Lessons from the Road: How Travel Teaches Acceptance, Compassion, and the Art of Minimalism

Travel is the best teacher with lessons that will last for a lifetime. Travel Ed is not something you can learn in a classroom setting. It requires hands-on, in-the-moment rawness. Travel taught me acceptance, forgiveness, and compassion for others and myself as well as some dope vegan recipes! I’ve learned that the way the East views the world is different from the way the West views the world, however, at the end of the day, we all want the same basic things: *certainty, uncertainty, significance, growth, and a sense of contribution. These are the basic human needs and we value two above all the others. Travel teaches what ones are the top two which gives clarity on how to navigate through this life we are living. I get questions often on how to go about long-term travel… After all, it can be intimidating, to pick up everything and move across the globe for mind expansion and introspection for an extended time. Here are some tips to prepare for your trip.

 Take a look at what you are packing and MINIMIZE, less weight means happy shoulders and a happy back. Our *back represents the support of life and if it is in pain we will not feel supported which is vital when in an unfamiliar place. After minimizing, research the climate and what the country you are traveling to has to offer. Make a list of items that you need and cannot get in the country you are traveling to. For example quality shoes, a camera, or a piece of outerwear that makes you feel that sweet homey comfort.

Financial prep is the biggest question that is asked. I save up beforehand, do research, and volunteer. Workaway.info created momentum and inspiration w opportunities in many different categories so there is something for everyone. I find a lot of opportunity comes when connecting with people along the journey. You attract the life experience that you need to grow. Yogatrade.com was very fruitful in my journey and the creator is a great guy who lives in Costa Rica. Money is merely an exchange of energy and comfort comes when that channel is open and flowing. Give to receive.

Buy the ticket and put away a chunk every month. This will create a vision that will make the monthly contribution feel ecstatic. To get the amount of monthly contribution is the next step. Get on Google Maps and search for your destination. For example, “Hostel Amsterdam” to see the cost of hostels in the area or Airbnb to gauge price. Multiply this by the number of days that you will be in the area. Next research the cost of meals and if there are places to get food around the designated residence. If your selection has breakfast included deduct that from daily expenses. If the place doesn’t have clean water, invest in a SteriPen and add bottled water* to your expenses. An airplane ticket makes the trip official and when the trip is official you will talk about it. By talking about your trip you will come across people that have been where you are going or know someone who has. This means inspiration, encouragement, and excitement for the future and your departure.

Balance is preparation and also freedom without expectations. If you line up a place to stay the first night and go from there, it is easy to meet people at hostels and hotels to decide to move from there. I suggest booking a spot on the first night before landing because it makes entry into the country smooth and on the landing card, it will ask for the address where you will be staying. Research if you need a departing flight or visa to enter the country.

The time spent in a specific spot depends on personality. I notice when I move very frequently I lose grounding and become uncentered. For a short time this is doable. For long-term travel, I suggest staying in one place for at least one month. This opens the opportunity to both make an impact on the community and gain friends from all around the world. When I travel, it brings me to a vulnerable state where growth and connection percolate. The people we attract in this state can be life-long friends. By staying in the same place it creates a grounding, free, healing energy that you can tap back into when you return home. It is your happy place, bring it back when you feel lost.

Electronics depend on if you want a disconnect or if you plan on working. I’ve traveled with an IPad mini 4 armored with a waterproof screen protector and carry case. There is a Bluetooth keyboard magnetized to the case. The ergonomics of this have been travel-friendly because I can whip it out on a bumpy train or an airplane when the desire to write surfaces. The Macbook Air is lightweight and thin with storage capability which is great if you plan on working while abroad.

Travel will expand your mind if you are open to receiving the lessons. Self-introspection will magnify, so be ready to learn and accept. Remember we are all humans and we make mistakes. It’s not about the mistakes but the focus. Life is so perfectly flawed that if we can find beauty when ugly hits, it’s is one of the greatest lessons to take.

*Tony Robbins UPW

*Louise Hay “How to Heal Your Life”

*When you get bottled water, look for mineral or spring water. Ionized water is tap water that has been purified with sterilization.

Embracing Peace: A Morning of Reflection and Gratitude at Yog Sadhana Dham

It is another beautiful morning at Yog Sadhana Dham as the orange sun rises into the pastel sky. The fog brushes over the silhouette of the mountains and a bird flies by. The chilly air cools my fingers and toes and your toothbrush is kissed by the brown Patanjali Ayurvedic toothpasteacquired in the nearby village.

You splash cool mountain water across your face and grab a yoga mat. You walk down the stone steps, rustic and rawl. The mat rolls out on the ledge overlooking the valley and you find peace. All is quiet in my mind. You hear the leaves shiver in the wind and the birds sing with my heart because you found peace amongst the aloe plants and the sweet sound of Ama’s voice. You found peace because you allowed yourself to understand it. What was so familiar in youth and as time passed the mind grew louder with haste, always seeking something more, discontent with the space. Like time was running out, your ego said that you must be great and do great things, and you’ve wasted so much time.

What we are born with and die with is what is here, we need nothing more than that, everything is already inside of us. Peace resides in your heart as you give the biggest gift you can give to yourself, the gift of silence. So let the thoughts pass on this beautiful morning, attached to none. A simple observation of the mind that passes like clouds in this pastel sky and knows you have to power to either hold them or let them pass. Take what serves and leave the rest. You choose to focus on happiness today. What makes you happy?

