Like so much that matters, progressing in the direction of ahimsa starts with awareness. Awareness of the stories I tell myself about myself and others; awareness of how these stories fuel judgement and feelings of insecurity, resentment, guilt and the rest; and awareness that these stories, beliefs and feelings do not define me and that I have the capacity to outgrow them, to shed them like a snake sheds its old skin. 

I find I most always want to say “yes” when there is an invitation to go deeper or rise to a challenge. I am learning to lovingly push myself when my own ego or laziness becomes an obstacle. We are taught here that the peaceful and loving yogic presence needs to be powered by a warrior spirit, a deep inner strength. This resonates with me a lot.

And I am also learning to discern when something isn’t for me. Anandji reminds us often to not look to our right or our left, but to stay on our own path. Every obstacle in our unique path is an opportunity to learn and evolve. I can’t hear this enough. 

One thing that makes this training so powerful is that there is no faith required. The miracles of existence and awareness are ever present. With a bit of mindful practice, each of us has the opportunity to see the miracles and understand that each of us is an integral part of them.

The wise & compassionate Teacher here at Sattva, Anand Mehrotra, says: “Master your mind, master your energy, master your life.” So by 8:30 we are in Bramanda hall for the 90-minute Morning Journey with Anandji. Learning to master our energy. Young Jedis. [...] Experiences may include but are not limited to: healing, detoxifying, powerful emotions, releasing old patterns of thought and behavior, transcendence, deep love, bliss. These practices are powerful.

A wall carving at the Shiva temple reminds us that to be here on this planet as a human being is an improbable karmic miracle not to be squandered. As spiritual beings in a human body we have a unique opportunity that other life forms do not have: to learn, heal, grow and transcend.

I don’t want to waste this precious appointment with life. How fortunate I am for this opportunity to learn, to grow, and to see the world through fresh eyes. I am beyond grateful.