In a way, this trip is like a pilgrimage for me. My intent for the first month of my journey is to increase my inner peace and strength, and to create clarity. After 2 years of working up to 4 jobs at one time (often 80 hour weeks) and of having a constant sleep deficit, I am excited to use this time to restore balance and enjoy every minute of my day!
I will begin my trip by studying Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga for a month at the Vishwa Yoga Darshan, an ashram in the mountains east of Mumbai. The program will be intense, but if I study hard and pass the examinations I will come home with a yoga teacher certification. Many people have asked me, why am I going all the way to India to study yoga when I could just take courses at home? So I ask in return, why learn here when I could go to the place where yoga was born, and fully immerse myself in the culture? Indian traditional yoga is more than just exercise; through yoga, one's mind, body, and spirit are connected and balance is achieved. The yoga philosophies of yoga create peace and can enrich one's life. Yoga isn't just a hobby; yoga is a lifestyle. This short article explains what I mean: www.healthtree.com/articles/yoga/philosophy.
The last 3 months of my trip I will be circling the entire country, and venturing into Nepal. I'll be visiting large cities and small villages, tiger reserves and national parks, boating in tropical backwaters and hiking in the Himalayas, seeing the Ganges river and ancient temples. I'll see colorful displays of culture, as well as the heartbreaking sight of abject poverty. Despite the vast amount of research I have done, I guarantee I will get culture shock. But the bitter-sweet juxtaposition of vibrant beauty and upsetting filth, joyous festivals and muffled sorrow, and of solitude in nature and over-crowding in cities... this is what makes the world such an exciting place.
My original plan was to experience this all on my own, traveling solo to push my boundaries. But I am fortunate that I will be sharing segments of this trip with two of my favorite people, my best friend Mathew and my sweet mother. I am excited to take my mom on her first major international trip! I'll be posting some of the pictures of our adventures on flickr. Leaving in less than two weeks, I can't wait!!!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Setting off on a new adventure...
Life is too short to not have adventures — and now is a perfect time to have one!
My childhood dream was to be an explorer, and to see beautiful places all over the world. I used to go bush-whacking through the forest or scramble up a talus slope and imagine that I was the first person to throw pebbles into a particular stream or walk through a hidden canyon. Now, whenever I perch myself on a boulder next to a winding river, or sit with my legs dangling over the edge of my favorite cliff and watch birds play in the updraft, it rekindles my dreams of visiting far-off places to see exotic lands.
I have always wished that I could visit some deep, dark jungle of Africa, explore the banks of the Amazon River, and ski the glorious Swiss Alps. I shed a tear in awe the first time I saw photographs of the dramatic Karst mountains of southern China, emerald green and shrouded in mist. These are the types of images that inspire me, and this passion for discovery is what drives me.
Utah has 27 people per square mile, and India has 960 people per square mile! So as my dad pointed out, there won't be anywhere left to explore for the first time. But I don't need to see any places that have never been seen before; I want to see places that I have never seen before, since any travel brings me feelings of discovery and awe.
In 2010 I decided it was time to create a new adventure for myself. So, after a year of working hard and carefully saving, as well as doing a mind-blowing amount of research and planning, I am heading out to fulfill one of my life-long dreams — exploring India!
I'll be gone for 4 months, and I am very nervous about this trip, hoping I can survive. But I am also more excited for this than anything I have ever done. I'll update this blog every week or two, since it's an easy way to let people know that I am still alive (stop worrying, I'll be safe, promise). And if you'd like to contact me (I would love to hear from my friends!) I'll be checking my email sometimes as well. I hope that all of you have a wonderful spring, enjoy every day, and remember Helen Keller's words that "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
My childhood dream was to be an explorer, and to see beautiful places all over the world. I used to go bush-whacking through the forest or scramble up a talus slope and imagine that I was the first person to throw pebbles into a particular stream or walk through a hidden canyon. Now, whenever I perch myself on a boulder next to a winding river, or sit with my legs dangling over the edge of my favorite cliff and watch birds play in the updraft, it rekindles my dreams of visiting far-off places to see exotic lands.
I have always wished that I could visit some deep, dark jungle of Africa, explore the banks of the Amazon River, and ski the glorious Swiss Alps. I shed a tear in awe the first time I saw photographs of the dramatic Karst mountains of southern China, emerald green and shrouded in mist. These are the types of images that inspire me, and this passion for discovery is what drives me.
Utah has 27 people per square mile, and India has 960 people per square mile! So as my dad pointed out, there won't be anywhere left to explore for the first time. But I don't need to see any places that have never been seen before; I want to see places that I have never seen before, since any travel brings me feelings of discovery and awe.
In 2010 I decided it was time to create a new adventure for myself. So, after a year of working hard and carefully saving, as well as doing a mind-blowing amount of research and planning, I am heading out to fulfill one of my life-long dreams — exploring India!
I'll be gone for 4 months, and I am very nervous about this trip, hoping I can survive. But I am also more excited for this than anything I have ever done. I'll update this blog every week or two, since it's an easy way to let people know that I am still alive (stop worrying, I'll be safe, promise). And if you'd like to contact me (I would love to hear from my friends!) I'll be checking my email sometimes as well. I hope that all of you have a wonderful spring, enjoy every day, and remember Helen Keller's words that "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
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