Being removed from our world’s distractions is one way of interpreting and practicing Pratyahara. Let’s bring back the 8-Limb Path. 1 of the Limbs is Niyamas aka guiding principles on how we deal with ourselves, our personal practices and disciplines. Double tap into the Niyamas and we see Sutra 2.54: Pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses. Our senses are what drive our desires and emotions: we see something we like, we want it. Honestly, just think about how much money you spend on things that make you feel good but you don’t really need. All those online purchases, the dinners, the ‘but I deserve it’ impulse buys just to give you a hit of dopamine. Our senses are meant to enrich our lives, but they are also the biggest distractions. Think of 11 from Stranger Things – when she is in the salt tank and removed from all distractions, only then is she able to truly tap the true extent of her woo woo mind powers.

I’ve traveled 26+ countries solo, always showing up somewhere with a 1-way flight and just a backpack. This year, I slept on a farm and in my tent. In years past, I’ve only exclusively stayed in hostels. Give me a bunk bed in a 8 bed dorm over a luxury hotel, any day. When I’m having breakfast at a hostel table or smoking in the common area, that’s where my life resume gets built. Surrounded by solo travelers cut from the same cloth, we hail from all corners of the world but we share one common thread: experience as much as we can. And because of that, our conversations are far more richer and more emotionally riveting than any of the other conversations we have back home.

After 2 weeks at Fira Backpackers Hostel in Santorini, Greece-  I had made a solid group of friends: Adam/River from Melbourne, Blair from Cali,  Matt from London, Shaun from Perth and 2 Dutch girls Klara & Silje.  On our last night together, before we headed off to our next whatever city, we sat around the hostel table knocking back jagerbombs and playing cards. As we were sitting in the outside common area, a new traveler checked in. Matt introduced me to Rachel, a yoga teacher from Gaza. This was in September 2024.

She shared that her and her friends love the EDM sub-genre Trance. That year, whenever there was a disturbance in her town, the EDM community mobilized in Facebook groups after to bring a Trance rave to the desert. She shared that when the world is breaking and people are losing their homes, people turn to music for strength and solace. Music is constant and grounding. It takes you away from your senses: Pratyahara. Trance allows people to get lost in the sounds. In the Facebook groups, people volunteer rides and production materials (electricity, decks, speakers) and they all go dance all the night in the desert. 

During the convo, another traveler had walked in and I saw she was inching closer to us.

 

Kirthika introduced herself and shared that she was a Hatha yoga teacher from India, also on her own solo trip across Greece. Rachel received her cert in Bali and Kirthika got hers in India while I got mine in The States. Outside of being solo travelers, we bonded over yoga and exchanged our favorite gifts of knowledge via book titles, podcasts and notable yoga figures in our respective communities. Kirthika has a dream of opening up a yoga studio in India and invited me to teach Vinyasa (if you’re reading this, I’m still so down!!).  She urged me to follow my heart and always trust my intuition; if I ever can’t figure out what’s going on in my head, then listen to my body. And if my the noise in my head is too loud then dial it down by withdrawing all distractions to reground: Pratyahara aka Sutra 2.54. Then, you will find truth in your head, and heart - Sutra 2.36

 

Removed from our life back home, from the bias of family and friends, solo travelers can be fully free. Always going international for my yearly solo trip, I chose to go domestic this year. I wanted to trade in hostel bunkbeds for a tent in the woods, conversations at the hostel for head nods on the hiking trails. 

Starting in San Francisco, I met up with Richie (who I rode ATVs with in Paros on last year’s solo trip to Greece). After Richie helped me grocery shop, I drove off in my rental car. I was hiking 7-12 miles a day during my trip through the National parks: Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Arches.  I coasted through miles of desert road. I had a shit ton of time to think.

------

“If something takes too much work, it’s probably not worth it.” – words from my witchy yoga mentor Alex Plante. In yoga, we talk alot about listening to our body. And how in uncomfortableness, we find growth. And in growth, we find expansion.

Remember that: transitions are just as important as the final shapes. I’ve always told my students to trust their body and listen to the vibes, always. Well, I evaluated different areas of my life: career, personal, medical, mental…and I thought back to how my body felt in all situations. Just because something doesn’t look perfect on paper, doesn’t mean it isn’t the right decision. Trust only your gut and intuition - my body doesn't lie. 

I’m getting to experience Pratyahara on a solo adventure to the highest degree: uprooting my life and moving to a new city. And I absolutely love it.