Alana Roach is committed to getting the very most out of the spiritual experience she is having in this human lifetime. She has chosen to share her discoveries on the yoga mat with her students and the TNE Community is thrilled for her upcoming retreat, Explorations of Self, in Santa Teresa, January 2015. Here is what Alana has to say about what it means to “be something more…”
What does it mean for you to “be something more” as part of your yoga practice, teaching, and your intentions for your retreat?
What does “being something more” mean to me in my practice? I find that at the end of the day my personal practice is to just “be.” It is not being anything more or less, it is simply “be-ing.” Once I am in a place where I can sit and simply accept that moment for what it is, that is when I effortlessly become what it is that I was all along, infinite love. How can you become something that you already are?
I try to bring this “Be-ing-ness” into my teaching. I remind the student that they are perfect in this moment and to really sink into that. I believe that my purpose as a teacher is to guide you back to You. We can spend so much time running from this to that trying to accomplish some goal or task and when we get there often times we ask, what’s next, and so it goes on until one day we are left feeling let down, lost, empty. It’s because what we are seeking was never really lost, it was within us, always was and always will be. There is no need to want to be anything more than what you innately are, a perfect extension of the Universal Spirit and that is unbreakable.
At Explorations of Self: A Costa Rica Yoga Experience, I set the group intention of remembering. The practice of remembering that you are infinite love and infinite peace is like riding a bicycle. The more you tune into the frequency of Self (With a capital S to represent the Higher Self/Divine Self) the more you can recall. It will come through in the physical practice of yoga, the seated meditation, the chanting and singing, the laughter, the tears, the ocean and rainforest, the stillness. This week long retreat will re-unite you with You and it will be… well, just come and find out for yourself. As the Buddha once said, “When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”
Who has been your greatest influence and why?
My greatest influences have been those who teach this truth with every fiber of their being. Names like Seane Corn. She followed her bliss and has since introduced and inspired others to their own form of bliss. I relate to Seane’s journey. She came from a dark past and yoga sort of swept her off of her feet and she never looked back, and so it was with me. She lives her life by being of service with her God given talents. I believe that we are given talents that we enjoy for a reason. Seane has shown me that no matter what anyone says to you about what they think you should be doing with your life, in the end it is your journey. She was one of the first people I looked to and said, “If she can do it, so can I.” I started following my bliss immediately and I continue to in every moment, with every breath that I take.
If there was a yoga pose or mediation practice that described you – what would it be and why?
Isha Kriya meditation. The repeated mantra in the beginning is, “I am not the body, I am not even the mind.” In that way I suppose it’s “Not me.” Ha ha.
Other than yoga, meditation, nutrition – what are some of your passions?
I love creation. Writing, dancing, singing, playing instruments, nature, just to name a few. I’ve been getting swept up in writing especially for the last few years. It’s a way for me to communicate my heart to others in a way that is unique to the way that my mind forms sentences. I blog (www.explorationsofself.com) and journal often, and I am in the beginning stages of writing my first book.
What is on your “Costa Rica Bucket List?”
Honestly, to learn how to surf and be decent enough at it to carve in the Pacific.
Join Alana in Costa Rica this January 17-25 2015 to explore the truth of who you have been all along and maybe catch some waves with her as well. View our entire 2015 Retreat Calendar here.
