Live Through Consciousness, Not Through Emotions

"Live through consciousness, not through emotions". This is the quote I looked down at as I made my "stress relieving" tea this evening. This quote spoke loudly to me. I often read the yogi quotes that are on tea bag ends and smile, but tonight, it spoke. How do we live through our consciousness, and not through our emotions? What is consciousness, and where do our emotions come from? These questions began to formulate in my mind as a contemplated this simple yet ever so powerful quote.

What is consciousness? From my training on the mountain, it is a state of mind in which we are one with the universe, where we are our true selves. How do we get there and why would we want to be there? Both such great questions to ask, and I feel there could be many answers to each. Here is my take on them.

How do we get there, regular sadhana, of course. Sadhana is a spiritual regular personal practice to find our purpose in life. Sadhana can be done through mediation, pranayama, asana practice ( yoga in western terms), praying, reading, singing, listening to music, dancing, running, and so on. Whatever vessel clears your mind of your ego's chatter, brings you to the present moment and allows you to find your truth.

Now knowing sadhana, the question is, why? My question back is, why not? Every being on this planet has a purpose. Whether it is big or small, every person can impact another in a positive light. The question is, is that something you are doing in your life right now? That doesn't mean your audience is 10,000 people, or maybe it is, which is great! Or, it could mean you are babysitting one child and you make a true, positive inspiring influence in their life through your actions. That is just as powerful. We are here on this planet to be one with our mother earth, to help each other, to be happy and to be Love. This is why we have a regular sadhana practice, to bring us to our truth.

Going back to the quote, our consciousness is the essence of being. The place of being that is true bliss, our truth in life. On the other hand, our emotions is our ego raising its big head and reacting to our circumstances. There is a difference between reacting versus responding. Reacting is being in a state of judgement, placing blame on others and "playing victim" to circumtance. To respond is to take full ownership of your own actions, come from a place of nothing and bring your best self to the situation. When we allow our emotions to speak for us, we are reacting. When we react, we are allowing our ego to jump first, yelling, kicking and screaming for a perceived reality that is not real, nor valid and true. When we respond, we are coming form a place of nothing and in turn allowing our consciousness to lead our response. To allow our consciousness to respond, we save ourselves from the reaction of our emotions.

Oh, how a little quote on a tea bag tag could strike such an elaborate conversation with myself and in turn, something I get to share with you all. What a beautiful world we live in.

Namaste.

As John Muir Would Say

The Sierra Peaks - View from him to Cloud's Rest

"Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature's sources never fail." - Our National Parks, John Muir

This quote, written by the naturalist, explorer, writer and conservationist, John Muir, is one that fills my soul. I believe that nature is medicine. When was the last time you trudged up a mountain peak, and felt the weight of natures gravity as you stepped one foot carefully in front of another? When was the last time you took a deep clean breath of natures fresh air in your lungs as you marveled at her vast valleys? When was the last time you allow the breeze of natures breath blow through your hair and past your skin as you sat peacefully on top her peaks? Nature truly is medicine to the body, mind and spirit. 

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike." - The Yosemite, John Muir. 

Nature is a one of the greatest forms of medicine you can take. Nature is vast, always growing, always adapting and always relentless. I have just come back from visiting Yosemite for my second time this year, and I continue to be in awe of its pure beauty. The granite slabs that grow up to 10,000 feet are so magnificently carved out by the glacier that passed through them thousands of years ago. I love to be present with them. The things they have witnessed, and the beauty they have created. It is so magical, so real. 

Half Dome in background, hike to Cloud's Rest

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." - John of the Mountain, John Muir. 

The yogini within me is always trying to find a place to practice and meditate. Nature is the greatest place to do that in my opinion. Nature provides a realness of our world that is untouched by so many of us. We are so drawn in by the lights, sounds and safety of our cities that most of us rarely explore the beauty that is our earth. Yosemite provides a type of nature that remains magnificent to the beholders eye. Though tourism is a part of its culture in the valley, hike past the falls and up the steep mountain switchbacks to find life at its most real. The depths of the wilderness can be scary, and the most safe and comforting place I know. 

