Sabbatical: shedding my mantle to embark on a new battle

core 2core
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Sabbatical is defined as – ceased from his labour or a time to indulge to be independent for the next phase. Many have preconceived notions on what a sabbatical is. Some frown on it, some respect it, some think it is just plain foolish. I must admit, I was the latter. I was the person of norm, brought up and molded to be one track minded and driven by distinctions and tangible achievements. I built a mindset hungry for my peer’s and superior’s acknowledgement. Little did I know I was hanging my happiness at their mercy. I treaded blindly through this well-structured hierarchal professional path to what I thought would lead me to supremacy and contentment that would last me my lifetime. This was my mantra- more aptly, my mantle. Yes, it is that thick dense layer that surrounds the earth’s core, which I remember from my primary school. I was to find out, that as mantle’s cause tectonic shifts every so often, change also was inevitable for me.
 
When I decided to randomly shake my well-oiled routine with an Ashtanga class, not only was there a shift, it was an earthquake. Sheepishly, I stepped into my first yoga class and stepped out soaked and drenched in my own sweat. Moisture stuck to me like glue and so did my realizations that day. I was shook up, Magnitude you ask? Richter scale of 10. The Epicenter? My core.
 
It was through this class I finally saw a person who sought not approval or affirmation of others but one who flourished in her own, someone who did not want to be the best but one wanted to improve, someone who flaunted her mistakes even laughed at it, someone who found solace in the uncertain. Half a year passed, I ironically find myself in the middle MY very own sabbatical. Everyday here in Tirisula, I shed off a piece of this mantle. May it be receiving criticism, needing adjustments, learning theories. I indulge in this practice be able to pass this phase in my life blazing hot with passion but grounded in depth.
 
 
 
 
Bianca Pereche- Gamboa
200hr TTC (weekday), March 2015