Lightning in a Bottle 2018
I can't believe I went almost two months without posting! It's been a crazy three months for me at work! I had to deal with our annual pop-up location in Indian Wells, I helped out with my first opening of a new location as well as two big PR assignments, but I can always count on LIB to remind me that I need to invest more time in myself and things that I am passionate about.
This is my third LIB, and every year I come back feeling re-energized, reinvigorated, ready to kick butt and exude positivity for 360 days before I can go home again (which I have already bought my tickets for 2019). What I really loved about this year, was that after 2 years of praising this festival and trying to get people to go, five of our friends took the leap and joined the journey. They loved it so much they are going to go again next year. It was really nice to learn more about them, to talk about the world issues with them, to share our life philosophies.
The highlight of the classes I took was a Kundalini Class from Jai Dev. Before I even got to LIB, I knew that I needed to take his class. I saw his photo on the the program and his eyes, you could tell, had so much wisdom in them...he was going to help me get to a new level of consciousness. The first class was on Thursday morning at 8:30am, and I swear, stress just melted off me. I looked at my face after the class and 5 years of worry had erased, I looked younger. I knew I couldn't leave without taking his other offering on Sunday. Immediatley after LIB, I signed up for his website where you can access his teachings and live broadcasts, and I've integrated it into my weekly routine. I’m trying to hold onto the LIB glow as long as possible!
This year (and I have a theory this was done on purpose), I could not get reception anywhere. I think there was one location where I had minimal reception, because I would see emails come in, but they would never load and I could not get anything out. It really brought light to how addicted we are to "checking". I kept trying to check my social media apps, my work emails, my texts, and after a day and a half of being unplugged, I let go and stopped caring. I was able to stay present. I was free. The years prior, I was still able to check and answer important work emails, but not this year and I think it helped me unwind more because of it.
I had moments of boredom. BOREDOM, YOU GUYS! It's not the bad word I used to think it was. I realized it's something necessary to be creative, to go inside yourself and truly reflect. We never have to be bored these day, we carry entertainment all day long in our phone, silence can be filled with a old Seinfeld episode in the background, and if you're mind still wanders after that, you can online shop to your hearts content. Being reintroduced to boredom, I try to come home and not automatically turn on the TV, or scroll through who-knows-what on my phone, just let me mind drift for even 10 minutes...it’s quite relaxing and the perfect way to decompress after work. I eat my dinner in silence, focusing on what I’m eating and how it is nourishing me. What a shift in perspective, all from being without cell service for 4 days.
Every year I try to go to LIB with an intention of what I want from this year. The first was love, the second was guidance (or affirmation I was in the right direction) and this year I wanted to look for my true purpose. I don't know what it is quite yet, but I know it's coming. I just have to continue to spend more time in silence so I can hear the signs when they come. I can’t wait to see what presents itself to me.
If you missed my post from LIB last year, you can access it here, I went more into detail about what the festival is. If you have any questions or if you have stories you’d like to share, I would love to hear them in the comments below! For the time being, scroll down and enjoy the photos!
