you’re gonna get a shitty attitude back. Ever notice how when you’re in a bad mood, others around you seem just as pissed off, but when you go out there with a smile, you tend to light others up? It really isn’t rocket science, but I know it isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

To paraphrase Sri Swami Satchidananda, this, in essence, is the practice of yoga: watching our own thoughts and actions and analyzing them. Knowing that the selfish thoughts bring misery and selfless ones leave us in peace.

“You’ve got the music in you

Don’t let go

You’ve got the music in you

One dance left

This world is gonna pull through

Don’t give up

You’ve got a reason to live

Can’t forget

We only get what we give”

 

“You’ll be okay, follow your heart”

“You only get what you give

You gonna get what you give”

—Lyrics from “You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals

Guess what song is going to make it to my yoga class playlist this week? Get ready, all you dreamers; it’s time to follow our hearts, put some happiness and peace out there, and get what we give.

Photo: D. Sharon Pruitt

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPAEFnVZVOs[/youtube]

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