Being a sport means you are willing to play. Willing to play means you are involved or alive to the situation in which you exist, and that is the essence of life. If there is anything that is truly close to a spiritual process, in the normal course of life, that is sports. Swami Vivekananda went to the extent of saying, "In kicking a ball or playing a game, you are much closer to the Divine than you will ever be in prayer." You can pray without involvement, but you cannot play sports without involvement, and involvement is the essence of life.
But when people involve themselves in what they do, they often get entangled. Anything that you associate with, you tend to get identified with. The moment you get identified with something that is not you, you have invested in a system of hallucination that will look and feel real. Once you have invested in a hallucinatory process, your mind will be one continuous mental disorder, as a hallucinatory process can be kept up only with unceasing activity of the mind, and hence, one ends up turning a miracle into madness. The mind is a fabulous miracle; you could hold the universe in it, but generally it ends up as a source of all human misery and the basis of madness and suffering.
When people get entangled, they feel ugly within themselves and they will make sure everybody else has a taste of this ugliness. So the fundamental of any sport or game takes care of this; that is, if you want to play a game, you must have the fire of wanting to win but also the balance to see that if you lose, it is okay with you. You never play a game to lose, you always play a game to win, but if you lose, it is all right with you. If you maintain this fundamental with every aspect of life, you are a sport. And that is all the world expects from you, that you are a sport. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whatever kind of situation you are in, you are still a sport.
The sacredness of a sporting event is that individuals rise beyond their limitations, achieving a state of abandon that is usually known only at the peak of spirituality. Thus, we have always included sports in our yoga programs. All of our programs have an element of play -- as to play is to live, and to live is to play.
Isha Yoga programs are based on tested, scientific principles. They offer tools for optimal health, emotional well-being and professional excellence. To participate, visit www.InnerEngineering.com.
For over 25 years, Isha Yoga programs have touched and transformed the lives of millions of people around the world. To learn more, please visit Sadhguru's Huffington Post bio page.
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Vivian
Sadhguru's article is a welcome reminder to stay fully involved, no matter what I am doing.
Ironically, my biggest work is to give myself totally to my meditation practice, only my mind wants to plan my day and compose that "important" message. What if I were to play a game that way, with my focus elsewhere? No one would want to play with me!
Thankfully, my game isn't over yet, and while there may be time left to work on my performance, Sadhguru's post encourages me not to wait any longer to become a good sport.
Sadhguru is a genuine reminder that one can be absolutely involved in everything he/she does and not get entangled. Although I am not yet there in implementing it in every aspect of life, his programs have definitely given me a taste. It's upto you then to take it as far as you can. The way it grows to define your very approach to life is just fascinating - I can see experientially that increasingly many aspects of my life are becoming - I want to win but it's ok to lose. It's a fabulous feeling! No words to describe.
this competition thing is a double edge sword. winning becomes the goal not the playing.
play sports for the fun and joy of playing not for the ego high of winning. need for winning is an ego thing. this author said as much but most I suspect will just read into it competition sports is spiritual.
the meek shall inherent the earth not the winners. competition has no place to one that is aware of his or her love of self and others.
Winning isn't simply an ego high- it can drive you to break limititions and push yourself beyond what you thought possible. Something that playing for the joy of playing will not do, at least for the majority of people. Children don't need to be taught competition, they will naturally compete with each other. Society's drive to compete comes from this innate drive. Of course, there are the rare individuals who are the exception, but this proves the rule rather than takes away from it. That's why the need to handle competition with grace and awareness.
That's why the balance of playing to win- complete involvement, but still being ok to lose, is necessary. Unfortunately, the meek have not yet inherited the earth.
'In Australia, Landy is perhaps most famously remembered for his performance in the 1500 metres final at the 1956 Australian National Championships prior to the Melbourne Olympic Games. In the race, Landy stopped and doubled back to check on fellow runner Ron Clarke after another runner clipped Clarke's heel, causing him to fall early in the third lap of the race. Clarke, the then-junior 1500 metre world champion, who had been leading the race, got back to his feet and started running again; Landy followed. Incredibly, in the final two laps Landy made up a large deficit to win the race, something considered one of the greatest moments in Australian sporting history. Said the National Centre for History and Education in Australia, "It was a spontaneous gesture of sportsmanship and it has never been forgotten." A bronze sculpture of the moment when Landy helps Clarke to his feet is situated on the lawns adjacent to Olympic Park on Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne.'
Here's a picture of the statue (which is called Sportsmanship):
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_YeVVfegW8Vc/SFdMpXv1YII/AAAAAAAAojA/tgz-bCImhWA/100_0312.JPG