nirvana.

At yoga last night, my teacher said something really interesting that got me thinking. Usually these lessons at the beginning of classes reflect perfectly upon that moment, but not every one hits you across the head in ways of thinking. For whatever reason, this one does for me.

First, Buddhists are always on this path to Enlightenment, and will eventually reach nirvana.

"Enlightenment is collective," she said, whilst pushing my dancer-over-extended-leg into alignment. "We reach it in our own ways, because at the end of the day, we're not all going to be dancing on hilltops with fireworks being all 'Enlightened.'"

At the end of the day, we still have to do the dishes. Take the subway. Write another essay. Walk the dog. Pick up the pieces when a friend breaks down.

But in each of those ways, they are the building bricks to our individual Enlightenment, whatever that may mean or be to you. We know the ultimate end result of this life, so why not make the journey of our steps a continual learning process? Make the next brick even more stable, complex and sturdy to stand on. From there, we can reach for the highest shelf to help ourselves.

You might need to ask for a hand along the way. Enlightenment is collective - you have to put the pieces together to get things moving. They aren't all going to be found at the same time, there may be things coming that we have no clue about and could reroute this trail, but that's part of the journey.

“I haven't a clue as to how my story will end. But that's all right. When you set out on a journey and night covers the road, you don't conclude the road has vanished. And how else could we discover the stars?”