4 Illuminating Life Lessons | A 23-Day Yoga & Ceremony Journey
The night of our arrival, many new faces but familiar souls entered a yoga Shala nestled on a beautiful plot of Indigenous Chorotega ceremonial land in the Costa Rican jungle.
We gathered around in a circle and joined in song…
The smell of Palo Santo filled the air…
Flickering candles revealed inner details of the Shala overhead and the faces of our tribe around us.
We had entered sacred space…
A space set apart from the outside world…
The energy in the Shala was palpable.
You could feel it in and around you.
We acquainted ourselves and shared our intentions for the next 21 days.
Our journey had begun….
Wow… as I reflect on that first night, I get goosebumps.
At the end of November, I began my 21-day journey to the heart of yoga in Costa Rica.
I felt it would be a life-transforming experience… but I did not know what that would entail…. What would shift in my mind, body, and soul?
Going into it, becoming a yoga teacher was not my intent; I was eager to dive deeper into yoga's practice, philosophy, ancient lineage, and the self-inquiry process.
I discovered something far greater… and more beautiful than I could have imagined.
The physical practice of yoga (Yoga Asana) was all but a small piece of the exploratory experience Sacred Path's Yoga & my excellent teachers Sam and Karen offered us.
Yoga Asana is a vehicle one can use to initiate an illuminating road of inner discovery and further exploration of the human experience.
Some of the experiences we were exposed to included but were not limited to:
Letting-go ceremonies
Eye-gazing
Meditation
Breath work (Holotropic and other forms)
Sweat lodge
Cacao ceremony
Past-life regression
Surfing
Ecstatic dance & shaking
Singing
It was not an easy journey, however… it seemed to pulsate from high to low, from bliss to confusion. From laughing to crying…
But isn't that what this human experience is about? To experience the range of emotions… To understand that they are there for a reason and we do not need to chase or run from them… rather, BE with them.
Upon graduation, my teacher Karen shared with our class what her teacher had shared with her upon her Yoga Teacher Training graduation. It reads,
"Teaching yoga is an honor, not a given. Place your heart and soul within the teachings. Teaching yoga is not a business, not even a profession. Teaching yoga is a privilege & blessing. See the divine within your students and let your teachings be the worship of their universal beauty."
The following blog details five of the biggest lessons I learned.
I invite you to read along… with an open mind… yogi or not… spiritual or not… aligned with my belief or not…
Often, reading others' words can reveal insights, ideas, creativity, and perspectives that lie dormant within us that we might not have ever explored.
God & The Universe Are Conspiring with You
Following your heart and chasing your dreams is tough. It's scary as sh*t, quite frankly.
But this is the trick…
If we can take the leap toward it. Surrender to the plan that has been laid out for us… And lay our trust in God's hands, the universe, creator, or source…
It begins to work in our favor.
We have a god given genius. Unique gifts and talents to bring into this world.
These are the subtle ideas or visions that make us think, "Wouldn't that be cool if I did…" or "Wow… what if I could live a life like this?"
These aspects of us that yearn to be expressed in the world…
It is the inner artist, creator, innovator, and lover of life within us…
Was I fearful of going on this journey? Yes!
Did I struggle with inner resistance as we toiled back in forth to go or not go? To follow my heart or stay in my current anxiety and depression? You know it!
It tried to convince me many times not to go! It wanted to make me unworthy… that it wouldn't be a sound financial decision…
What would others think? Am I mentally strong enough?
I came across this quote a few years ago, and I loved it, but I only understood the power of what Terrence McKenna was really saying now.
"Nature loves courage. You make a commitment, and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream, and the world will not grind you under; it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it's a feather bed."
I invite you to test this quote out in the new year by challenging yourself… by beginning to explore an endeavor that you resonate with… you don't necessarily have to change your job. You may change how you do your job. Or perhaps you start a side hustle that fuels your creative passion.
Don't be surprised if the right situations, people, and things begin coming to you!
The Real Work of Yoga Is Integration
Practice what you preach. Preach what you practice.
It's easy to be a monk on a mountain top… It's much harder to be a monk in a business meeting, a traffic jam, or a disagreement with someone.
