“This is what the path of Dharma is like. It’s not that you have to do all the practices. It is sufficient to take just one of them, whichever one you really have an affinity with, and through practicing that one alone, for the rest of your life, you will achieve enlightenment. Whichever practice you choose doesn’t matter; they are all valid methods for achieving enlightenment—if you practice. The key is to practice with diligence for the rest of your life.”
― Dhomang Yangthang, The Union of Dzogchen and Mahamudra
I found what my Dharma in Global Travel and teaching wellness. I have found my Dharmic practice in my dedication to my yoga practice, meditation, explorations of relationship with myself and others, explorations of the world and cultures, and doing the work to maintain a constant connection with the truth of who I am. Not who society says I am, not who another person says I am, but who I am at my core.
I have found my Dharma or path through the exploration of what I love. This was not something that I was raised to know, this is something I discovered through mindfulness practices of my body, mind, and spirit. Just like body health, when I eat what is good for me, my body and mind speak in vitality. When I do what makes me happy like travel and yoga, my body, mind, and spirit are Aligned and I thrive.
When we live our truth, joy shines through us, and that is SO attractive. Just by doing what you love, you inspire others to do what they love. When we live from our heart’s deepest yearning, we are pulled by the tides to keep growing from that space! Can you imagine a 
life of learning, growing, and teaching what absolutely INSPIRES you on a daily basis?
When I was 23, I had a college advisor say to me, “When you do what you love, the money will follow.” At the time, I remember thinking, “Is that possible?,” but I remember feeling, “Oh, man, that feels good.” That was my first awareness of how my heart was feeling versus what my head was saying. My head was questioning possibility, but my heart was championing it. This began the journey and the battle of my heart versus my mind. My mind was conditioned to tell me that I needed to work hard towards a goal that I barely understood. My heart was telling me to live INSPIRED by everything that I did. I have been inspired by role model’s like Steve Job’s, who lived with compassion and complete abandon for what he believed in.
So as the late and great Steve Job’s said,
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
This is is why I travel globally doing what I love. This is why, no matter what other’s may say or do, I stay the course. I am followed by the feeling in my heart to take the steps that allow me to continue blossoming my flower towards my own inner and outer revolution.
These are the 3 Best Things About Teaching Yoga Globally
- Living from the heart.
“Be honsestly and unapologetically you. Because you being uniquely YOU will allow the people you interact with to feel comfortable being uniquely them – perhaps for the first time in their lives. There is no more authentic way to
connect and no greater gift to give.”
Scott Dinsmore
I know I love to travel and I know I love spreading the message of Yoga or Union to everyone and anyone willing to receive it. If I love these things, there must bea reason for it. If I love these things, it allows me to move from a space of passion. I am passionately driven to do what I love and through this I am taken to spaces and places within my own self that lead me on a wild journey that inspires others to find what it is that THEY love to do. I get emails and calls all the time with people asking me how I live the way I do, and I respond, “I live from my heart.”
2. Constantly learning. “I’ll never forget what this 45 year old college professor from the United States, Mars
hall, told me one fine day in the rolling hills of Lake Katchipuri. He said, “You’ll learn a million times more traveling than you would spending a million dollars on university and graduate school. Save your money and see the world. That is where true education is.” Alana Roach
In my latest blog article for True Nature Education, I mentioned that travel was the best education for me. I learn a lot from every
moment when I am truly present. I do not take for granted the breath that I am breathing at this moment (Just by writing this I am inspired to take a deep breath now.) So if I can be that impacted by one momentary breath, imagine how teaching that breath, when taken amongst new cultures, lands, exotic animals, different languages, and in sacred spaces can revolutionize my capacity for absorbing information. I meet so many great teachers in the people, places, and life experiences I encounter abroad.
3. Deepening my practice. I have practiced yoga in one form or another for 6 days a week, excluding moon days as is tradition in 
Ashtanga, for many years. With my discipline and desire for deeper knowledge in my chosen practice, I am often seeking new teachers and teachings where ever I am. I love experiencing new teachers and I am always noticing how the environment effects the yoga that is practiced. The sensuality and pulsating energy felt in Costa Rica is often matched with Tantric and Kundalini teachings, while the still, calm, and awe-inspiring mountains of Northern India seem to be coupled well with basic Hatha yoga, Pranayama, and breathwork. It is breath taking to see how these practices of the Universe are channeled through a teacher and how I am humbled to experience how they are channeled through my own vessel. I have been brought to tears teaching a class because the words that come through are simply not of my own making, but of some ancient wisdom. Everything is so connected.
This is why I love teaching yoga globally. I hope to have inspired you to cultivate the willingness to deeply listen to the inner wisdom of your own heart. What is it your love to do? I would love to hear about it. How can I support your living your Legend? Let me know.
Alana Roach is a International Yogi currently based out of Annapolis, MD. Formerly adorned by the city lights and the busy streets of America, she was then whisked away by the illustrious path of yoga and took to traveling the world to share it with others. A few years back she started to write about the transformation she undertook by practicing conscious meditation. She practices and teaches varied styles of yoga at Ruahstudio.com, leads international retreats, loves surfing, being in nature, and enjoys a good belly laugh. She is on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, and can be reached by email explorationsofself@gmail.com
