Over the past thirteen years i have traveled extensively for yoga conferences, workshops, teacher trainings, assisting, and each trip has been an adventure to cherish and behold. At the beginning of every adventure after all the plans and preparations I would finally sit in my car (kids, hubby, house all set, yoga items packed) and turn on the ignition my heart would sing itself in elation; full of AWE and WONDER. What would I learn, who would I meet, how would my old ideas or perceptions and physical body change? Who would I welcome into this new life and how would we evolve over the next few days or week? I followed my Beloved teacher, Shiva Rea, around the globe and obtained my 500 hour yoga TT in 2008 through the Samudra Yoga School.
My favorite trip was in 2006 when I enthusiastically made it to the homeland of yoga! As a newbie yogini I was infatuated with everything in India - the culture, history, food, fashion, the people, and also the Murti's (statues that evoke the divine through ancient parable and potent seeds of wisdom). Some Murti's were hanging from rickshaws, others on altars in temples, shops, and homes.
Everywhere I looked there was the divine in the profane. A glimpse of heaven on earth. Beauty within squalor. Immortality among death.
Divinity led to Infinity.
The most popular deities known as Ganesha, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Shiva or Nataraja statues were a representation of what one seeks to fulfill or obtain in life. The qualities to emulate and reciprocate are embodied and living within the mantra and the Murti's personification. BAM ! or should I say RAM because this was a powerful reminder of my intention and motivation on the Dharmic Path. Of course I carried three statues home in my previously empty suitcase (it weighed #150) a Ganesha and Yogan Shiva from our altar in Kerala that Shiva Rea had as our sacred centerpiece embodied with Shakti, and my beloved Sva Dharma - Green Tara from Srinagar.
My teacher Shiva ignited the passion, desire and quantum tools to dive deep within this ancient culture. I was fascinated and mesmerized. A spiritual adventure of the divine kind. This journey to another continent led me on an inner quest to discover my Dharmic Path. The continuous unraveling and unfolding on so many levels with lifetimes of letting go was a transformational portal beyond my wildest imagination. A huge black hole that magnetized and polarized me within; no one could resist such a powerful yearning. It drew me deep within its darkness of transformation and out of that darkness there was light. Lots of light. As bright as the high-beams of light on the other side of the highway! The double yellow lines were now divided. I was free to change lanes and ride my truth or stay in the lane until it was time to pass. Discoveries and new beginnings were instrumental among the many facets of yoga's bountiful gifts within a new lifestyle and perspective. I bonded with lifelong friends within our tribe, developed a physical and emotional prowess that would launch a company called VYANA and the emergence of a yoga prop named the HastaPada. Yet this is the story of the Vedis.... the seed(Bija) had been planted in India and would lay dormant until cultivated.
Now - back to the interior of my ride.
Since that fateful trip I have journeyed far and wide observing the expansiveness of the world racing past the windshield of my imagination. How can one not feel the magnitude of life’s transformation from the drivers seat? Aren’t we all in the hot seat of our multi-dimensional vehicle? At each red light I would see my reflection in the rear-view mirror and observe whether my face was peaceful or stressed. What if there was a sacred and auspicious reminder in my drishti (gaze) to take a deep breath or two and bring a bit of pranayama in my automobile. A moment to reset the inner channel and frequency of my monkey mind or the fury of an obstacle in the way.
Road rage Begone!
I would gaze past the dashboard and fly by the highway (always within the speed limit of my imagination) looking to the horizon and feeling the freedom of TRAVELING IN TRUTH... my truth. I had found my life's passion and was following it with my HEART racing. Full on petal to the metal. A thousand petals to the alchemical metal of the Sahasraha Chakra.
ENLIGHTENMENT. Honk, Honk, Toot Toot.
In the beginning it would come and go if only for a second or two. Through meditation, yoga and pranayama, ‘’it’’ would show itself if only for a moment when I dropped into that deep yet spacious place. A quick download and then back to the old paradigm; yet over time I learned to cultivate this inner light of radiance and GRACE through surrender. I now know how to allow this wondrous gift to enter my empty space in wonder and surrender. We all have a unique present that is our offering to each other and the universe. Whenever we allow the light within we have to share it - radiantly. This is what we are here for—to love and share, to share in love. For me this sacred gift is through INTENTION. A heartfelt intention to manifest dreams and direct the mind toward our heart’s desire and purpose. This is Dharma; it may come in kramas (progressive stages) yet it is always the path we have chosen and taken, or choose to take. One step at a time within each revolution and evolution of our internal wheels of our fortune as we speed around the universe yet remain still
I created VediVahaans as a reminder to stay focused and head toward the horizon of each journey, in reality, and as a metaphor of distant dreams and far away travels. VediVaahans represent a metaphor of your inner journey and destination when you are driving along life's highways and byways. This portable charm is intended to make your automobile feel like a "sacred space" while traveling and observing the world going by. Turn down the Tempo within your Auto-Temple. Shift and slow down the mind, learn how to unwind, and feel the calm within the RPM's of a busy life passing. Whether running errands or on a long trip, the destination is set and intention is always part of our own inner GPS. "Vedi" in Sanskrit means altar and "Vaahana" means vehicle; hence- ALTAR YOUR RIDE... Alter your journey.
When driving, I feel as if my Vedi sets the peaceful pace—a mental cruise control removing the fluctuations of the mind and focusing on the road ahead. When my Vedi shimmers in the light or catches my eye, part of me drops into grace and my intention is observed and renewed again and again. A visual reminder to surrender as I navigate the situation at hand. In my hands; I am reminded to gently hold the steering wheel representing my heart and I must go where my heart leads.
On your sacred path and adventurous journey - hang with a Vedi and set your intention on the road ahead; a “charm"ing reminder to keep your eyes on the horizon of your dreams, and passionately cultivate the inner radar of love. And so with any passion, we are driven to create, for in creativity lies the highest form of the Divine and within that Divine intelligence is the spark of LOVE.