How do we embody yoga's teachings in our day-to-day lives to improve the quality of our life and those around us?
The answer is not to start doing more yoga and meditation to escape society…
It's not all butterflies and rainbows out there… gone are the days of thinking we can stand in a circle, sing kumbaya, and the world's problems will suddenly disappear.
What I want to know is how we utilize the practice of yoga and meditation to co-create a happier, more abundant, and less threatening society for all.
Nourishment leads to inspiration.
Inspiration leads to action.
Action leads to change.
The modern world moves so quickly these days…
Finding sacred space away from the noise is becoming rather tricky, and it is not accessible to everyone…
That is why we must learn to sit with it.
Learn to be monk-like regardless of the situation or environment we are in.
We live in a fast-paced, globally connected world… we can let this break us or make us.
We have a choice to walk with grace & authenticity, spreading love everywhere we go.
It doesn't matter how many gurus you've studied with. How many hours of meditation you've sat in. How many hours of asana have you practiced. What truly matters is the quality and integrity of your being.
In all honesty, there are many yogis or "spiritual" people out there who claim to be more "enlightened" or "ascended" than others but don't imbue love, authenticity, and humility as human beings.
Real yoga is not achievement based. One never reaches "mastery," only further layers of self-discovery as we walk ourselves home.
This perspective stems from a Tantric/Non-dualistic viewpoint of the world...
There is no “holier than.” This is what it means to embody the yogic path truthfully.
The song "It Starts Now" by BLOND:ISH featuring one of Alan Watts's lectures, illuminates this perspective further.
Here is a small snippet:
"So long as we think of it in terms of something
That I, myself, can bring about
By some kind of wangle, by some sort of gimmick.
Because, you see, that leads to endless games
Of spiritual one-upmanship
And of guru competitions
Of my guru is more effective than your guru
My yogas are faster than your yogas
I am more aware of myself than you are
I'm humbler than you are
I am sorrier for my sins than you are
I love you more than you love me
And these interminable goings on
About which people fight and wonder whether
They're a little bit more
Evolved than somebody else, and so on
All that can just fall away"
Our effort should be focused on embodying the medicine work of yoga or ceremony and transforming how we show up in the world.
With the modern psychedelic & plant medicine renaissance surging around the world… this is a critical conversation… the medicine only reveals what changes need to be made in the physical realm. Then it is up to the human being to act on those changes.
Whether practicing yoga, participating in psychedelic-assisted therapy, or enrolling in ceremonial retreats… it is essential to integrate the insights you receive. This is how we ground the "heightened experience" into everyday life.
What if instead of constantly seeking expansive realms, we can learn to recognize the expansive in the here and now?
How can we make every breath, action, and word spoken yoga?
How can we return to childlike wonderment of the world around us?
What is it like to experience a sensual life in a human body on a complex rock floating through an ever-expanding universe?
We are here to play, express and love!
One doesn't have to study yoga, follow a set of rules, or consume a psychoactive substance to participate in the holiness of the human experience- IT IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT.
The power of a safe, accepting, and nurturing community
At our core… we are wired to live in tribal communities.
But most of us in the modern day find ourselves living amidst complex communities… that cannot provide the level of security, acceptance, and care we require.
In balance, these complex communities are beautiful and offer our culture some excellent pros… but when imbalanced, they can lead to challenging cons.
Sadly, our collective culture is not safe, accepting, and nurturing.
Did you know that Oxytocin, the connection chemical we release in our brains, is being released in lower doses than ever before?
Connecting with others is more challenging from a neurological standpoint because we aren't receiving the social lubrication from our brains that spark the impulse to connect.
Speaking collectively, I believe many human beings out there crave authenticity, vulnerability, and a way of life that nourishes the soul…
A way of life that supports and understands the necessity of individual expression and one's influence and connection to the collective whole.
A way of life that inspires one to discover their gifts, genius, and unique medicine to be brought forth for the progress of humanity.
Through practices such as yoga, we can build communities worldwide that create safe spaces for human beings to heal and return home to their true nature.
Spaces where we can deeply rest and feel.
