6 February, 2015

When we live in a society where the words “like”, “post”, and “text” are a part of our daily language, it might be interesting to flirt with the idea of becoming a part of a community where those words do not exist. Or if they do exist, it’s simply in reference to the past or future, because at Yandara Yoga Institute while you live in the present moment- it’s recommended to unplug from that world.

It’s amazing that the feeling of fear and liberation, are on an equal playing field at the beginning of the journey.

Watching sunrises and sunsets that don’t get filtered and instantly uploaded to Instagram, or doing crazy yoga poses in the heat of the moment of a great asana practise, and no one was there to snap that pic. The question remains: if it wasn’t posted, did it actually happen?

The answer is yes. A lot of the journey here is a self discovery of our fear, desires, judgments, and capabilities. What would become of our world if we removed fear? If we removed judgement? All that remains is positive. Sounds like a pretty nice idea.

What if we used our eyes and our hearts to “like” the picture in our minds a thousand times, would we care if anyone else did?

How about having to wait a few days to find a phone and call the people we love, instead of firing off text messages at dinner and missing moments with those you’ve connected with at Yandara.

The unsettling thing is, it can all go back to the way it was when you leave the sacred institue. That’s the reality of it. But the truth is, it really doesn’t have to be that way.

You can unplug and still be plugged in at the same time. You can start picking up the phone instead of texting. You can start printing the photos you take and keep them in an actual album. The idea is not to boycott social media or instantaneous communication, but to live more mindfully about how we can all become our more authentic selves.

During my time at YYI, I did take pictures of beautiful sunsets. I did call home to tell the people I love I was safe and that I was thinking about them. But I didn’t connect to Wifi in hopes of emailing, using social media or texting.

The experience did not allow me to find a part of me that was new or improved. What it did do was make me realize what I could let go of and still be thoughtful, compassionate and artistic. All the while remaining in Airplane Mode.