roshnikakadMind is where the storm is brewing
I’m so stoked to have completed the Annapurna Base Camp trek (ABC)! All the more since this was the first trek of my life, undertaken without a plan or preparation! Sure as hell, I underestimated the level of difficulty I’d signed up for. But in the end, it was worth every struggle, physically, mentally and emotionally.
“It’s all in the mind!” exclaimed our trekking guide whenever he noticed someone in the group struggling. And after spending eight days in the mountains, voyaging through sunshine, rain, and snow, I have to admit, he was right.
At one point during the climb, I reached the peak of exhaustion and decided to slow down. I took my time, treading alone away from the group while soaking in the beauty of the surrounding panorama.
The Uninvited Guests
Thoughts began rippling, followed by waves of self-reflection. My body felt like a heavily anchored ship and my breath lost its rhythm. Within no time, a tsunami of self-induced negative chatter flooded my mind, leading me to a moment of breakdown.
It wasn’t the altitude nor the weight of my 60 litre backpack overwhelming me. It was a momentary struggle that caused turbulence in my state of focus. I questioned everything. My ability, my desires, my purpose, even my past decisions. I thought about quitting in that very moment simply because of recycled thoughts filled with every self-limiting belief I’d ever had. Each time I tried to move further in the climb, those dormant beliefs began unveiling themselves one by one. But ultimately, all those negative thoughts were just dead weight. It was indeed, all created in my mind.
As still as the Sky
I’ve practiced basic meditation over the past couple of years, and in the process, I’ve realised that it’s simply about being in a constant state of awareness in whatever you do. Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh beautifully used the analogy of the mind being like the vast sky, always present, while thoughts and emotions are transient clouds that form, drift, and disappear.
I approached the trek unknowingly using this metaphor. Despite the emotional set back, that one rock bottom moment helped me redirect my focus to what mattered most. Moving forward. I took each step mindfully during the ascent and descent, conscious of every breath in and out and ensuring I wouldn’t slip or injure myself. Although the climb was steep, I stopped looking ahead to see how far I still had left to go. But I occasionally looked back down to catch a glimpse of how far I’d come.
