Will you Summit the Mountain of your Life?

At a lowered body temperature of 95°F the dizzy spells begin. The shivering, which is responsible for generating the little body heat you do possess finally stops. Your body will now maintain high temperatures only around the vital organs- the heart, brain and lungs, by shutting down blood circulation to the arms and legs. Losing focus on Mt. Everest can cost you your life in a matter of minutes. The mere 3000+ people to ever summit the highest peak in the world are very aware of this. 

Something else that these accomplished professionals know, and even novice hikers for that matter, is that as you are approaching the apex of a mountain, it recedes from your field of vision. It just slips away, taunting you in the distance. If one is set on summitting a peak, at some point the belief and knowing that the top still lies ahead continues to charge his or her final steps.

So, how can this well-known phenomenon be applied to the mountains of our lives, regardless of whether one is an avid climber?

This is something I have been studying the last 2 years with my teacher, Nagajara, who was once a professional climber and has since developed a broad toolkit based on a life approach he calls Spiritual Trekking. Spiritual Trekking inspires us to keep going, and that the mountains of each of our lives lay waiting for just this. An initial spark of fate, luck or inspiration can initially set us off, soaring toward our dreams. But all these primary forces completely empty of their influence as you near the summit. At this point, only sheer persistence and hard work will lift us those final feet to the top, along with the faith that the peak is still there waiting for us. Most people will often give up on their mountains and goals, losing their will and focus just in their last moves to their personal peak- because they can simply no longer see it. Because of this, they lose the belief that it is still possible and doubt in their capacity to make it possible.

To keep going is absolutely key, when we can no longer envision or accept that career, that relationship, that milestone, that accomplishment for ourselves. Sometimes we get so swept up in the doubt, we might feel we don’t even KNOW what we want anymore, when in reality, we have clouded ourselves, hiding the pain of not having yet reached what we so long for.

It’s easy, common and socially accepted to get swept up into confusion, doubt and feeling lost, just as you’re closer than ever to making miracles happen. Its the hypothermia equivalent of reaching your own Everest. You can’t delay, or you will lose the strength and willpower to work hard, the only possibility left of make the ascent. Without this, all is lost. You are left to feel defeated, desperate and bargaining for a new way or escape, willing to forget the true calling of your soul.

I’ve experienced this firsthand. I’ve powerfully desired something, lost it all, and then lost sight of what I really wanted, only to find it still waiting for me with a bit of good-ole-fashioned W-O-R-K. While not everyone is guaranteed to summit the Everest of their life, one thing remains certain: you definitely won’t make it to your top if you don’t keep going. 

*After working with the diverse and generous tool box of Spiritual Trekking- ranging from food to movement, mantra to meditations on daily life, deep self-inquiry, and even surfing, climbing, art, and travel- I have since integrated these offerings into my own healing and life coaching practice. I’ve got a few Tantric Trekking workshops coming up in October in California where we will play with expressive arts and meditation to learn new tools to climb your inner terrain. I’m also headed to Paradise this February, the home of my teacher, Nagajara, and you are invited to come and learn some of these techniques and enjoy surfing, meditation, and yoga in this private, quiet ocean-front retreat center in the Philippines! For more info, call me at 510.606.2589 or email n@nicolecasanova.com.

Mt. Everest in the Himalayan Range