It’s not the first time I’ve said it, sometimes hopping on the back of a moto is just the sort of refresh I need. The wind in my face and mediocre broken Spanish small talk, coupled with palm trees and plenty of honking. I had to buy soap so it was the perfect escape to break up the day. These moments of self-care are ultimately tiny slices of freedom. These moments of meditation in a new or known environment begin to shed light on that which already resides within. I’m not saying I had an ecstatic realization today, I’m saying that I am constantly reminded that we are pure light. Just vibrating beings of prana capable of not only enlightening ourselves but also igniting compassion in others.
In the Dominican Republic every body helps each other out. Family is just not to be questioned the number one priority. The sense of connectedness ranges from the coco man on the side of the road to the security guards and the children playing on the sidewalk. Somebody is always watching your back, so don’t worry. This feels like a type of enlightenment to me. A safety net, the perfect example of how protection and support can allow for growth, exploration and freedom.
I know I’m always saying, “Everything is yoga,” but really these moments of introspection and self-awareness coupled with a connection to the world around you, this is the yoga. Yoga is an experience or state of being. There’s a reason we call it “practice” and there many different techniques suited to different constitutions to get us to that space. Often when our environment changes we can be thrown off balance, but the human ability to adapt and be resilient brings us knowledge about the self. Svadyaya is the practice of self-study, but also the study of ancient scriptures. There’s that safety net again… People have been doing yoga and talking about it, sharing it, passing it on for a very, very long time. There are books out there written by great yogis, like the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, that can help us process this experience of yoga which is both intimately personal and somehow universal at the same time.
Do svadyaya. Be patient. Try something new. Reset in the now. Eat a banana. Get out there. Have fun!
