Bohom Travels: Rishikesh Ramblin’ {& Video}
India was an endeavor. Please excuse my tired ramblings in the video, over two days of international travel can do that to a person…
It is funny where life can lead you,
the many paths, windows, and doors you may come across…
I never thought of Germany as one of my first choices as for a place to go, yet when the opportunity to live there became a reality I found myself in Munich. And grew exponentially because of it.
That same girl would not have seen herself in India six years later, yet after my 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Cincinnati I knew that my next one would have to take place closer to the homeland. It was a necessary part of the journey and one that has finally come to fruition. Now, looking back from my cousins’ couch in Cincinnati, I can reflect on the experience that such an endeavor gifted me with, and boy was it ever one…
India gave me perspective. It gave me teachers. Highs, and lows. Friendships that rock the foundation. Laughs, bellowing from the belly. Tears rising from the soul. The tests, the trials that arose from everyday life were magnificent compared to the finals in the classroom. Every corner presented a new challenge, and I had to get better at putting myself out there into the World to accept the experience that Life was offering. And here I sit, with not a regret on my mind.
People, friends… travel.
Get out there and experience your challenges. Lose your bags, make new friends, fight with monkeys and have your perspective shifted daily. Learn the difference between what you can live without and what you simply do not want to live without. Have phenomenal teachers and soak up every ounce of knowledge you can. Even have awful teachers who make your insides wince, but learn from them too.
Know that a bad experience is just a lesson learned faster.
Fight for things that make your heart shine (like a white water rafting trip). Speak to the person who catches your eye, and has a spark in theirs. Heck, maybe even jump on the back of a friends scooter and zip around a foreign city. Or wander into an Indian wedding, where your chest is thumping from the beat of the music and your eyes are dancing along with the extravagant light show.
I may be a bit biased, but I think we should all do things that scare us. I was scared to travel alone to India, but I knew I could do it so I went for it. Why the hell not? You have this life, you have this time – now, and only now – so use it wisely. Do not settle for a mediocre life. If you are not happy then it starts with YOU, acknowledging that and choosing to make the difference. Just because it seems hard does not mean that it is not worth the effort.
You should know, traveling is not just the pictures you see. It is not just the videos and highlights that people choose to share. It is a mixture of mountain peaks and valleys, of watching expectations flow along and away with the river. As hard as one may try to not have expectations, they can arise. I tried to not have expectations for India, but nonetheless, I had a picture in my mind of what the adventure would behold. Many times I disappointed, but many times was it also exceeded. Let yourself ride the rollercoaster of life, let go of the handlebars and enjoy the dips and swerves, the stomach turns and tears of joy. But to do that, you have to be willing to ride.