Health, Vegetarianism, Happiness
For the last three months, I’ve been living in L.A.
As in Latin America.
But this is my post from the other L.A.
As in Los Angeles!
It’s the first time I’m taking a break from the healing paradise of Blue Osa, out in the real world. If Hollywood can be described to be anywhere near that…
For eight days, I’m visiting the talented actor that is my cousin, Rolandos.
It’s always inspiring to be here. It’s the city of Angels, the haven where wandering souls come to chase their dreams, a judgement-free zone where people still believe in magic, where uniqueness is celebrated, where everything is possible.
Interestingly, there’s lots of Yoga studios and talented Yoga instructors in Los Angeles. Yet, I’ve decided not to do any of that. I’m here to be with my cousin, and I’m dodging all distractions.
I’m also leaving aside my daily Yoga practice these few days. It’s a short break from the routine, and a chance to explore how my body, energy and mind react to this shock.
That’s the real Yoga. Awareness. Everyday Mindfulness.
Books are for Dummies
I’ve been reading a lot lately, and I’ve brought books with me to the US.
I’ve grown to love books.
In the past, I would not really enjoy reading. It was just another Ceremony for me: I had to read, and so I would read, just to get better. At life.
And there’s nothing wrong with that. In life we have to be willing to walk head-on into everything that’s in our journey to Happiness.
But there’s something profoundly fulfilling with finding Happiness in the journey. And here’s a little life hack: if you’re open to finding Happiness in the journey, Happiness will reveal itself.
In this way, one by one the books I’ve been reading have turned into life coaches, sharing invaluable teachings with me. Time after time, I’ve been introduced to books that contained just the wisdom I sought at the specific moment in time.
And today I’m sharing my translation of a back-to-basics read, suggested by the gleeful and intelligent Alex Roberts from Purple Yoga, California:
Yoga para Dummies (cause Spanish is the new black...)
A Life in Balance
The book suggests that a valid translation of Yoga is “the discipline of Balance”.
It states that Health is more than the absence of pain; it is a positive state of being.
Health is abundance; being passionate about life, connecting in a lively way with your physical and social surroundings… Ultimately, being Healthy translates into being Happy.
There’s so much treasured insight packed inside the above few lines.
For me, physically, Balance has always been my weak point. Thanks to Yoga, I’m now good enough with standing balances and arm balances, and I’m even working on my handstands. I’ve come a long way, considering that five years ago I couldn’t even do a simple standing quadriceps stretch without losing my balance…
And it’s all interrelated: because of Yoga, I’ve been able to find more Balance on an energetic and a mental level, too. I’ve been noticing how I was wasting my energy and thoughts on a façade I was struggling to keep alive. I would easily get out of balance to achieve what some people describe as perfect, as if I weren’t perfect just by being.
Being. Existing. Living. Loving. We can draw lines between all these notions, separating them up as if they have nothing in common. Or we can group them all together and enjoy them. The ball is in our court. The key is experimentation.
“My time in this mortal body is a living experiment.”
In L.A., that’s OK. People have the right to look for whatever makes them happy, period.
In truth, we all have this right, no matter what; but it’s easier in some contexts than in others. We are brought up in a fearful society that does not accept the different. It categorizes it as abnormal.
All my life I’ve been torturing myself with this concept of being normal and ordinary. It’s true that it sometimes led to “the absence of pain”, but I assure you that it never really led me to that “positive state of being”!
And that’s because Passion and Happiness lie on the completely other side of safe and ordinary. They lie in the abundant colourful fields of extraordinary. And that’s True Health.
So I’m currently experimenting with everything I’ve been considering to be the rule. And part of it is my choice to periodically abstain from being a carnivore.
When I say periodically, I mean at this moment. I can only talk about now and I have no idea how long this will last, if at all.
It’s been over three months that I have not touched meat or fish (except in order to feed the Cats!)
And my body needed that. I’d been eating way too much meat, to the point that I was actually looking forward to a break. Blue Osa has been the ideal place for this: the rich and healthy farm-to-table meals have been nourishing all that makes me who I am. My body has been feeling light and powerful, I’ve not noticed any lack of energy so far, and my mind has never been calmer or more peaceful.
It has been thrilling to observe this process. It was also intriguing to witness other people’s reactions on the matter. I’ve learnt not to use the V-word, as it tends to trigger people more; I just tell them that I don’t eat meat or fish. This goes in line with my preference not to put labels on anything or anyone.
Hollywood has spoilt me on the matter: there's all these Health-focused food places that offer oh-so-many delicious vegetarian choices. (And even junk food places give a satisfying option or two.)
So, to sum up, I’m loving this opportunity to discover more about my needs and addictions. I’m learning that, whenever I judge someone for doing something unfamiliar to my notion of ‘normal’, I’m pointing my finger back to myself.
What is it that triggers me in a negative way about someone or something? How is it that I am allowing myself to be triggered and how can I change that?