Spaces where we feel held, seen and supported.
When you experience a community like this… you don't want to leave it.
You recognize the sacredness of a strong community and its influence on you as a human being.
You witness an extraordinary change in yourself and all those around you.
Whether we recognize it or not, we are deprived of this in our western culture.
We yearn to be seen, supported, loved & held.
And we don't just want to understand it theoretically- we want to feel that deep state of safety in our nervous systems.
We want our time and energy to be invested in people, activities, and places where we can truly feel a shift within us.
Is that too much to ask… If we all sincerely seek the same reality?
What will the world look like when we access a more profound sense of purpose, abundant creativity, adaptation skills, and greater physical, mental & emotional vitality?
This is not a utopian dream. This is a plausible way of life we can co-create together.
Remembering who we are
(In all simplicity, the song "Sitting around the fire" by East Forest featuring Ram Dass encompasses the greatest lesson I took away from this whole journey)
We are the seed of a lotus flower germinating in the mud.
We are an ember residing in the ashes of a fire.
We are a grain of sand, calcifying into a pearl in the mouth of a clam.
We are a dusty mirror that needs polishing.
We are golden statutes covered in mud.
When we are born into this physical realm and begin our lives… we know what we want to do.
As children… the first seven years of our lives, we are in the "subconscious" state of mind… we are actively living in the dream state...
This explains why childhood is often a time of wonder. Of dreams, originality, and possibilities….
For many of us, as we grow older, this beautiful wonderment, imagination, and connection to the Self are gradually extracted from us in unknowing ways…
We begin to believe lies about ourselves.
We are convinced we are relatively powerless.
This is when the dust accumulates on our mirror.
This is when the mud begins to build on our statute.
This is when our inner fire begins to reduce to an ember.
We begin to forget our true essence.
We're taught not to trust our dreams and intuition.
To not follow our passions… and that the world is a very unsafe, unloving, cruel place.
An impression of "success" is imparted to us… and a concept of "normalcy" is introduced.
Become a doctor, lawyer, banker…
Strive to make money, accomplish things, accumulate material possessions, get married, start a family, retire, then pass away.
And maybe... just maybe. If you are lucky or gifted enough, you can acquire fame and riches and live out your dreams- but it is not for everyone. (This could not be further from the truth)
This is the cycle we begin to believe in, yet deep down, we know something better must exist. The culture around us reaffirms it, however.
We feel less than if we have yet to achieve it. We look externally for validation rather than within…
We reach out for heightened experiences to reconnect with ourselves.
Disciplined practices.
Extreme sports.
Even drinking, smoking, and consuming psychoactive substances.
It's all to catch a glimmer of our Self again.
The being who ventures to a mountaintop to meditate is no different from the being who dives into the depths cave.
The being partaking in extreme sports is no different from the being gracefully dancing.
Each is seeking a remembrance of Self.
A connection to something deeper- something whole.
The presence and active engagement that comes with the Flow State.
It is essential to point out that this process of forgetting our beauty, gifts, and wholeness is not our fault!
This is not something to fret over, feel guilty or ashamed of…
You take your personal sovereignty back when you recognize how it is playing out within you.
If you wish to transform it, you bear the torch and begin the trek forward…
There is no time too late.
No one is ahead or behind.
The timing is perfect now.
Smile and laugh at the idiocrasy of what you thought was the truth.
"Ha! They tried to cover me in mud… they tried to make me forget who I was… they tried extinguishing my flame."
Ram Dass, an American spiritual Teacher, modern yoga guru, psychologist, and writer, reminds us, "You simply aren't whom you thought you were. You just aren’t that person… and in this very lifetime, you can know it."
It is necessary to note that remembering who we are doesn't mean we have to change our careers!
It could invite a shift in how we do our jobs.
How we treat those around us and the planet we call home.
Ultimately though… it is about coming home to you!
To remember the truest, you.
Polish your mirror.
Chip the mud off of your statute.
Fan the ember into a flame.
Rise out of the mud and blossom into that beautiful lotus flower you were born to be.
Release your inhibitions, doubts, and fears.
Blaze forward with abundant self-love, grace, and humility!