"The only thing that we can be truly aware of is that we're aware," I recall my grade 4 teacher telling us one day. I do not recall what inspired his profound teaching, but he seemed to be an old soul whose great compassion and serenity always struck me as unique.
That particular day remains crystal clear in my mind. And, as the entire class seemed to exit in a daze, one girl tapped me on the shoulder, asking me the definition of "aware". "I think it means 'to see'", I told her, not sure how to even explain it to myself. I was still in another reality with the teacher's phrase reverberating in my mind, the world appearing as if in a fog; I believe it was my first encounter with the idea of consciousness.
What did the teacher mean? What does awareness have to do with my life? Did I miss something? His comment haunted me for years, in my piscean quest for answers to the mysticism of the universe. Yet, like the teacher, yoga would surrendipitously appear in my life. And the answers to my questions would, as well...
