Dog Grooming: Gateway to Yogic Thought & Mental Wellness

Dog Grooming:
Gateway Yogic to Thought & Mental Wellness

Fitz’s physical transformation can serve as an important reminder
and wonderful lesson for us all….

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Note: This piece was initially penned on March 5th or so, but I did not feel comfortable posting it as the topic was still a bit raw. Fitzy was nowhere near his normal self so the timing was just not right. Now, two months to the day after that fateful grooming visit of March 1, the timing does seem right. While I do not have a recent photo of Fitz, he is looking pretty dapper these days and feeling good too! And the last time we went to the farmer’s market together he was right on target – enjoying life and having a great time with everyone there!! So please read this piece in good spirit knowing that these days Fitz is riding high!! Finally, because of the great time delay, the below piece may feel a bit bumpy here and there, but hopefully you find a few nuggets along the way. 

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Fitz and I are a well known duo around the village. We walk together regularly, and we always go to the farmer’s market as a team. If folks see me without him, they wonder where he is. For those who have never met him – here is Fitz:

And more than a few people, from different walks and circles of life, have referred to us as twins.

Fitz’s Stardom

Wherever he goes, Fitz is most always the star of the show. Everyone likes to come over and see and pet Fitz – and they invariably have lots of questions about him. How old is he? What kind of dog is he? And more than that are the comments of complete awe about his coat and overall demeanor. There is even finger-pointing, laughter, and stares from folks passing by slowly in cars. Fitz is veritably a star. And he takes it all in stride in his easy-going, friendly, jovial manner. Fitz is an upbeat, benevolent, playful fellow who always rises on the right side of the bed and is 100% against confrontation. He is as welcoming as they come. Never saw him have a down or off-beat day.

Day of Reckoning

Then came THE GROOMING of March 1st of this year. This had long been on the schedule, and we kept telling Fitz that his day was coming. And sure enough the day came. And in the aftermath, we were all shocked, but no one was quite as shocked as ol’ Fitz. Actually, Fitz is a leap year baby so March 1st is his birthday 75% of the time. And on this particular birthday Fitz was turning 3 – surely a birthday Fitz will not soon forget.

Here is our dear Fitz from when he returned from the groomers on March 1st…

Fitz returned home completely shell-shocked!! You see, the groomer said that there was no way to give Fitz a simple trim; due to all of the knots down deep, there was no other option than to shave him all the way down – a veritable buzz cut. Fitz returned home that day without his coat, and without everything else as well. He was completely transformed: his jovial nature – gone; his infectious joy- gone; his care-free style – gone. Instead, he was overwrought with self-doubt, discouragement, and sorrow. He no longer jumped up to greet you, but was instead immersed in his existential crisis, just looking at his own tail etc. His whole world – along with his place in it – was completely gone. And he could not make heads or tails of what to do next.

The Changing Human Experience

While few of us have a “coat” quite like Fitz’s, there are lots of things that we do have that are prone to decay and loss. We have our physical self and its presentation to the world, which is constantly undergoing change. We may become rounder, shorter (slightly), wider, grayer, balder, slighter, slower, droopier – as well as bigger, taller, and stronger. Here though, we are referring to those outcomes that are less desirable.

In addition, we have our standing in the world that also undergoes change. Our financial fortunes may fluctuate; cars break down; computers fail; our social or professional stature may decline – not to mention our own health and that of our family. There are countless worldly pillars that are in a perpetual state of flux. And, on any given day, one or more of them may give way or give out entirely.

Verily, we have numerous physical variables and material dynamics in our lives that can lead to a sense of angst and loss.

Balancing the Impermanence

So how do we navigate all this change in the material plane, and spare ourselves the mental anguish that can ensue.

The yogis say human life is trifarious; it exists on three planes: physical, psychic, and spiritual. And each has degrees of permanence / impermanence. For instance, the yogis describe our interactions in the physical plane as akin to “writing on water”. When you try to write your name on water you can see the each letter for a split second before it disappears. It lasts not even a second. And indeed, in the grand schema of things, so much of what we experience in the physical world is hardly with us for long. Things break, get lost, or need to be replaced. They just do not last. Our physical characteristics and possessions fall in this category – as does Fitz’s coat.

