What We Truly Seek is Within

It is already within you.

As a young woman, I was a true seeker. I searched high and low for the answers to life. In an attempt to find peace in a chaotic world and within my own mind I looked toward religion, teachers, gurus and the spirituality of Buddhism, yoga, Sufism and other mystic traditions. I devoured books and undertook spiritual disciplines to find the truth and freedom that I sought.

I had a deep desire to travel to India and meet my Guru and know enlightenment.  And so that is what I did. On my first trip to India I saw the chaos of the world. I saw the poverty; I saw the paradox of life clearly.  I remember going to the edge of my insanity. I demanded answers from God. I wanted to know God intimately. I wanted to be saved. 

It was on that first trip to India that I met my Guru. It was a Divine meeting and I felt the rapture of love, bliss and what I could only describe as enlightenment.  Yet that feeling and experience was short lived because just as soon as we met, he sent me away and turned my seeking back on myself.

At the time it felt terrible and I mourned the death of my ignorance. I didn’t want to be alone yet I knew it was what I had to do. Each of us must walk our own path. What I learned was profound and has stayed with me ever since.  After seeking for so long outside myself, in that moment everything turned around and pointed right back at me. It felt like the universe spiraled back into me. The wisdom that every thing I seek is within me has been the greatest gift and teaching.  And when I realized it in this profound way, it felt familiar, like I had known it all along but simply forgot.

I returned from India a different person. This realization changed everything and continues to inform my life and choices to this day. The wisdom that everything is already within is what I share with my students who are earnestly searching. To me this is the essence of yoga, self-realization and the wisdom that brings us peace. What we truly desire is already within and when we look within and find ourselves a great peace arises, contentment and authentic happiness is born anew.  We no longer need to search the external or acquire.  This is freedom.