If yoga is the “journey of the self, through the self, to the self;” then travel is the journey of the self, through stepping outside the self, and ultimately returning back to the self in ways one never thought possible.
For you yogis embarking on one (or both) of these journeys, you’re bound to pick up on the synchronicities along the way. And when the two worlds collide… that’s when the real fun begins. Here are six travel joys only yogis will understand.
1. Enjoying the splendor of new beginnings.
Whether it’s your first step onto foreign soil, or your first step onto the mat, it’s like arriving home to a world you don’t yet know much about, and one that’s been waiting for you all along.
2. Opening your heart to the unfamiliar.
From diving head first into adventure to welcoming a kind stranger into your life — it’s all about living the yes. Saying yes to life itself (and the countless adventures and misadventures every step of the way).
3. Rolling out the travel mat for the first time.
Unfurling your mat in a new destination juxtaposes the great familiarity of one’s practice and doing so on unfamiliar ground — literally.
4. Overcoming challenges by staying present.
In travel as in life, there are days on your journey that are bound to be taxing — be it missed flights, getting lost or language challenges. When they show their not-so-pretty faces (and they will), you know how to recenter and refocus to remind yourself to be in the moment.
5. Seeing the poetry in the world around you.
The colors of a faraway sunset, the heartwarming grin of a local, or the captivating silence of a quiet moment can become a meditation of sorts a yogi-traveler can never forget.
6. Implementing new ideas of living you learn along the way.
Like those revelations you have in the midst of your favorite class, there are moments throughout traveling that open your eyes and heart like never before. Not soon after, you realize that no matter where you are in the world or on your journey is exactly where you are meant to be. And if that’s not what yoga is about, I don’t know what is.
Travel well.
About Kristy Gustafson
Kristy Gustafson is a California girl in a Colorado world taking this crazy life by storm through travel, writing, photography, yoga, skiing, food, wine and all the adventures in between.