Self Discovery

Enlightenment is a journey to find self-discovery. You do not have to do yoga or yoga teacher training to discover it. Regardless of where you are –  Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, or  Adelaide  – it is your accepting of self and of the world you surround yourself with. It offers inner peace, wisdom and bliss. Some people would visualize enlightenment as a place to get to or a goal to achieve, but I disagree. 

This idea of enlightenment being somewhere other than where you are also suggests the idea that you need to become someone else to find enlightenment. There is no final destination you can’t go to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Halifax or Montreal –  to become enlightenment, as life continues on creating more opportunities for ourselves to evolve and grow. I believe enlightenment is an ever-going process that we reach over and over again at different points in our lives. 

For Some

For some it may only happen once or twice but for others, they may find enlightenment countless times. In my opinion enlightenment is like a snake shedding it’s old skin, it is when we let go of ideas we do not need anymore and embrace ones that serve us better. 

To make my statement more clear I should focus on what enlightenment means to me. I would describe enlightenment as an inner balance between finding the power to change what we have control over and finding the acceptance to embrace what you cannot change. 

To me it is not overwhelming joy that you experience at all times, but more of an acceptance and understanding of what is happening in your life. Enlightenment is about embracing what is. When we cannot accept what is, we seek out change. 

Change

Change brings us challenges that often lead to self-growth, and then enlightenment. When I think of enlightened people, I think of a lot of people who have gone through great struggles and overcame them. 

For example, Mahatma Gandhi or Eckhart Tolle. These people wanted to create positive change, persevered through their challenges and found enlightenment and inner peace. If you read about what either of these people say about enlightenment, they both agree that enlightenment is becoming the best version of yourself that you can be. 

Enlightenment

It’s the realization that you do not need to change your whole being, but that you can accept and understand who you already are to find enlightenment. 

This is not to say that people never change. I think that’s where enlightenment gives physical evidence. When you notice someone has changed as they become enlightened, I believe that they have only become closer to their truest selves. Like I said before, we change when we cannot accept what is. 

Power

Stepping into your power to change what you have control over into something you can accept is not always easy, and the challenges we face usually teach us life lessons in these situations.  

Enlightenment then helps us see our power to change if we desire to, but that some things cannot be changed and need to be accepted. Some parts of us are with us forever and accepting that you cannot change it can also be a difficult process. 

In Sum

Therefore enlightenment is an inner balance achieved by accepting what is but allowing for change and growth to occur. This is why I think enlightenment is a continuous process. Enlightenment is a journey to self-discovery with no final destination.