The Heart of the Work

Story of the Greatest Master

There were three brothers who were each studying with a different master. One day they were sharing stories about how great their masters were. One brother bragged that his master was so great that he could walk across the mighty Ganges River from bank to bank without a drop of water touching him. Another brother boasted how his master could balance upside down on the tip of one finger with an elephant balanced on his feet. These seem like very impressive acts defying belief; however, there was still one more brother to share the great feats of his master. This brother spoke of how his master was so great that she drinks when she is thirsty, eats when she is hungry, and sleeps when she is tired.

Keeping hydrated and rested, and feeding ourselves may sound simple and easy to do; however for most of us these are some of the hardest tasks to accomplish. So often, we push on through even though we are exhausted. We ignore our thirst for water and substitute something else that will keep us up longer. Sometimes we forget to eat or ignore our need for good nourishment and choose foods that are convenient because we feel like we don’t have enough time for healthy nutrition.

It is a great act of self love when we remember to sleep when we are tired, drink when we are thirsty, and eat when we are hungry. One of our masters reminds us to fill our own cup first. If our cup is not full — and still we share — we may find ourselves in a situation of loss. This loss may show up as a loss of range of motion, loss of time, loss of money, or a loss of gratitude. It is a priority to take time to take care of ourselves in order to sustain a happy and healthy practice.