Speaking to one of our retreat guests at Krishna Village the other day opened my eyes to the JOY OF DISCOMFORT when travelling to a new, different place.
“I came here to heal, rest, find strength and get clarity. Coming here basically forced me to confront my biggest challenges, and look within myself for the answers”. (Elina from Melbourne, Krishna Village retreat guest).
She shared how arriving here had thrown her right out of her comfort zone, but within a day or two she made a bunch of awesome friends and had the time of her life!
The magic happens in the Unknown
When you travel to new, different places, initially it's a weird mix of being alone, yet not alone because you’re in a place surrounded by people. You’re never really all alone. It’s funny to think we are “alone” all together in a world full of people who are lonely.
The discomfort of loneliness, of camping, of 5 am yoga and having pickles in the lunch time salad. It could be so easy to complain to the manger and say: "That’s unfair! Change it!". "Change the yoga class to 6am so I can sleep in just like I do at home." Well... sleeping in is beautiful and so are comfort zones, but NOTHING GROWS THERE.
So jump into your discomfort zone with enthusiasm! Do things you wouldn’t normally do. What better time to grow and expand your horizon than a holiday...
All those big and small expectations
Finding joy in the discomfort zone teaches you to let go of big and small expectations you might be holding. Expectations of people, places and experiences. A valuable practice to apply all over your life. When you allow yourself to let go and surrender to the flow of life, you give yourself a chance to find true happiness and freedom. When you go travelling, usually one of your top priorities is to BE HAPPY. As you let go of your expectations, you’ll find happiness in the moment. Happiness is a conscious choice, not an external thing that "happens to you". It doesn’t take much to be happy here. Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and the joys of community living and MAKE THE DECISION TO BE HAPPY.