Sadhana is becoming more fruitful with each passing day at Prakriti Yog This morning during meditation you see yourself. With a minimalist wardrobe in the backpack that holds all my possessions, you find expression where you once felt lacking. It is how you perceive the object that creates your reality. You choose the door, perceived creation and art in the surrounding construct that you have made for yourself. Today you are grateful to be alive and make a gratitude.

Empowering Voices: The True Art of Free Speech

Free speech is the opportunity to be a voice for those who have none. Free speech is bringing people together to discuss common interests. Free speech is the art of expressing freedom through words.

I worked in the salon and spa industry for many years and the topics of discussion were vast. I learned that we are what we focus on. Free speech to me is shining light on darkness to expose fear and see it for what it is. False Evidence Appearing Real.

Dangerous speech is to get a rise out of people for entertainment purposes and induce fear in the masses. Dangerous speech teaches us to live in a box. Hate speech is a direct attack.

Hate speech is covering light with a veil of darkness. Hate speech is cruel and unnecessary. When we use our gift of free speech to create hate speech we become hate and freedom becomes paralysis. We are all that we have in the end. Free speech can generate life, hate speech will cause destruction and suffering. 

Mindfulness in discussion allows the flow of speech to come freely. When clear from the distraction of unnecessary talk it helps to open the communication flow of connection. When you speak from a place of clutter, the words that come out do not align with who you are because the discussion becomes the mind ping-ponging in the bulk and worst-case scenario: fight or flight response (hello social anxiety). To take responsibility and deliver with dignity allows free speech to be heard and promotes respect for listeners.

Finding Harmony: Balancing Energy Channels for a Peaceful and Vibrant

Museum of Art in Dallas, Texas

Harmony is walking smoothly. It’s looking up at the blue sky as a smile breaks across your face. When energy flows smoothly throughout our body, a harmonious day is created. Energy flows through 3 channels of the body: left, right, and central.

We harmonize the left and right side channels to harmonize the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Nadi translates to flow or note. These notes of music flow in order to create the song that is you. Think of yourself as a vessel made of channels of water. The quality of the water that flows through you is your perception. When we hold onto things it causes blockages in the channels and water cannot flow through. In our physical body, this shows up as tension and projected pain in our everyday reality.

Our left side brain controls the right side of our body. This is the Pingala or logical, extroverted, active, solar nadi. The sun side passes down the right side and correlates to blood and the color red. It is the channel that holds onto the mind and objects. We are the subject and everything outside of us is the object. The material objects surrounding us are a direct reflection of what going on inside of us. We open the flow of the sun channel by moving the body intentionally with yoga postures and breathing. Pingala is yang, “Ha”, sun, mountain, light, conspicuous, and active.

The sun channel is spicy! The negative thoughts we experience when disliking something bring feelings of anger and jealousy. Ignorant dislike of the sun channel stems from seeing the objects around us as separate. The anger/ jealousy is then projected onto the object and gives us a logical reason to feel this way. The reality is that anger/ jealousy does not come from the object. It comes from you and how you have treated others in the past. Feel this to let it go. Forgive yourself! If you shine a flashlight in a dark hole it becomes lit and less intimidating. We face ourselves to be the best version of ourselves. When we align with our truth we radiate this truth and gain the capability to lift others. We lift others because one of our basic needs is a sense of contribution.

Ida is the introverted, lunar nadi that governs the left side of the body. “If I have this thing I will be happy” and “By not having this I am less than I am now” are common thought misperceptions when the left side is blocked. We already have everything we need inside of us, we just have to listen. The left side is our emotional side. Cool as a cucumber, the channel of the moon runs up our left side and is represented as a milky white color. The moon side holds up and onto. It withstands and supports. This is your creativity and voice. Own it to free yourself from the shackles that have limited your greatness. Listen to your intuition. It has more wisdom than your mind. The mind keeps us safe. The brain holds knowledge. The wisdom of your gut is infinite. Roll onto your left side after yoga class to ground if you had a particularly stimulating session. Ida is yin, “tha”, feminine, moon, valley, dark, mysterious, and calming.

When energy flows smoothly throughout our body, a harmonious day is created. When the left and right side channels of energy are fluid, the central channel is opened. The central channel is pure essence and is opened when both side channels are running smoothly. The central channel is in alignment when we are thinking well of others w/out effort. When we are thinking well of others it is a reflection of our internal world in a state of homeostasis.

*Homeostasis
[ hoh-mee-uh-stey-sis ]
noun
the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to disturb its normal condition or function.
Psychology. a state of psychological equilibrium obtained when tension or a drive has been reduced or eliminated.
Entomology. the ability of members of a colony of social insects to behave cooperatively to produce a desired result, as when bees coordinate the fanning of their wings to cool the hive.

When we let go of fear we are left vulnerable, united with self and raw. This vulnerable state is where everything in the universe is sourced from. It is effortlessly beautiful and flows smoothly with grace. This is home and damn, it feels good to be back.

Meditate at sunrise and sunset because it is when the channels are in Sushumna and optimal energy is absorbed to be assimilated.

*Dictionary.com

*Diamond Heart Yoga School Teacher Training Manual

What is

Looking down at my feet I see where I have been

Looking up at the sky brings me to see where I am going

Looking in front of me allows me to see what is