Today I come to you with mixed feelings. I considered skipping a month, or writing as if nothing had happened. Neither felt right, something did happen. My beloved dad passed away. No need for details here but it was sudden. My dad was very healthy, had a bike accident and whoosh, just like that...gone from the physical world. Never to be to kissed and hugged again. A searing pain in my heart. It all feels a bit surreal, weird even. It's as if nature makes it impossible to fully comprehend the magnitude of such a loss immediately, lest one drowns in sorrow.

I recently traveled to Kosovo to teach yoga, meditation and Ayurvedic workshops. You read correctly, Kosovo! Kosovo is north of Greece and south of Hungary, to give you an idea. Because it’s a relatively new country there are many “firsts” there, and the Sparks Holistic Festival I participated in was no exception. The first ever of its kind! How did I end up there?

In part one of this article we looked at the profound wisdom in Gandhi's famous words “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” I pointed out that there's only one place where we can apply such wisdom: our everyday life. Indeed, daily life provides us a gazillion opportunities to embody the qualities we wish to see more plentiful in the world. From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep, in all our interactions we can choose to “be the change”. We can choose to be kind, patient, compassionate, attentive and overall a good person. Simple enough, right? And yet.

It's not even spring and what a year it's been already. Unfolding events on the national and global stage are leaving many of us stunned. I've been observing increasing levels of anxiety and depression among my clients. Overpowering emotions make it difficult to see a clear way ahead and it's tempting to wallow in anger or poor-me-mentality. Well, I'd like to suggest that however upsetting the current times feel to you, the solution to our growing list of world problems lies with you. Within you. As you.