My body felt like a boundless stretch of infinite wisdom recorded into the memory of the ocean water. I was floating overboard, now shape shifting into the infinite reality, marking a seamless transition from material density to ethereal fluidity. In this state of ascended consciousness I could feel the ocean as a sailing library of knowledge – past, present and future. The past was constantly being reinvented, relearned. The present was just a lapse of fleeting eternity – impermanent, yet endless; the future was but obsolete, and somehow needed to be re-written, relived.

For a split second I felt like Alice passing through the looking glass and entering the “other way round universe”. In an instant I came back to my senses and landed aboard the ship, still contemplating the horizon. But my state of mind and body had shifted for real. Looking at the world from this vast perspective I could easily shy away from the non-essentials and focus on what mattered most. And that was my reaction to things. I no longer wanted to struggle in order to prove my point. All I had to do is just leap to my vastness. And a tangential shift happened. My mind was no longer fixated on getting things right. My body no longer craved perfection. It was perfect.

My consciousness had stretched infinitely to encompass other realms and endless possibilities. I now saw the world with childlike wonder, undermining common sense and re-learning to think backwards, look at things the other way, breaking free of established ways of thinking and commoditizing the art of life. As my awareness stretched exponentially I felt the purpose of every soul – to play its part in the most cogent and coherent way. I felt that each one faces tests tailored according to our individual strengths and weaknesses. How we approach them or turn away from them – will alter the course of our lives and affect the future evolution of humanity. I felt that in performing our individual roles all we needed to have was an extended body, and amplified mind, a compassionate heart, and an active soul devoted to higher service. This way we become citizens of the Universe, larger than our aspirations and more complex than our dreams.

Gazing at the horizon after yoga practice that summer morning taught me that the journey of life is made up of landscapes and inscapes. The threshold where the inner and the outer world merge is our chance for change, our opportunity to enact a paradigm shift, to alter the established status quo. Only by learning to thrive in this cross-current can we find clarity and hope in a time of global turbulence. As the world is becoming more destabilized due to the crumbling of old structures and the emergence of a new order, we are asked to take a tangential leap of faith, and transform the breakdown into a breakthrough. Turning the stumbling blocks into stepping stones, we have the unique opportunity to leap in consciousness. This quantum leap manifests in our inner calling for forging new horizons and shifting perspective. Then, we can find a peaceful resolution to long-lasting conflicts and pacify the destructive power of violence, intolerance and greed. And ultimately we realize that there is no need to fight and conquer, to claim and prove – these are all acts of our limiting ego trying to disguise the higher self. The transcendence of the ego, also known as “asmita” is the pivotal point of inquiry on the yogic path. Once the grip loosens we can experience things as they are, in their naked state.

Both asana/pranayama and meditation practice facilitate this “horizontal” shift. As we stretch the body, we not only massage the inner organs and nourish the tendons, muscles and ligaments. We also stretch the frame of our mind. We widen our range and amplify our perspective to encompass the greater whole. Our rational and intuitive nature coalesces. We hone cognitive bodies and flexible minds. Then we suddenly realize that all of creation is within us and around us. Looking deep into this ultimate reality, we see our multi-layered selves. Somewhere deep within that vast reality, we exist as an integral part, holding a unique place. Without us it does not exist, nor do we exist without it.

While I was away contemplating the horizon at the mysterious Bermuda triangle, my dear student and gifted yoga teacher Sandy designed and performed this inspiring sequence and geared it towards “shifting one’s horizons to attain a flexible body and mind”. How did she know that I was experiencing a total “horizontal” leap at exactly the same time? Did she read my mind? Did she tap the unified field of universal consciousness? Or did I transfer the thought through the magnetic vortex of the Bermuda dimensional doorway? I guess, we just synched our bodies, minds, hearts and souls in an infinite reality, telepathically realizing that the horizon is an optical illusion. It never ends, it just continues…