A Change Has Begun…

I know that I have been on this spiritual, self-healing journey for a while now, but it is just recently that I have really begun to feel the effects of all the work that I have been putting in.  To say that it is an incredible feeling is a vast understatement.  I feel powerful.  And re-energized.  And like I want to fly!  I know that sounds a bit over the top, but honestly, I don’t know how else to describe it.  I feel like everything is finally falling into place, and every day it feels more and more right, and exactly as it should be.  And every day I feel more and more clear.  Thoughts that were once a jumbled mess that I couldn’t get organized to save my life are now lining up in such a clear and obvious way.  

Is it the meditation?  The yoga?  My journaling?  Self-reflection?  Open and honest discussions that I have had with strangers and new friends along the way? India? I really don’t know. Maybe it’s all of it.  Whatever it is, it feels good and I don’t want it to change.

I have slowed down a lot, even more than before.  I know that I have talked about slow travel in a lot of my prior posts and I stand by that, but honestly, there is something to be said about slowing down to the point where you just stay put so that you can process things that you are learning.  For example, after finishing my yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh last month, I had big plans to get on the road and back on the tourist path.  I was planning to spend about a month in Rajasthan exploring 5 or 6 cities, spending about 3-4 days in each, and then heading to Delhi and the Taj Mahal, and then Varanasi, and then landing in Nepal by May 1st.  It’s amazing how things change…And how I feel more fluid and more open to change than I ever have before.  In my old life, I liked to think that I could go with the flow, but in reality I was quite structured and any deviation from a plan or routine was such a big deal.  I like going with the flow now.  I don’t really make plans anymore. I sort of wait for the Universe to tell me where to go next, and that is actually how I got to where I am now — Dharamshala, India.

(Scenes of Dharamshala /Dharmakot/ McLeodGanj below.)

Dharamshala was never really on my list.  I had seen it mentioned in a travel blog somewhere and I was somewhat aware of it, but it definitely wasn’t a priority.  So how did I get here anyway?  I believe it was a few things:

1). The weather.  It is HOT in Rajasthan right now.  Wandering around the desert in 105 degree heat just didn’t sound enjoyable to me.  

2). I felt this overwhelming urge to continue with my yoga & meditation practice.  

3). I have been wanting to settle down and really focus on my business for a while now.

I really wanted my experiences and everything that I learned at my yoga teacher training to have a chance to sink in.  It was deep, and we learned a lot, and they were not easy topics to digest.  Yoga philosophy is no joke.  It had sparked genuine interest in me and I wanted to dive deeper and I was afraid that if I got back on the tourist path, I was going to forget everything; or worse, fall into my old habits.  I needed some grounding, so suddenly I thought of Dharamshala.  It was cooler, being up in the mountains, and it had a reputation for being a chill place to unwind, relax at coffee shops, take more yoga & meditation classes, and also dive into even more spiritual experiences like sound healing, tantric yoga, ecstatic dance, Ayurvedic retreats, breathwork, and more.  I thought that I was just going to settle in for a week to do some yoga and meditating, but it became clear to me very quickly that I needed to stay here much longer if I really wanted to get the benefits of the changes that I could feel happening within me. So I quickly threw all my “plans” out the window.  I signed up for a 10-day silent Buddhist meditation retreat at the end of the month, and that meant I was living here for at least 4 weeks.

It’s been 2 weeks now and although I am a bit cold up here (LOL – too hot/too cold…someday I will figure it out 😝), this was definitely the right move for me.  I am giving my mind and my physical body the time that it needs to process all of this change.  “Move slow, be patient, and trust your gut.”  These are my daily mantras now.  Traveling requires a lot of thought and it can be stressful and time-consuming.  I am so glad that I slowed down to allow myself to have a real opportunity to become the person that I am meant to be.

On a similar, and yet different note, I haven’t drank alcohol, eaten meat, or had caffeine in 50 days and I have incorporated an Ayurvedic meal plan into my daily eating habits.  It is a long story, but many of you know that I have been battling a bad case of plantar fasciitis in my left heel for almost a year now.  I have tried everything – pain medication, physical therapy, electro-shockwave therapy, new footwear, a cortisone shot, reflexology……the list goes on and on.  I had an Ayurvedic massage that was included in my yoga teacher training package and the woman who worked on me told me that I had a lot of issues and would benefit from seeing the Ayurvedic doctor at her clinic.  I went for a consultation, told him about my plantar fasciitis, and he prescribed me some herbal supplements, some herbal oils to rub on my foot, and gave me a detailed meal and lifestyle plan to cure the pain from the inside out.  He told me that this was not a result of what I did to my foot physically, but instead was a result of what I was putting into my body and the imbalance that I had created as a result.  I needed to balance out my doshas (more on this in another post), but the point is that there needed to be a change in what I was eating, how I was eating, and other things in my daily routine as well.

I was skeptical.  My Western brain wasn’t really buying it.  But I was desperate and willing to try anything.  Plus – I had already started the vegetarian and no alcohol diet due to the yoga teacher training so I figured, why not take it a little farther?  

I am still in the beginning stages of this new lifestyle, but the results so far have been incredible.  I didn’t really see or feel them right away, and I almost quit before I even really got going, but I have learned that real change takes time.  We all want a quick fix (cue that Western brain again), but that is not how it happens.  46 years of eating and drinking my way through life doesn’t change overnight.  And although I feel incredible and things are magically healing in my body and mind (yes, my foot feels so much better!), this doesn’t mean that I am never going to eat meat or drink alcohol again.  I am sure that I will.  But it is just not a thing here.  I’ve gotten used to not having it around.  I drink a lot of tea and eat a lot of veggies now.  A LOT.  And I like it.  And I’ve even signed up for an Ayurvedic class out here to learn more about it…knowledge is power. 💪

So, in sum, this isn’t a post to harp on anyone about what they are eating or drinking, or to lecture anyone on how you are living your life.  I am simply telling you that making some changes in mine has made a big difference in how I feel in both my body and mind and that the combination of healthy eating, no drinking, meditation, yoga, and mindfulness in general has created a new sense of drive and energy within me that makes me feel amazing! In the spirit of sharing my transformation from travel, I felt it was important for you to know this.  Change is possible with small, small steps.  Perhaps it starts with inspiration?  Asia has inspired me.  As I have said before, people are really happy out here and there’s a reason for it.  The common denominator in all my travels has been spirituality, mindfulness, exercise, nature, and fresh fruits and vegetables.  These elements are everywhere I go.  It’s not a coincidence anymore.  It’s a proven methodology.  Try it out for yourself.  Or better yet, come out here and see it for yourself.  Get inspired.  There’s a story being told out here if you just look close enough to see it.  Open your heart and your mind, and I promise the rest will follow.

“Even the smallest changes in our daily routine can create incredible ripple effects that expand our vision of what is possible.” — Charles F. Glassman