When my dad was visiting Chiang Mai from Germany years ago, he was astonished how well the traffic flows there despite the huge number of vehicles on the road. Thai traffic has taught me an important life lesson that has not only made me a better driver, but a better person.

True, traffic in Thailand is chaotic and there are plenty of drivers who blatantly flaunt the rules. However, the amazing thing is that almost no-one ever gets upset at the crazy things drivers get up to here:

  • Cars double parking on major roads during rush hour
  • Drivers turning across oncoming traffic and taking their right of way
  • Motorcycles (and even cars) driving on the shoulder of divided highways going the wrong way

A life lesson from Thai traffic: Pain is guaranteed, but suffering is entirely optional

And that is of course the main lesson here. Getting upset at drivers that flaunt the rules or take your right of way doesn’t really accomplish anything. Learning NOT to get upset at them on the other hand can dramatically improve your quality of life. In other words, pain is guaranteed, but suffering is optional, and always self-inflicted.

How does all this translate to the mat? Accepting your body’s limitations and enjoying it within those limits is at the core of what yoga is about. Being dissatisfied at what you cannot (yet) do, getting annoyed by disruptive noises outside, envying the hyper-flexible person in front of you, does nothing but distract you from the real practice. Which is, of course, increasing your mindfulness and serenity through the observation and acceptance of reality as it presents itself.

And when it comes to traffic, this radical acceptance has another, more global benefit. It actually makes the traffic flow more smoothly and efficiently. This is the case because it’s not the rule breakers that slow down traffic, it’s the people who take it upon themselves to punish the rule breakers that cause the slow-downs. How this might translate to the mat I haven’t figured out yet, but I’ll let you know when I do. :)