Being Present

 

 

It's been a month since I returned from India.  Initially, I gave myself permission to just be with what happened during my experience.  I wasn't ready to have many deep conversations and found myself simply reflecting on what I witnessed, noticing my reactions and trying not to overcommit socially or otherwise.  That lasted about two weeks.

 

Then I started to realize the depth of the experience as things began to pop into my consciousness.  It's as though I had to be in neutral, not ready to leap into the future.  As soon as I got back people would ask me, "So, what's next for you?".  Initially, I lacked clarity, yet over the past two weeks, things have gotten more clear and I'm starting to take on a whole new perspective of how I want to be in the world.

 

I'm not at the stage of yet fully revealing what that's looking like but a sneak preview involves creating a 200-hr yoga teacher training program and continuing along my path of Seva.

 

What I have discovered is that my trip to India gave me the opportunity to be fully present.  My regular life in the States began to fade away into the background as I needed to be fully there to hold space for the traumatized young girls, the organizations that are doing incredible work and for myself.  I wasn't able to hold onto the drama of my life at home.  I had to be completely where I was...in India, in New Delhi, in Kolkata and face to face with people who we were supporting.

 

When you step into such spaciousness and your everyday falls away, you can't help but be completely absorbed into the here and now.  And within such space, my deeper soulful voice got louder and louder.  When I returned home, I found myself asking the question, "Is what I'm doing making a difference?  Am I reaching the people that need support?  What needs to change, if anything, to make a greater impact?".

 

My thought of the week is recognizing the potent effect of presence.  When the distractions fall away, we can tap into the powerful force that motivates us to walk our life's path.  How can I be more present in my life?  How can we all?  Part of it is in doing less, slowing down and making silence part of each day.

 

I'm so curious as to what else will percolate up...aren't you?