Pandemic

Wherever you live right now  – Vancouver, Bali, Thailand, Toronto, Hawaii, New Zealand, Sydney, Calgary, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne   – the pandemic we are experiencing is reshaping our lives on a number of different levels. 

In the work that I do, what we see is that there is so much grief and that grief is being compounded by social isolation and fear. 

There is such an influx of information that is overwhelming. We find ourselves looking at the past to try and figure out what and if there was anything we could have done to prevent this from happening. 

Simultaneously

We are simultaneously worrying about the future. Many of us allow the fear of what our future may look like to play over and over again in our minds. 

Our mental health is at risk and that risk will continue to grow well after the restrictions have been lifted. In my opinion, there has never been a more critical time in our lives to explore the topic of enlightenment. 

Now

Our ability to allow ourselves to be in the “now” is becoming increasingly more difficult but increasingly more important. Yoga and yoga teacher trainings can help.

As Deepak Chopra mentions in one of his podcasts, the past and the future are a dream state and the only reality is the very second we are in. I believe this to be true. 

Enlightenment

If we are to become enlightened, we need to take away the external conditioning, the internal thoughts and to look for the truth of who we are at our very core. It is the ability to sit quietly, without distraction, and to be in the moment. 

Being

Being in the moment allows us the time and space to look within, without judgment, and connect with our inner feelings. This self-realization gives us the unique opportunity to understand who we truly are, to help to uncover our purpose in life and how we can serve the world around us. 

What, I believe, is that enlightenment does not just happen once but is an ongoing journey. I have to confess that I too have been caught in the chaos of Covid-19 and have allowed precious time to be lost… I have done everything I felt I was “supposed” to do with work and to keep in touch (virtually) with family and friends. 

Needed

But it is always so very easy to overlook the obvious, self. Being brought up in a Christian home, this Easter morning brought a shift I was so, unconsciously, desperate for.