While Western world civilizations from the Mayans to the Norse predict the end of the world in this century, our eastern roots urge us to look at every death as a rebirth, every misstep as a step in a new direction, every end as a new beginning.
In a year where the world precariously draws on hope as it crawls out of the vortex of recession, perhaps the lesson should be not to grasp those things that are without, but those things that are within.
Pause – to imbibe the scent of the forest floor. [image: forest walks in Corbett]
Breathe – the fragrance of the frangipani in bloom. [image: frangipani in spa bowl]
Savour the strength of the sesame oil as it soaks into the pores of your skin.
[image: ayurvedic massage]
Caress the velvet that is the moss that grows in the crevices of the mountain stream.
[image: Himalayan walks]
Listen to the rhythm of the whisper in the wind and the waves of the ocean’s symphony.
[image: Nirmaaya kovalam beach scene]
Draw on the energy of the bees that thrive at the highest peaks in the world.
[image: mountains]
We are only the choir in Nature’s opera on that stage we call the universe.
Drawing on our inner spirit, innovation, and imagination, rather than using fragile systems that have broken down and serve as crutches that cripple us further, calls for courage and strength.
When the true rishis and fakirs of the Himalayas meditate naked in the snow, they are in complete control of their mind, body and soul – drawing on their own breath, fat, and mental prowess for succor. When the harsh sun beats down upon the ravines of the Chambal ravine, it is the same inner tranquility that keeps their body nourished and cool.
[image: sadhus meditating in the caves near bateshwar]
When the sun seeps in through your eyelids on a cool morning in Risihikish as you raise your head in your first surya namaskar of the day, or dries the dew that clings to your brow as you watch the Brahmini Kite soaring over the gorges of the Ken River in Panna.
[image: Panna & ananda}
When the lone moan of the Tibetan horn penetrates your consciousness, and the hot stones in the Bhutanese bath warm your soul. When the warmth of the waves licks your toes on the shores of Sri Lanka and the brilliant plumage of the kingfisher as it takes its maiden dive of the day into the lake at Ashtamudi opens your eyes to the glory of every living thing around us.
[image: Ladakh and Sri Lanka]
We are borne from nature. And the figments of our material lives lose meaning when one awakens to the awareness that all life neutralizes to carbon atoms and not much else. Awakening the awareness within us that opportunity lies at every fork in the road. Recognizing its strength and leveraging it is the essence of life.
