I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Japan in the summer of 2008 with a small group fellow students and my Japanese religions professor. In Tokyo, we stayed in the Zojoji temple, to observe and immerse ourselves in the traditions of Pure Land Buddhism. The story of Pure Land Buddhism is based around Amida, the bodhisattva of compassion, as the story goes Amida refused to accept buddhahood unless eternal happiness could be granted to all. My voyage to Japan sparked within me the desire to teach and spread what I know. I realized there that we all have the potential to become bodhisattva like, to pursue that which brings us liberation and then to communicate that pathway to those around us in order to eliminate suffering and to spread compassion.

During my stay, I was fortunate to meet many new and interesting faces. One man explained that even with all the diversity in the world, we all have one thing in common: we all breathe, in the here and now; we all engage in a group stretch, the movements of the body; and its form is what we can all relate to. Within the context of my undergraduate degree (Bio Medical Science, Chemistry and Comparative Religion), I am actively on the pursuit of uncovering the connections between spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing. We can physically change our brains by training the mind – the proof is in the science – yet the true evidence lies within the experience. To me, the body is like a brand new baseball mit or a new pair of sneakers, not until we break it in are we fully comfortable using it. It is through asana that I have found a way to “wear in” the body, to de-kink and experience the fluidity of life.

Aiding in our quest to experience the fullness of life is our ability and desire to make choices that serve us best. We need remember that it is not selfish to take time for ourselves but just the opposite – for the most important relationship in life is the one we have with our own self. By nurturing our own needs, the bliss within us will radiate out and like the ripple effect we can create positive change in the world around us. I believe that what attracts humans to one another is our inner vitality, a shininess that comes from being truly happy with who we are. For me, yoga has been a journey of self discovery and a voyage of better knowing thyself. Yoga is a path to freedom, a practice that has the ability to release us from situations that bind us mentally, physically and spiritually. I wish to help communicate the power of yoga as I continue to discover it for myself. By renewing our deep-seated intentions, yoga has the power to clear the lines of communication within our own spirits and our interactions with others. What I strive for is peace within myself and in my relationships, yoga helps me to achieve this. Confucious say: “If man have not order within, he cannot spread order about him.”

Yoga offers a consistent method of peaceful cultivation both on and off the mat. We mustn’t forget that it is in our own hands to manifest, be active, radiate, to shine, rise above, illuminate and experience our potential and capacity to “be”, content, peaceful, intuitive, creative and loving human beings. Yoga can serve as a pathway, to get a glimpse inside of ourselves, to discover the essence of who we are and to help us fulfill who we wish to be.

“So it comes to pass that, when we pursue an inquiry beyond a certain depth, we step out of the field of psychological categories and enter the sphere of the ultimate mysteries of life. The floorboards of the soul, to which we try to penetrate, fan open and reveal the starry firmament.” -Bruno Schulz