According to the yogis, the next plane, i.e. the mental or psychic realm, is like “writing on sand”. When we write on sand it holds for some time – certainly longer than when we write on water. But with the passage of time, the winds and rains wipe away our writing. Our hard-earned gains in the mental sphere, garnered through study and learning, also do not stay with us forever. No doubt, we have all studied hard for a test and then by the next week we forgot all those facts, let alone how much we remember 20 years later. So although gains in the mental realm last longer than those in the physical sphere, they too are not permanent.

The third sphere of our human experience is the spiritual domain. And the yogis equate this with “writing in stone”. That’s to say, it holds up with the passage of time. It is permanent. That means what strides and realization we achieve in the spiritual realm are never lost. They remain with us forever- even from one lifetime to the next. Our physical possessions do not remain; our psychic status can undergo tremendous change; but, our spiritual stature holds true.

While there are many lessons to take away from this, and certainly all three spheres of life hold their due importance, but for our purpose here, i.e. with Fitz’s coat, is that we should contain our losses to any given sphere. For instance, if we lose a $20 bill, or drop our phone and crack the screen, or undergo any type of loss related with our physical life, then we should restrict that loss to that sphere alone. If we get upset and lose our mental balance, then it becomes a double loss. The loss gets compounded. There was the initial physical loss, and then the ensuing psychic loss. And like Fitz, our losses in the physical realm are just not limited to physical possessions, but reflect changes in our physical bodies as well. As those mount over the years, despite our best efforts to keep them at bay, we should keep our mental stature steady and strong.

Gaining a Sense of Ourselves

So how do we do this? How do we keep our mental balance in the face of inevitable physical decline. We should not identify our existence with physical life. Doing so means falling into the rut of materialism. People give respect and perceive their own stature based on physical attributes and material possessions alone. And when they lose those things they literally think all is lost. The proverbial stockbroker may literally jump out of a window during a financial crisis. The loss was purely physical (monetary) initially, but his perception of that financial loss was so devastating and overwhelming that his entire psyche became disturbed and he lost all interest in living. Yet, it has to be said, the initial loss was just a physical loss. It was a temporary loss. His financial fortunes may have hit a new high the following year. And had he not let that physical loss bleed into the mental realm, he could and would have rebounded just fine.

We have to measure ourselves by who we are mentally, and then enhance that status through some kind of contemplative or spiritual approach. That is the ideal path according to the yogis. The word for human being in Sanskrit is manusa. And the root “man” (pronounced “mun”) means mind. So we should live and exist in the psychic realm and aim for spiritual realization. Then we will always feel safe, assured, and buoyant amidst the inevitable changes of this transitory world. So then what about physicality? From the yogic perspective, the various physical expressions are mere tools by which we may support ourselves and others, but they are not ends of themselves. Our physical body is a vehicle to carry out the ideas of the mind; and, our collective physical wealth should be used in a way that allows all to grow in the psychic and spiritual realms. There is no greater use of physicality than that. Our sense of our selves then should be based in the mind, i.e. the psycho-spiritual sphere, not in the material.

Fitz’s Place Today & Our Place Also

Fitz lives just a house or so away from us. From our garage, we can see his outdoor area and get there by foot in about 15 seconds, or less. He has always kept a keen eye on our garage door, ever-eager to play or head out on the next adventure. But when I went over there on March 5th, he just wanted to be inside and had no interest in going out, despite it being a glorious day. His owner flatly said, “Fitz is just not himself yet.” And that was clearly true. At that time, it was four days after grooming day, and we held out great hope that the Fitz that we all knew and love would be back in action soon. Through great care and love, (and given all the mental space he needed), Fitz has indeed regained his mojo once again.

We too experience tough days like Fitz did. And we too shall rebound like Fitz has. At the same time, we can alleviate and even avert such instances, if we are able to contain our perceived losses. When there is physical loss, we should try and limit it to the physical sphere. Once it invades our mental domain then we lose our ability to overcome that physical loss – and with that, the opportunity to make it better than it was before. We have to build that levy between the physical and psychic realms by directing the psyche towards greater mental and spiritual pursuits. When we identify ourselves as being mental and spiritual beings then the invariable impermanence of the physical realm does not shock our world. Rather, we are able to keep it in perspective, regroup, perhaps recoup our losses or not even be bothered by them, and continue onwards towards greater glory.

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