Backpacker love to each other 

"Most people are on the world, not in it -- have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them -- undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate." - John of the Mountains, John Muir. 

As our dear friend John would say, choose to be in it. Choose to be with it. Take your practice outside, be with her. Take care of her and love her. She is a beauty that has seen more then you will ever know and will see more than you will ever know. Be in awe of her. 

Namaste

Why I Practice Yoga

I was scrolling through social media this morning. I happened to realize how many buzzfeeds I receive about yoga, top reason why you should practice, top 5 things you shouldn't say in a yoga class, top 20 reasons you should practice a headstand, top 10 reasons why you shouldn't practice a headstand, etc. It got me thinking, why does any of that matter? Yoga is first and foremost a personal practice. Any top 10 list should not define what makes you practice or not practice yoga. There is no list of rights or wrongs, of does or don'ts, or yeses or nos, there is only yoga.

The best way for me to explain this logic is to tell you why I practice yoga, not to be relatable or inspiring but because that is all I know.

Hike on JMT, Yosemite

When I first began my yoga practice, I began to gain flexibility. This a a very common reason why one chooses to go to a yoga class, and after a few classes I definitely began to see the benefits in my body. I could touch my toes, I could bend my knees without pain, I could sit indian style with a straight spine without my lower back killing me. I felt the benefits of yoga in my physical body, and I liked it. Though, I still did not understand why laying on the floor at the end of the class in silence was beneficial to my body, or why we would take so much take before the practice setting "an intention". I wanted to just get into the poses and sweat.

Rewind just for a moment - I have anxiety. Yes, I have a mental disability that turns into physical manifestations in my body that at times can be very uncontrollable and uncomfortable. Not wanting to pop a pill to help my issue, I began to think of yoga as a form of medicine. I began to realize that this "exercise" that I was practicing my not only be great for my joints, but also for my mind. Then, one practice changed everything.

Hike at Uvas Canyon

My very talented brother in law, who was my first inspiration to practice yoga, taught at my work for an event. As I was organizing and leading this event, my anxiety kicked into overdrive. Luckily, I did not need to be doing anything during the practice, so I choice to take it with everyone else. I wish I could remember the exact words that he said, but he began the practice with us clearing our minds, letting go of our stresses and worries and being completely present to our mats in that moment. I can not tell you how many times prior to that an instructor told me "to be present", but finally in this moment I was ready to do so. The practice itself was beautiful, every pose was exactly what my mind and body needed and for the first time I was not comparing myself to the person next to me. I was focusing on linking my breath to my pose.

Then, the magic happened. We began savasana and he played a soundtrack to a movie that I have since then been searching for. This song resented in my whole body. I felt the melting away of my stress of perfection, I felt my body become lighter with each second. I was not thinking, I was being. Tears rolled down my face and at that moment I realized what yoga was all about, that moment. The moment of universal bliss, where what you are doing, who you are with and where you are does not matter. All that matters is that moment, that instance. I felt so close to god, so close to the universe.

Hike to Eagle Lake, Tahoe

Now, I will say, I have not experienced that moment since. I have lived on a mountain for month, meditating every morning and learning all the best practices to search samadhi. I have backpacked on gorgeous mountains that preexisted for centuries before my existence. I have sat on the beaches of Maui with the warm blue waters touching my feet. I have done all these things, and still have never gotten back to that moment of universe bliss. Why do I keep searching? Why do I keep trying to find a moment that may never happen again? Because I have to. Because yoga is not about the destination, it is about the practice. It is about the journey.

I may never feel that place of bliss again, and I am complete with that. Why do I practice yoga, because each day holds a new journey, a new adventure, a new struggle to overcome. My purpose is to live with it, to challenge myself to continue to be a part of it. Trust me, I have my struggles. My anxiety will choose to rear its ugly head often, and every time it does, it gives me another opportunity to live in the present and to practice yoga. For me, yoga is the door to universe bliss and my practice is the key.

Namaste.