Looking back in time I can say that yes, 2014 was a great year. It was a year without plans, full of new adventures and manifested dreams, a year of being present and living in the moment and a year where I was fortunate enough to be able to do everything that I love to do.
One of the things that I really love to do is to share my path in this blog and although I didn't manage to write as much as I would have liked to, I was able to complete a project that I was very excited about. But before telling you about that little project let me first share with you my favorite writings from 2014.
I put all my heart in every article that I write but these ones are the ones that got me most inspired. I hope you'll enjoy reading them as well, if you haven't done so yet.
What it Takes to Follow the Path of The Heart
I'm Nothing Special, I'm Just Another Guy With an Average Story
The Value of a Teacher - Why You Need to Find a Teacher Today
During 2013, while I was practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in Mysore, I got the idea that it would be interesting to do interviews of some of the local yoga teachers. Slowly slowly this idea started to grow in my mind but it took me a while to get started.
Finally in December 2013 I published my very first interview ever! an interview with Ajay Kumar from Sthalam8. Then from January till March 2014 I managed to interview and publish the interviews of Vijay Kumar, Vinay Kumar (Vijay's brother) and MV Chidananda.
These interviews were also part of another small project, an article that I wanted to write about yoga teachers in Mysore and that I was able to publish in January 2014 "The Best Ashtanga Yoga Teachers in Mysore, India." This might not seem like much but believe me, it was a lot of work but the best kind of work, the work that you love to do. I can't express how excited and happy I felt while I was working on this.
Of course, this was just the beginning. After completing these interviews I thought that it would also be a good idea to interview BNS Iyengar, Ajay's and Chidananda's teacher, so when I returned to Mysore last September I contacted him for an interview and he was very kind to accept. Unfortunately I haven't been able to publish it yet, three months have already passed! But don't worry, it will come this year for sure, and hopefully some other interviews as well, so just stay tuned. (updated April 2015 - here it is! Interview with BNS Iyengar, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher in Mysore)
So much happened during 2014 and, like I mentioned before, I was very fortunate to do all the things that I love to do. I practiced hatha yoga intensively, I taught yoga, I joined some retreats in a couple of ashrams in India, I traveled, I continue learning to play my guitar and I blogged about all my experiences. These are some of the best experiences I had during 2014. The best of all is that nothing was planned, it was all spontaneous.
2013 and 2014 were very special years because I had no idea what was going to happen, I had no plans at all, I was just flowing with the flow and luckily life gave me some beautiful surprises.
But since I've joined this three years gurukulam program at an ashram in India last October, I do have some idea of what might happen in my 2015, at least till mid year. The school year ends by mid May so normally I will stay in the ashram till then to complete the first year but first I will need to leave the country end of February to get a new visa. You never know how that's going to work but so far I do feel like I want to come back so I'll go to Nepal, apply for a new visa and fingers crossed I'll be able to come back right away.
Then after May I might go back to Mysore and If I still feel inspired I might come back to the ashram in October for the second year, but that's already too far in the future. So far the only thing that I know for sure is that I'll have to leave the country end of February.
Please, don't think that I write this blog to show off how great my year was. It's just part of my self exploration which I'm choosing to share with you. The idea started while I was going through my blog's last year entries to take a look at what had happened in my life. Now that I've finished writing it I think I should have done the same for all my previous years.
Reviewing my last year in this way has not only brought back some beautiful memories but it has also helped me to understand a bit more about the power of intentions. Like I wrote before in No More Plans, No More Goals, Simply Free to Go With the Flow I've been living my last couple of years without any plans or goals and it has been a great experience.
Not having a plan doesn't mean not knowing what you want, on the contrary, we must listen clearly to our hearts to know what we really want, our intentions, and then we can let life surprise us with its magic and unlimited possibilities. It's ok to think about your plans and goals but more important, in my opinion, is to fully express, without fears and doubts, what we really want in life.
Now... I'm "planing" to write more in detail about the power of intentions sometime in the future. That's my "goal!" Lol.
One of the things that I really love to do is to share my path in this blog and although I didn't manage to write as much as I would have liked to, I was able to complete a project that I was very excited about. But before telling you about that little project let me first share with you my favorite writings from 2014.
My Favorite Writings - The Best of Path to Yoga 2014
I put all my heart in every article that I write but these ones are the ones that got me most inspired. I hope you'll enjoy reading them as well, if you haven't done so yet.
