Yoga In My Backyard

Welcome to 2019…a new year of discovery! I have a t-shirt that says, “Explore the world, Discover your self” and the phrase couldn’t be more true for me this year as I embark on another journey to India. I know I don’t have to go to the other side of the world for self-discovery as I’m unearthing things about myself every day right here in my own backyard. But there is something about a journey to a faraway land…perhaps a pilgrimage…that makes this seem like more of a big deal. Like I’m on the brink of learning something so profound, yet so simple.

Five years ago, I went to north India as a yoga student to study and live in an ashram. This time I am going to south India, partly as a tourist (guided through temples and villages and historical sites) and partly as a yoga practitioner and still a student (immersed in a retreat of self-study, practice, and holistic living). With an open mind and open heart, I look forward to visiting a place so different from my own home, yet somehow it feels like I’m going home…or I’m being called home. Strange how my heart feels such a tug to this country.

At the start of a new year, we all may feel like we are embarking on a new journey. An opportunity to let go of the year past and start this year with a clean slate. New hopes and dreams for the upcoming months and intentions for wellness; goals and milestones to achieve; and the shifting out of unsupportive patterns. So much to do it seems this month…However, we must remind ourselves that EVERY day offers this possibility. In fact, every time we end a yoga class in Savasana (corpse pose) or wake up each morning is a chance to start fresh. To shed a few layers, rejuvenate and restore, and then awaken again, re-born so to speak. We don’t have to wait until New Year’s Eve or a full moon or the end of a month. It can happen on a moment to moment basis, breath to breath.

Today’s mini-journey is to finish the laundry, pay my bills, and clean up the piles left after Christmas. In two weeks, the journey will be to get on the plane and fly across the world, expanding beyond my backyard to a magical place full of new experiences. Wherever I go, there I am…exploring and discovering. I will post the occasional updates on this blog while I’m away, but mostly I want to just BE in the moment.

Happy New Year to you all and may we all navigate this moment/day/month/year with mindfulness, acceptance, patience, and love!