Stop dreaming, Start doing

I have never been a FML kinda person, I have a job I enjoy, an amazing group of friends, and a family that makes my heart burst with happiness. My life before I committed to this adventure was comfortable, it wasn't complicated, and I thought I was as happy as I could be. The problem was while trying to be my best self I was over riding my honest self, I was doing more dreaming than actual doing and my bucket list was getting bigger by the year. I felt a longing for something more, I knew that this could not be it, I've watched enough Oprah and read enough biographies and quotes to know that life is not meant to be lived with the training wheels on. So after a few serendipitous events I committed to the #1 on my bucket list and I made it happen. It wasn't comfortable, things got complicated, and I made decisions unsure of what the outcome would be. As I'm writing this I'm sitting in a cafe two blocks from the Eiffel Tower in Paris watching the sunset, this is what happens in my life when I don't play it safe, when I jump without a safety net and follow my heart.

You may think, that I think everyone should travel and while I can list off reasons why you should I know it's not everyone's dream or goal. My hope is that more people will turn the tvs off and stop watching other people live their lives and live their own. Chase your dreams, achieve goals, quit that job you don't like, book that plane ticket, take the next step in a relationship or end a relationship that is not full filling. Whatever it might be just do the stuff that makes you uncomfortable, gets your heart pumping, do the things where your not sure of the outcome. A life lived in your comfort zone is mostly not that challenging, not that interesting or inspiring.

Everyone knows what I'm writing about, but not everyone lives like this and I haven't always but I'm committed now because I feel the magic from living this way and for the first time I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be in life. I'd rather have cold showers for a month, eating nothing but beans than live another minute of my life playing it safe. Life moves pretty fast, don't be a sad panda at the end of yours because you didn't have the courage to take that leap of faith and step outside of your comfort zone.

OM Shanti Shanti Shanti

In my research of ashrams in Rishikesh (Yoga Capital Of The World) I came across Anand Prakash. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive, you were allowed to come and go as you please, nothing was mandatory, and there was hot water. The Schedule: Monday-Saturday (Sunday is a free day) 5am- Bell Rings 6-7:45am- Yoga 8:30am- Breakfast 1pm- Lunch 4-5:45pm- Yoga 6:30pm- Supper

My first week at the ashram consisted of getting used to the schedule, 3hrs of yoga and 5am wake ups had me wiped out for the first few days. I didn't end up making it to every class, I slept through one and skipped another two due to being sore. If you enjoy legumes, lentils, beans, and rice then you will love ashram meals. For the first week my taste buds rejected it, I didn't hate it but I didn't like it either and sometimes I thought it was terrible. Honestly though I couldn't ignore the positive effects it was having on my body, I felt full longer and had more energy throughout the day. Monday mornings turned out to be my favorite day to eat at the ashram because it's BANANA SAMOSA day, do yourself a favor and try one.

The second week was a more social week, time was spent with newly made friends walking around Rishikesh and savoring non ashram food. To the surprise of both myself and Andy I was actually beginning to enjoy ashram food, I guess my taste buds just needed sometime to adjust. My goal for this week was to attend all AM and PM classes which I did with the exception of Saturday. On Friday Jen, Andy, Yang, and I decided to get a ride to the top of a mountain and check out a temple but more importantly the view of the Himalayas. People always ask why I don't like monkeys and here's why, while carrying an offering up the 200 steps to the temple a monkey jumps in front of me and steals my beads. Monkeys are not cute people, they are evil and masters of psychological warfare. This is the second time this week I've been hustled from one and have earned the nickname baboon magnet. Once I reached the top I placed what was left of my offering in the temple and admired the spectacular view. Seeing the Himalayan mountains in the distance further fueled my insatiable desire to explore this amazing world. Ahead of time we decided that we would walk down the mountain following the well travelled trail. Knowing we were walking down a mountain I decided to leave my perfectly good shoes in my backpack and wear my sandals. I had made it a personal mission to not wear shoes once since I left Canada, there are times were my stubbornness causes me to learn lessons the hard way and this was one of those times. 4.5 hours and 20 km later we reached the bottom of a trail, we are not sure if it was the right one because there were many others trails intersecting with each other causing us to veer off track. Once we were in a taxi headed back to Rishikesh we all marveled about the waterfalls we came across, the villages we wandered through, and the locals we met along the way. It was at this point that I was also able to forgive Yang who decided that it would be me who would either get left behind or eaten if it got to dark. The next day every muscle in my body ached so I reasoned that it was probably a good idea to skip yoga. In the afternoon we were invited to attend an opening ceremony of a school that Yogi Vishvketu and his charity started. His organization helpinghandsforindia.org is dedicated to helping less fortunate children improve their lives by providing education. It's amazing what can be accomplished when you put good out there.

On our third week the weather starts to warm up significantly and I'm starting to get somewhat of a tan, which is no easy feat considering tank tops and shorts are frowned upon in this part of India. Sunday proved the adage that bad luck happens in 3's to be true, poor Andy had a shit day first, he forgot to get his change from a cafe, then he got sold ice cream on 3 different occasions that all tasted awful #firstworldproblems, but the cherry on top was when he got hit by a jeep while walking. If you saw how they drive in India you'd be surprised that one of us hasn't got hit sooner. It's me however that steps in actual shit (a sign of good luck I'm told) and most likely as karma for chuckling at his misfortunes. Yogi Vishvketu continues to entertain us during yoga classes with his Russell Peters like humor, while doing bicycles he tells us to imagine we're driving through India and the red light up ahead is just a suggestion just like in India so keep going.

Spending three weeks in ashram may not be for everyone, for me personally I found my experience to be blissful. I quickly became a morning person enjoying the 6am yoga classes inhaling the crisp mountain air and feeling the golden beams of sunlight on my skin. Everyone knows how great yoga is for you and in addition to the physical benefits, one of the greatest benefits for me was experiencing a yoga high from pushing my body past the limits my mind had set. I thought my days of getting that kind of high were long gone. Another city and another group of amazing people that I am fortunate to have spent time with, Thank You for the memories.