What it Takes to Follow the Path of The Heart
"To follow the Path of The Heart we gotta venture into the unknown. We have to risk it all, leaving all sense of comfort and security behind, allowing ourselves to become vulnerable and fragile; faith and surrender are our only weapons." Read more ≫
I'm Nothing Special, I'm Just Another Guy With an Average Story
"But here in India, and in some neighboring countries, I discovered that I am nothing special, I am just another guy with an average story. Here I am just one among many and I don't mean this in a negative way. Here I am normal, here I fit in." Read more ≫
The Value of a Teacher - Why You Need to Find a Teacher Today
"It's not about blindly following somebody else but more about a sense of gratitude and surrender towards that person that it's able to guide us in the right direction and show us what we are actually capable of doing. They inspire us, they motivate us, they challenge us and ask us to break our limitations and discover our true potential." Read more ≫
Completed Blog Project
During 2013, while I was practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in Mysore, I got the idea that it would be interesting to do interviews of some of the local yoga teachers. Slowly slowly this idea started to grow in my mind but it took me a while to get started.
Finally in December 2013 I published my very first interview ever! an interview with Ajay Kumar from Sthalam8. Then from January till March 2014 I managed to interview and publish the interviews of Vijay Kumar, Vinay Kumar (Vijay's brother) and MV Chidananda.
These interviews were also part of another small project, an article that I wanted to write about yoga teachers in Mysore and that I was able to publish in January 2014 "The Best Ashtanga Yoga Teachers in Mysore, India." This might not seem like much but believe me, it was a lot of work but the best kind of work, the work that you love to do. I can't express how excited and happy I felt while I was working on this.
Of course, this was just the beginning. After completing these interviews I thought that it would also be a good idea to interview BNS Iyengar, Ajay's and Chidananda's teacher, so when I returned to Mysore last September I contacted him for an interview and he was very kind to accept. Unfortunately I haven't been able to publish it yet, three months have already passed! But don't worry, it will come this year for sure, and hopefully some other interviews as well, so just stay tuned. (updated April 2015 - here it is! Interview with BNS Iyengar, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher in Mysore)
The Best Experiences of 2014
So much happened during 2014 and, like I mentioned before, I was very fortunate to do all the things that I love to do. I practiced hatha yoga intensively, I taught yoga, I joined some retreats in a couple of ashrams in India, I traveled, I continue learning to play my guitar and I blogged about all my experiences. These are some of the best experiences I had during 2014. The best of all is that nothing was planned, it was all spontaneous.
- One of the highlights of my year was doing a motorcycle road trip in Cambodia. That's the kind of experience that stays with you for the rest of your life. The cool thing was that I had just learned to drive a scooter in Mysore and a few weeks later I was driving a real bike in Cambodia.
- Since I didn't spend Christmas or New Year's eve with my family my father asked to meet them at my sister's house in Miami in February. So from Phnom Penh, Cambodia I flew all the way to Miami, USA. For the first time ever I traveled the world in the "wrong" direction going through Beijing and Los Angeles! This is not an achievement of course, but I'm happy to have spent some good quality time with my family.
- The next highlight was learning how to surf in Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka. Something else that I had not planned at all but it just happened and I had one of the greatest times ever. While I was in Arugam Bay I also managed to teach hatha yoga in my guesthouse. This was basically the only intention that I had before traveling to Sri Lanka and I did have some challenges to get it done but finally it all worked out all right. Hopefully I'll be able to write about my experiences with surfing and teaching yoga in Arugam Bay soon.
What Will Happen in 2015?
2013 and 2014 were very special years because I had no idea what was going to happen, I had no plans at all, I was just flowing with the flow and luckily life gave me some beautiful surprises.
But since I've joined this three years gurukulam program at an ashram in India last October, I do have some idea of what might happen in my 2015, at least till mid year. The school year ends by mid May so normally I will stay in the ashram till then to complete the first year but first I will need to leave the country end of February to get a new visa. You never know how that's going to work but so far I do feel like I want to come back so I'll go to Nepal, apply for a new visa and fingers crossed I'll be able to come back right away.
Then after May I might go back to Mysore and If I still feel inspired I might come back to the ashram in October for the second year, but that's already too far in the future. So far the only thing that I know for sure is that I'll have to leave the country end of February.
The Power of Intentions - Living Without Plans
Please, don't think that I write this blog to show off how great my year was. It's just part of my self exploration which I'm choosing to share with you. The idea started while I was going through my blog's last year entries to take a look at what had happened in my life. Now that I've finished writing it I think I should have done the same for all my previous years.
Reviewing my last year in this way has not only brought back some beautiful memories but it has also helped me to understand a bit more about the power of intentions. Like I wrote before in No More Plans, No More Goals, Simply Free to Go With the Flow I've been living my last couple of years without any plans or goals and it has been a great experience.
Not having a plan doesn't mean not knowing what you want, on the contrary, we must listen clearly to our hearts to know what we really want, our intentions, and then we can let life surprise us with its magic and unlimited possibilities. It's ok to think about your plans and goals but more important, in my opinion, is to fully express, without fears and doubts, what we really want in life.
Now... I'm "planing" to write more in detail about the power of intentions sometime in the future. That's my "goal!" Lol.
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