Developing Emotional Resilience

Nov 9

LEARNED LIFE LESSONS EXPLAIN MY LOVE FOR CREATIVE NON-FICTION.

How can we create communication between human beings and peacefully process the present moment while adapting to life's strange and true occurrences?

Together we make meaning out of the whole of life with our myriads of perspectives, stories, and been-there-done-that experiences.

I'm interested in teaching and learning simple transformative tools to help us feel calmer, more secure, and stable as a society (less anxious and afraid) in the present moment.

How do we stare anxiety and fear in the face and actuallyfeel better?

This is life, after all, and it is always the present moment.

THIS FACT—THAT THE TIME IS ALWAYS NOW—IS REFRESHING TO ME.

Once upon a time, when my original love of school—my passion for history, social studies, art, literature, philosophy, activism, writing, etc.—culminated to include mindfulness, meditation, and present moment awareness, I grew to adore the courageous idea of practice, of stepping away from mere theory.

I grew to admire the heroes that took the greatest actionin their own lives, shaped society, and lived truly brave and purposeful lives.

THEY ALL HAD A MONUMENTAL AMOUNT OF COURAGE.

My heroes have long been Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, our ballsy, rebellious Founding Fathers, and many more.

At twenty-one, I first studied meditation and was introduced to the work of Thich Nhat Hanh.

IRONICALLY ENOUGH, I LEARNED HE HAD WORKED WITH MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. AND EVEN BEEN NOMINATED BY DR. KING HIMSELF FOR A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.

At twenty-two, I took a solo journey to the tops of Californian mountains to where an almost ninety-year-old Thich Nhat Hanh stood just a few feet before me.

Hundreds of us stood in silence, in meditation.

Thich Nhat Hanh walked slowly and purposefully made eye contact with those around him.

WHEN HE LOOKED INTO MY EYES I FELT A POWERFUL SHIFT. HE WAS PRESENT. HE RADIATED PEACE.

I imagined him looking into the eyes of Dr. King many years before, and that inherent interconnectedness, that spark, that energy and lineage from my greatest heroes was real and true.

My dreams were as large as those that came before me.

And there they were, manifested. Alive.

Though I studied transcendental literature in college and fell wildly in love with the words of Whitman, Emerson, and Thoreau, it wasn't until 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Training that I read Heart of the Yogi by Doug Keller that traced the lineage of an incredibly great book that had inspired so many of my heroes: the Bhagavad Gita.

I ironically knew of this book quite well as I had spent unforgettable years in my young twenties infatuated and inspired by my then-boyfriend, Vishnu.

Before I knew much about yoga, I traveled and spent time with him in New York City: the Bronx, Queens, and Long Island.

I was lucky to be immersed in Guyanese culture and learn more about Hinduism, eastern deities, and though I knew nothing of its significance at the time, lessons from his father Vishnu about the Bhagavad Gita.

At twenty-three, I first read this book at an airport and nearly missed my flight. I was absolutely absorbed in the story and felt spoken to.

Turns out, this text was a great inspiration to Mahatma Gandhi and as he was a great inspiration to Martin Luther King, Jr., he too read the text. So did Aldous Huxley, Carl Jung, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson (who of course inspired Walt Whitman)!

THESE PEOPLE I MOST ADMIRED HAD A THREAD CONNECTING THEM AT A DEEPER LEVEL THAN I'D EVER IMAGINED, AND SUDDENLY I KNEW THAT ALL OF MY MANY PASSIONS, STUDIES, AND EXPERIENCES WERE NOT SO SEPARATE AFTER ALL.

My quests kept leading me to similar conclusions: fight!

Of course there will be struggle and strife and fear in life, but you must fight your battles anyway!

“When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. ”

— MAHATMA GANDHI

AS A SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER, FITNESS INSTRUCTOR, YOGA TEACHER, ENTREPRENEUR, AND SOUL-BEARER FOR PEACE TO THE PEOPLE, I SOMETIMES FEEL AFRAID OF PUTTING MYSELF OUT THERE TO THE UNKNOWN MASSES.

As we know, there are a plethora of sketchy peeps in the world, and plenty of threatening strangers we see nightly on the news.

Many of my above-mentioned heroes were assassinated on a quest to bring peace to the people, killed in cold-blooded murder by extremists.

I have the privilege of teaching fitness classes at several swanky athletic clubs, and not long ago I stood in the exquisite locker room after class, watching a report of a recent murder of a female fitness instructor killed by a stalker student.

Friends have asked me if I feel safe putting the times and dates of my classes on the internet.

I don't and I do, only because we live in a uniquely open-book world these days, a world where your whereabouts are not so private.

I personally have put off publishing my words into a public sphere for many, many years because of these very fears of losing the privacy and protection that not writing would maintain.

But what is the alternative?

Squirreling away in my office and not daring to live my dreams of helping society as a teacher, writer, and well-meaning goofball?

Live every day in fear and worry because the future is unknown?

My father and his father (and even I now) are certified insurance agents. I believe there is a great deal to be admired in honoring calculated risk, safety, and preparation.

But unfortunately, we do not have 100% control of the future or know precisely what it will bring.

SO THE BEST BET, IN MY EXPERIENCE, IS TO COME BACK TO THE PRESENT MOMENT—THE ONLY MOMENT THAT WE HAVE CONTROL OF.

We can write intimate words to the unlimited masses and together we can start to spark subtle change within ourselves and the world.

We can remain courageous, despite all obstacles.