Committing to the Call
Bondi beach, Australia.
Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace el camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino
sino estelas en la mar.Traveler, your footprints
are the only road, nothing else.
Traveler, there is no road;
you make your own path as you walk.
As you walk, you make your own road,
and when you look back
you see the path
you will never travel again.
Traveler, there is no road;
only a ship's wake on the sea.
‘Caminante, no hay camino/ Traveller, there is No Road’ - Antonio Machado
With preparations for my upcoming trip well underway, I have noticed myself taking more and more time to reminisce and reflect on my chapter here in Sydney. A chapter that has lasted 5 years that was not planned or expected, but was instead presented before me and embraced wholeheartedly. Unaware of the blessings I would receive through the various gifts of - strangers turned friends, friends turned family, teachers turned mentors and schools turned nourishing communities, I let myself immerse in the boldness of beauty that Sydney encompasses. With plans of having a very loose travel plan, my journey to India is drawing near and yet it feels right to continue with this light-hearted albeit sincere approach. The above poem by Antonio Machado – who was a Spanish man known as the poet of the people, is a cherished one. One that speaks to me so deeply that I must share it here in the wake that it too may resonate with you. This poem brings to my mind the notion of life not being laid out before us, but instead, as presenting itself as an opportunity for us to shape and influence it through creating and forging a path built by choices and actions that follow. What a liberating and empowering concept this is, to entertain the idea that we are being invited to actively participate in the story that is to be the book of our life.
As I continue my Yogic studies here in Bondi Beach at this moment, with plans in place to further study in India, I am reminded of the Sanskrit word Dharma which doesn’t have a direct English translation, but is akin to the meaning of one’s vocation, duty or purpose. Having seen, read, and listened to a number of Yogic scripture, works of art by artists throughout the ages, commentaries, and interpretations shared by many teachers, I have come to my own understanding of the meaning of Dharma. One that rings true to me at this moment in time, and that will no doubt evolve and grow deeper in understanding as time passes and experience will have me learn from, that is - that purpose is created. Something that is built from the inside out, so that over time one brick laid turns into a house we are satisfied to call home.
Purpose that is created not necessarily by acts of profound bursts of leaps and bounds – though at times this may be the case, but by the mundane, small daily incremental steps actioned, that support in carrying us towards the broader sense of direction we may be called to take. This broader view requires a zooming in of perspective so that a realistic and grounded approach can aid in creating the tangible results made by efforts of taking attainable and considered steps. Like a delicious meal approached by the taking of bite-sized mouthfuls from the stimuli of life, there is a process both mechanical, chemical, and even spiritual that allows the body to digest, absorb and integrate what we consume – a process that supports in the gaining of clarity, that then feeds the digestive fire of what is to come next. With each conscious decision made, the choices presented to us by life become the stepping stones toward the expansive horizon ahead. As one foot follows the other, however shaky or slow-paced it may be, it is still a step, one step closer to where it is you are heading. Purpose that is created by inspired action, fuelled by a clear vision or leaning into the feeling of being pulled onto a course that seems to call or beckon by weaving its way back to you throughout different periods of life, a course that seems to appear before you time and time again even if what seems like a detour has occurred. In my humble opinion, these visions or strong feelings of being pulled aren’t always so obvious. Sometimes it is difficult to decipher who or what is influencing our choices. Such topics of purpose or calling can bring about a mind chatter, or fluctuations in the state of mind so loud that suffering, confusion, doubt, fear, or frustration can occur from the mere consideration of the matter. An occurrence that is very familiar to me. This state potentially leading to the inhabiting and moving through life from a place of overthinking and over-planning, resulting in choices made from a place of fear and intellectual strategising without the consideration of the ever-present option of trusting that our spiritual heart and bodies may also carry a wisdom that will lead towards the direction we are truly called to listen to and follow. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is a yogic text that contains the following sutra or thread, one that explains the purpose or goal of Yoga right at the beginning of the text that is then followed by sutras that instruct how one can reach, obtain and dwell in it
– YS 1.2 yogah chittavritti nirodhah.
Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.
The daily methods, practices, and principles we commit ourselves to, have the potential to empower and carry us forward towards the direction of our desires. The lifelong practice that is Yoga, encompasses a vast array of tools, methods, and mindsets that serve us throughout various stages and periods of life. A vast array of practices available to us, a number of options that is equivalent to the number of beings on earth. The beauty of having the framework of a non-linear, ever-evolving and individual path, is that ground can never be lost, only re-discovered and gained. The beauty of acknowledging that it is the experiences we face and the spectrum of feelings we learn to accept and acknowledge along the way are what initiates and contributes to the beginning of our unfolding – the slow peeling back of the layers of understanding about ourselves, so that we can begin to tune in and seek to listen to that ever-present pearl of wisdom that is the teacher within. The teacher that calls for us to take time to enjoy being and not just doing, so that we can breathe and create space to check-in, to listen, and courageously self-inquire to see whether what we are committing our time, energy, and efforts to, is aligned with the vision and feeling of what it is we truly desire.
