Lesson 1: Cali, Colombia "The Power of Now"

While staying at a Yoga retreat in Cali, Colombia I stumbled upon a book that changed my perspective on life. The retreat was in a beautiful location, up in the mountains overlooking the craziness of Cali, I needed to getaway for a little bit. I did the volunteer program where my tasks included cleaning the studio, tending the garden, and any other chores they asked. In return for this I got to practice Yoga with them every day, a comfortable bed, and three delicious vegan meals a day. One of the greatest gifts was picking up “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle from their book exchange shelf. I had been on a backpacking trip in Peru a couple months prior and many of the people on my trip had been discussing this book. Including a man who had just finished an ayahuasca retreat who swore by it.

Between Yoga and cleaning I began to read. This is the type of book that you need to concentrate on to reap the benefits from. I finally finished it a few weeks ago while staying at a friend’s house in Long Beach, CA. I savored every last word of that book. To just be, what a concept. To distance yourself from the ideas of time and space and to just live in the present is such a magical feeling. To be conscious and therefore in control of my mind, emotions, and choices has empowered me and changed how I approach life. To remove the ego and to accept what is, to remove yourself from negative pain bodies and identities. The lessons I learned in this one short book contain more power and gave me more clarity than anything I have ever read or studied. I highly recommend this book and often reread sections of it depending on instances that occur in my life.

Here is the retreat I stayed at to anyone that finds themselves in Colombia looking for their next destination:

https://www.yogashramcali.com/