As I travel further along my path as a children’s yoga teacher, I’d like to share my journey.  I am going to be as honest and transparent with you as possible. Being afraid of sharing my story and speaking my truth is something I’m still getting over.

Across all nations some fundamental values and morals are the same. One of these values is honesty. Speaking truth at all times. In modern times, this reality is often drowned out in the abyss of simulation. Through social media we have lost our human connection. We no longer sit around campfires and share our stories. Our life stories have become Facebook walls and Snapchat stories. Through this social medium, our truths get blurry. We forgot where we have come from and we forget who we truly are. One antidote to this modern problem is the ancient practice of meditation.

When I was 14, I got a phone call saying that my dad had a heart attack and died. Initially I was very shocked, and I didn’t know what to do. I still remember that Sunday vividly. I would not and have not talked to my family much about my father’s death. I was depressed and suicidal and for some reason I decided to give meditation a try. I’m not sure where this thought originated, but I had heard that meditation is good for depression. I remember Googling how to meditate and then sitting cross-legged in my room. For a brief moment, I found a state of peace, then I thought “I’m doing it!” and immediately snapped out of my meditation. I knew that everything was going to be okay.

I wish that I could say from that day on I meditated everyday. However, that was not the case. It took my about 7 years until I reached college to get back into my meditation practice. I am studying civil engineering with a huge focus on sustainability. This summer I was fortunate enough to have an internship in the Florida Keys. I would take the paddleboard out and spend a lot of time thinking about how to create a more sustainable world. One day during sunrise while mediating on the paddle board I had an epiphany. One holistic solution to saving the world is by fixing our education system, specifically by incorporating mediation/yoga practices into all classrooms (K-College). Meditation has been used for thousands of years, and people have seen the benefits of meditation for thousands of years. There are now numerous studies coming out from the scientific community proving the benefits of meditation. I like how western science is finally catching up to what the yogis have known for generations.

In looking on our past, especially our past mistakes, it is easy to judge ourselves. One of the 8-limbs of yoga is non-judgement. Yoga and meditation are tools that help you let go of your past and be mindful and experience bliss in the present moment. I encourage everyone to mediate for a few minutes a day. I have never regretted meditating. Try it out. There are tons of different techniques. Try to find one that works for you. Start with a guided mediation; you can find these all over the internet. Thoughts will arise when you mediate. The mantra to follow during meditation is this: Acknowledge, Accept, Let go.

My challenge for you is to meditate every single day. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes. You’ll be giving yourself a much needed break from always going going going, and I would make the argument that you are making the world a better, more sustainable place by meditating.

Om Shanti