Spring Into Mindfulness

Cliché as it sounds, I am a pretty firm believer that everything in life happens for a reason. The path that I am on has taken me around the world, has presented me with necessary challenges that have taught me imperative life lessons, has introduced me to incredible individuals, and has given me a life of adventure, knowledge, growth, balance and pleasure.

That being said, I think it was no coincidence that while camping in the Arizona desert last month, I began rereading (for the fourth time, in a third language) one of my favorite books – Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love.” For those with a taste for travel, I highly recommend this woman’s pleasure seeking journey through food in Italy, yoga and meditation in India, and romance in Indonesia.

Anyway, as I was reading while enjoying a nice cup of coffee in downtown Tucson, a thought popped into my head – “I wonder if there is an ashram in Arizona.” Well, within an hour I was walking through a row of palm trees towards the Temple of Light. Within two hours I was partaking in an evening meditation, and within three hours I was planning my meditation retreat for spring break.

The following week we began our spring break, which was conveniently timed for the day after I was hospitalized for dehydration. (Public service announcement – when working with chainsaws eight hours a day in the Arizona desert, do not underestimate the power of water, Gatorade, and shade).

I arrived at the ashram just in time for their daily evening meditation, and all I could think about was the excerpt from “Eat, Pray, Love” regarding her arrival – she made her way to the ashram around three in the morning, just as everyone was beginning their morning meditation. She said she felt like a chicken that was placed into a new coup – apparently, when introducing a new chicken to a coup, one should not do it in the daytime, for the other chickens will attack the foreigner. One should do it overnight, while the other chickens are sleeping, so when they wake up they won’t remember the arrival, and they will think the new chicken was there the entire time.

Well, I didn’t quite feel like a chicken. If I had to choose an animal, it would be a mix between a lost puppy and an awkward turtle, confused, slow to make it to my place in the Temple and unable to sit still for more than five minutes. How is my team doing? Did I submit all of my paperwork? Did I leave them the food card? Will their tents survive the rain? Needless to say that out of the two hours of scheduled meditation time, my first evening at the ashram brought me about ten minutes of peace and quiet – a true sign of how far into a dark box I was able to shove my inner peace, covering it with a lid full of worry and stress.

I was housed in a beautiful, two bedroom home with a kitchen full of vegetables from the ashram’s garden (tended by an individual from another AmeriCorps program, small world), organic vegan food and a variety of tea that I didn’t have enough time to sample. The accommodations were incredible, especially after a month of living in a tent.

For the next four days, I spent my time attending group meditations at sunrise and sundown, reading, writing letters to my loved ones, getting creative with my vegetable recipes and enjoying every last second of much needed alone time.

Ah yes, alone time. As of late, I have really come to appreciate and cherish alone time, especially after joining the team-based NCCC program. We live in an age of information and task overload, constantly on the go and constantly surrounded by other people. Oftentimes I found myself doing things simply because others were doing them, simply because of social approval. However, the fulfillment and pleasure that resulted were minimal.

As parts of a group, we often neglect to tune in to the needs of the one person whose happiness and wellbeing we're fully in charge of, the one person who will always be there, and the one person that we often neglect to care for and treasure – you.

Meditation has been a growing part of my life, one that I have been exploring and learning about for quite some time. The practice has been my way of balancing myself, restoring my energy and revealing to myself my desires when they are not influenced by the people around me.

Yoga, running and physical activity in general help me clear my mind and center myself, and they’re an easy way of de-stressing (added bonus if they involve an adrenaline rush, i.e. skydiving, snowboarding, cliff diving, zip lining, etc.)

Reading, not too much I have to say aside from encouraging everyone to try it. If you don’t like a book, try another one, try a different topic, try a different genre, don’t give up on literature just because one author was unable to capture your attention.

Food, for me, has always been more than just a means of nourishing my body. Cooking is an art, something I find enjoyable in itself, even if the result is mediocre. Luckily, with the vast amount of recipes and ingredients readily available, the possibilities are endless.

Exploring the great outdoors. Whether it's hiking, biking, kayaking, hammocking, boating, surfing, or simply endulging in the amazing feeling of sunlight and wind hitting your skin, there's something majestic and soothing about being one with nature. We live on a beautiful planet, take in all that it has to offer.

Lastly, write. You'll be surprised by what you discover once you put your thoughts on paper.

Naturally, we’re all different. What works for me may not work for anyone else, and that’s okay. Perhaps that’s exactly why these are the activities that I do in my alone time. But no matter what it is that puts a smile on your face, don’t forget that you won’t see results unless you actually carve out time from your busy schedule and go do it.

On my last evening at the ashram, I was able to meditate for nearly the full two hours, distracted only by the fire ant that decided to bite me.

Namaste.