“You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction. Perform work in this world, Arjuna, as a man established within himself—without selfish attachments, and alike in success and defeat. For yoga is perfect evenness of mind.”

The 192′ luxury yacht the Universe provided

—Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita

Yoga is more than bending and stretching in a class.  The lesson from Krishna (above) was driven home deeply to me one night when I arrived in Raleigh to teach at a holistic center.  On this night, their mailing list “workshopped out,” I walked into a very small turnout:  One solitary soul.

The student and center director asked if I wanted to cancel the class. I could have gone to the movies instead, but an inner voice said stay.  I figured out why by the end of the class.  My lone student learned volumes in her 2-hour private workshop on relationships.  For that, she thanked me profusely; the guy who cleans up popcorn and gunk from the movie theater’s floors wouldn’t have been so effusive.

What I realized quite deeply was that my job is to show up, whether it’s for one person or for one thousand people, as occurred just two weeks later when I delivered the keynote address at a convention in Atlanta.  When you’re a teacher and a coach, you teach and coach.  The Universe takes care of the results of those actions.

Oh, and about the Universe taking care of the fruits…the following night, I received an email from a mega-rich buddy in Australia.  In it, he invited my wife and me to be guests of his on a 2-week Caribbean cruise on a chartered private 192-foot yacht.  Since my job is to show up, I showed up on a luxury liner even though, on board, there were only a few people, just like I showed up for a class for one.

“He who has no undue fondness towards anything, who neither exults nor recoils on gaining what is good or bad, his intellect is established.”

—Krishna, The Bhagavad-Gita

I’ve taught hundreds of people how to meditate as Krishna taught in The Bhagavad-Gita.  I’ve even taught others how to teach meditation and lose their worldly attachments.  So I must confess, as game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics is just hours away, that I sometimes wrestle with one major lifetime attachment: I’ve loved the

The blogger, in Laker gear, about to block a shot by Shaquille O’Neal

Lakers since I was eight, and recoil when they lose a playoff game.  http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2010/06/caught-in-the-web-reactions-to-lakers-8967-game-6-victory-over-boston-celtics.html

Confession #2: In game 5 of a Western Conference semi-finals playoff game some years back Tim Duncan made a nearly-impossible shot with less than a second left.  When it seemed he stole a victory, knocking the air out of the Lakers, I screamed in anger.  Screamed! I can hear yogis turning over in their caves.

Confession #3: When Lakers guard Derek Fisher followed with a prayer of a jumper shot with four tenths of a second left that won the game, I jumped off my couch absolutely delirious with joy.  This is what Krishna called undue fondness and exulting.

Good News #1: Several years ago, I gave up my equally-long New York Mets attachment.  Occasionally, I’ll watch them with interest, but with no attachment.

Good News #2: When I watch the Lakers while I’m awake in my higher Self—that silence in me that witnesses life’s play of ups and downs– I enjoy the games much more.  The reason?  There’s no attachment to the outcome.  I become a fan in the zone.

Speaking of fans (as in fanatics), I’ve seen many give away their power, marriages and lives to their teams.  Fortunately, I have family, friends, and a life, so it’s clear the Lakers are the next attachment to go.  A wise yogi once said, “Love without attachment is light.”  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

What’s the one attachment you’d like to let go of in your life?   Let it go—and you’ll be free to enjoy it with even more pleasure and peace.