I am currently on my honeymoon in New Zealand, and it’s amazing. If you are a traveler, and can’t decide your next destination, I highly recommend it. There is something for everyone here – whether it be adventure, relaxing by the ocean or a lake, tasting wine, etc – it is definitely here. My husband and I are somewhat adventure junkies, so climbing up mountains was just the ticket we were looking for last week. We went into Arthur’s Pass National Park to find that what we planned to hike wasn’t going to work out because of bad weather on the mountain. However, we were told by a park ranger to try out Bealey’s Spur Track if we wanted awesome views. I think we lucked out the weather wasn’t great because this hike was unbelievable.
As I was hiking, I realized that some of the same lessons that I have gotten from yoga, the mountains also teach me. These are some lessons I reflected on during the hike.
Letting go of control. I was initially bummed that our plans didn’t work out for the first hike. I secretly thought to myself that this next hike wouldn’t be as difficult or it would be boring because the hike was shorter. Alas, I can’t control the weather, no matter how badly I would like that skill. When we drove 8 miles to the trail head, I realized this day was unfolding the exact way it was supposed to unfold. I have be shown this lesson so many times in yoga as well. If I try to control everything, it turns out it is exhausting. Showing up 100% to this moment allows ease and allows a clear head for the next path.
Getting outside of my comfort zone. My husband is an eagle scout and an explorer at heart. When we reached the end of the mapped trail, my husband wanted to continue on to the mountain peak so we could get some better views. I was definitely nervous because there were no more orange markers and I didn’t want to be doing something we weren’t allowed to be doing. Turns out there were markers up ahead, rock piles left by rangers, so if you know how to hike mountains, you know how to follow the trail. As we climbed up, as always at the top mountains, it got windier and less covered. At one point my husband wanted to confirm with me which way I would fall if I slipped since we were getting tantalizing close to the edge. By choosing to play it big and keep going, I found growth in myself and I am stronger than I think. Yoga gives me the opportunity to practice this all the time as well. By coming to the edge of my practice, whether that be to choose to practice handstand or choose child’s pose, I find new growth within myself.
Finally, it’s about the journey not the destination. Each time we would ascend a little higher on the mountain, we would take time to look around and really see everything. If we had just ran through the mountain, heads down and not looking around, I wouldn’t have noticed the tiny mouse running around or the green bird that followed us through the trees for a bit. Being in the mountains really allows me to take time to see what is in front of me. Climbing a mountain is physical just like yoga. These two things allow me to get out of my head and into my body, so that I can enjoy this exact moment, not just the end point.
Like all destinations, this one was pretty cool.
See you yogis at the end of this week!
Shine on,
Jackie