My definition of Truth is a deep sense of knowing that you are in alignment with your souls purpose and journey in this moment right now, and in this lifetime.
My journey into alignment with my own Truth came (very cliché) during my first trip to India. I had just retired as a Professional Snowboarder and upon arriving in Bombay, the moment I stepped off the plane I was smacked in the head with my shadow side and what followed was a month of hell. Everywhere I looked, every experience I had was a reflection of parts of myself I had not embraced and didn’t want to. A control freak, impatient, selfish, arrogant, rude, uptight, I loathed it – India and I loathed myself. India showed me all these qualities that my siblings and others had pointed out over the years which I shrugged off, certain they were mental, but now here I was day after day unable to ignore what India was shoving in my face, the aspects of myself I had chosen to ignore and edit out of my reality for years.
At one point in an ashram in the south I endured hours of asana and the chanting of mantra’s each day that sent me into a state of temporary insanity, too much to handle, I hopped on a plane to Sri Lanka to surf and escape the crazy stinky country and the parts of myself it so shockingly illuminated. As far as I was concerned I couldn’t have cared less if I ever returned to India again. But I would return to India after a month of surfing and I am oh so glad I did, a love affair with the country and myself began and set in motion what continues to unfold as a truly magical life.
There is no doubt for me that the 4-6 hrs a day I spent in the ocean, floating in that great body of water, riding waves and bathing in the suns rays, bought me into a coherency with nature in a way I had never experienced before, this was the beginning of a relationship and recognition of my own true nature and ignited a sensitivity, attunement and alignment with my own Truth. Since then my life has been guided by deep impulses that are unmistakable, and that cannot be ignored, loud beacons or markers that guide me and signal me when I am out of alignment and affirm and confirm when I am right on track.
So when a student asks me “ How do you know what your Truth is and if you are living it?” my response is this; if you get quiet enough inside, and listen, your Truth is loud, clear and unmistakable. If you have the courage to ask the questions, and then even more courage to listen, it is the deep sense of knowing that rises up from the bottomless well inside. Whether you are questioning your career path, the man or woman you are dating, the environment and the people you choose to spend time with on a Saturday night, in the potent stillness the answers lie and it is very clear. The question that then remains is; if you choose to acknowledge that Truth, which often requires making difficult choices and taking action to redirect your path or if you stay as is, just going through the motions.
It may be some paramount event or experience that catapults us into this enquiry or maybe just a curiosity and exploration, regardless of what it is once the relationship has been established and the cultivation of a sensitivity to the knowing grows, it is incredibly hard to ignore and is an incredible resource for guidance. Life becomes really simple when you realize that each choice you make, takes you closer to or further away from your Truth.
I know I am in my Truth when my thoughts, feelings, words and actions are in alignment, just as I know when I am not, because when I get quiet and ask, the answer is always deafeningly loud and clear.
My Truth is echoed as an incredible flow in my life, and for that I am truly grateful.
Currently based in the sparkling San Diego surf enclave of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA, Katie serves as the Director of Teacher Trainings at Haute Yoga, leads workshops and works with private clients from high profile Olympians, professional athletes, and celebrities to students in her weekly classes. In her ongoing involvement in the community Katie serves as ambassador for Ritual Cleanse, Lulu Lemon, Toe Sox and Nika Water.
Katie is devoted to sharing yoga as a gateway for optimal balance and deeper life enquiry.
