Zap

There we were...attending the annual Bhakti Fest, a yoga/music gathering located in the high desert near Joshua Tree, California. Our days were spent in morning meditation or chanting the Hanuman Chalisa (a 40-verse ancient prayer tapping into service, devotion and inner strength), attending yoga classes, eating vegan food and listening to live Kirtan (call and response) music.  People floated about enjoying good vibrations, feeling a deeper sense of connection to themselves and all other beings.  Love was in the air.  It was a time of letting go of the everyday and experiencing something different.  For many people, it pushes them completely out of their comfort zone and exposes them to a world of Bhakti 
(devotion), unlike many other traditional forms of contemplation.  It can't help but alter your state of being.

And then you hop in your car, sliding that new favorite CD into your player and continue the loving feeling all the way home. Until, that is, you walk through the door and realize you're back into the everyday...into the ordinary life that is yours.  The question is, "How long do these good vibes last?".


It's not just returning from Bhakti Fest when this happens.  It can happen following an amazing concert, coming home from vacation, a yoga retreat or after a major life event such as a graduation or wedding.  You're flying high on the richness of life as though reality and time are somewhat suspended, particularly if the experience was rich and heart opening.  How long can the residue of the experience last?


I've had this experience on many occasions and have found that the deeper I go into the "away" experience, the longer it sticks with me when I return home.  And if I can embody the feeling of what it's like to be in this buzzing state, I can access it during moments of my ordinary day to day, especially during smaller moments that reflect it, such as meditation, cycling, practicing yoga or listening to music.


The key is to step into your own sanctuary on a daily basis. Heading off to a festival or vacation or retreat is like taking a mega-dose of peace and serenity, to fill up on the good stuff.  For me, the good stuff is remembering my connection to what I do and why I do it.  It's remembering to look through the lens of optimism, love and gratitude.  The longer I stay away from mega-dosing, the dustier the lens becomes, yet it's through connecting to a daily ritual that stops it from going away altogether.


The ancient yogis and sages knew this.  They had these enlightened states and sought to stay that way always...not just on the weekends.  So they would dive fully and completely into their practice.  Nowadays that means being in the frame of mind that you have on the mat to taking it off the mat and into all moments. It begins by taking a daily dose of goodness first thing in the morning.  That alone will set the tone for good vibrations throughout the day.


Give it a try.  Get up in the morning and find some peace and quiet for a few minutes.  Reflect into what you're grateful for and what you have to look forward to that day.  At the end of the day, as you're unwinding toward sleep, reflect again on how much abundance was in your day and how you affected others.  It can't help but you give mini-bhakti high...go on...give it a try!