All of the wisdom traditions teach the same core beliefs; that our ultimate purpose as humans is to learn, to evolve our hearts and minds, and to realize that we are made up of the same energy that makes the cosmos twirl, and that gives us all the mysteries of life.

We are that. And in being that, we have tremendous power to foster positivity and healing in the world. And in equal measure, we have the power to destroy humanity and irrevocably damage the sacred web of life.

So with that in mind, I share some core truths that took me a long time to see. They help me make sense of the ups & downs and ebbs & flows of life. They help me to understand how powerful we are, how magical it is to be alive, and how much choice we really have.

Part two of “the laws of life I wish I knew when I was 18”:

3- Our work in the world requires an interplay of inner work and outer work. “Inner work” is the private thinking, inquiry, and contemplation that we engage inside our selves. This happens in our minds, in our heart, with our emotions, and in our spirit. This is a very active process.

From here we choose deliberate, intentional “outer work,” such as reaching out to a friend; enrolling in a class; sending an important letter; creating art; saying sorry, or taking that leap of faith.

If our inner work is absent, we are runaway trains, aimlessly busy and in action but with no guiding north star. If our inner work does not align with out outer work, we send mixed messages and we get missed messages back. “Right thought; right speech; right action.” When each of these are in alignment, we are laser focused and we create powerfully.

4- It is ALL perception. Isn’t it amazing that there are 7.5 billion people on the planet and every single person sees the world through their own unique filter of sensations, images, feeling and thoughts? There is absolutely no duplication in this.

7.5 billion minds relating to the word in completely different, and immensely private, ways. You can have two people witness the exact same event and they will likely perceive it differently. People will relate to the incoming information with their personal filters and histories.

More important, how we perceive then dictates our responses and actions. And this is how the world goes ‘round and ‘round.

Here is simple example: a baby cries; to one mother this is a sign of deep relief: “The baby is alive, I am so grateful.” To another mother, the baby’s cry is a sign of stress: “The baby is still upset. I wish this would stop.”

Here is another more nuanced example: you are reprimanded for making a mistake. You can take it as “Here I go again, I am a failure.” Or you can take this as “What a wonderful opportunity to learn and improve.”

How you relate to and metabolize all incoming information sets the course for your happiness and contentment. You are going with the flow, or you are fighting upstream, against the flow..

At the exact moment of perception is CHOICE. The way we choose to relate to our perceptions is what makes us happy, stressed, sick, healthy, angry, productive or destructive. The power of this choice, at the point of perception, is immeasurable. It is EVERYTHING.

The brilliance of Ayurveda, the 5000 year old sister Science to Yoga , is that it recognizes the interplay between a person’s natural tendencies and how he/she relates to the world. Ayurveda seeks to understand the person’s way of being as fundamental to their perception, and therefore fundamental to how they engage with life around them.

****Thank you to me teachers whose personal time and attention guided my learning of these principals: Sam Holland and Temier; Swami Brahmananda at Sivananda Yoga Ashram; Menas Kafatos and Deepak Chopra and their most recent book “You are the Universe.”; Stacia and Andrew, and Matthew Fox.