What have I been up to? …
Livin’ the dream.
That’s pretty much my standard response to that question. It usually gets a chuckle and gets me out of figuring out a better way to answer.
Don’t get me wrong – I mean it deeply – life is a dream and the point is to live it. It isn’t always purdy and it isn’t always awesome, but if I am really living it moment-to-moment I can see a lot more of the purdy awesome stuff.
To tell you the truth, its been a bit of a rough ride for me since coming back from Mysore in December. Not to sound too melodramatic, but I think I went through a bit of a “dark night of the soul” as I transitioned back to my everyday life from that very spiritual place I was at in India.
Some things that used to be fun started to feel devoid of meaning. And the clarity I gained in India helped me to see some ways that my behavior can be out of whack with who I want to be, and that wasn’t pleasant either.
I withdrew a bit from social interaction and worked on getting my own house in order, if you know what I mean. I felt less compelled to write and talk about my life and more compelled to just live it as authentically as possible.
Think of Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation. In her book, she talks about how the show is filmed documentary-style, where the characters sometimes look at the camera. For example, a character might look at the camera if caught doing something embarrassing. But Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, has developed to the point that she lives so authentically and honestly that she almost never looks at the camera anymore. In other words, even though she knows every moment of her life is on film, she behaves exactly the same as she would behave if no cameras were there. She is completely herself all the time.
I want to go to there.
So I’ve started pretending like I am the star of a documentary about my life.
(It works for the most part, except for when I talk to myself in public and instead become the star of a mocumentary to jeering onlookers.)
It was good to kind of bottom out and reboot, but it has been a bit lonely in my seclusion in the West Wing. So I’ve been slowly coming out of hiding over the last couple weeks and doing some cool stuff.
Like some dope lawyering, including an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court regarding those pesky red light camera tickets. If I’m successful, all red light tickets will be illegal for Central Florida. You’re welcome.
Also I started taking ballet classes. I am so much better than Sophia in my class who thinks she is so great because she is 6 years old and has a pink leotard.
Totally joking, I’m taking adult beginner ballet so there aren’t any 6 year olds in my class. Yet. Maybe when I get to the intermediate level.
So I’m pretty much a ballerina now, which is awesome.
And I’m teaching yoga again, which is also awesome. I’ve collaborated with my friends at Total Zen Float to create Total Zen Yoga.
Notice the Darth Vader in the corner? Dopest yoga space ever. *this photo and the one of me, above, by the amazing Garrett Frandsen*
In particular, I am super excited about my class on Sundays – Eight Limbs Yoga Philosophy. The plan is to post the videos of that class every week here and on YouTube. First video posted last night. Check it out and help spread the word.
Oh! and for anyone who loves Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, I’m helping coordinate a special screening of a documentary about his life called “Awake:The Life of Yogananda” on April 9 at 7:30pm in Winter Park. We gotta get 70 people to reserve tickets to have the movie screened at that time. If we don’t get enough peeps, they will cancel it. So please help by reserving tickets! Autobiography of a Yogi is one of the most influential books in my life and helped me immensely on my yoga path. I’m stoked to see Awake. I’ve also created a Facebook Event page. Feel free to share it around!
So that kinda sums up how things have been going since I got back from India. Forgive me for slacking in the blogging department. I hope to be more active here and also to work on other creative outlets, like a video about the India trip and a book about my life and philosophy.
Yep, living the dream. Life is good.
Let’s hang out again soon.
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