Our Story
Have you ever set out on a journey alone? How about a solo hike deep into the wilderness? Did notice a subtle fear vibrating beneath your skin, or felt a sense of existential loneliness as you stepped forth on the trail, with nobody but your Self to direct you? I have.
These journeys, pathways and passages we willingly and sometimes unwillingly find ourselves on, are not easy. The experience of coming home can be blissful, wild, confusing, heart opening, chaotic, life changing and so much more...sometimes we just need someone next to us to share our story, to listen, to laugh, to cry and to push us to keep moving forward even when it’s hard. Most of the time, we just have to remember that WE ARE NOT ALONE.
The first time I set out on trail for a solo hike, I was sure I’d see someone on the trail...at least I was hoping to. After about 3.5 miles in, I found myself at a fork in the trail...“To the scree field or across the creek?” I thought to myself. I noticed the subtle gasp for air as if death was at my doorstep pulling the prana out of me. Not knowing what to do, I reached for my phone (as if that had the answer) and noticed it was missing...“Must have been back where I stopped to pee” I thought to myself. As I walked back, I remember consciously chanting “Sat” as I stepped with my left foot and “Nam” with my right (Meaning: Truth is my Identity). “Just stay calm Jess, you’ll go back and you’ll know what to do! First, let’s find your phone.” Sure enough, I did. As I made my way back to the creek, I immediately knew what to do. “Someone must have known I was lost and put a cairn in the path while I was gone. Weird, there’s no one around,” I thought to myself. So I crossed the creek and kept trucking up the rocky path. When I made it to the top, I wept. There it was, the final Cairn to show me I made it and a Marmot! That creature had no idea how happy I was to see another life...and boy was I glad it wasn’t a cougar. I had never felt so proud of myself in my life and the only person to witness my joy, triumph, grit and shock, was me. Yet, had it not been for the greater outdoor community, I may have never found myself the way I did that day and every day that I utilize a cairn to carry me to my next unknown destination. It was a message from the cairns that bore my path of Cairn Yoga LLC.
It has now transformed to Cairn Yoga Therapeutics to reflect my path as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Yoga Therapist, but my heart is still the same. It is my Dharma to bring the deeper wisdom and teachings of Yoga to you, wherever you are, on your pathway home. If my story struck a cord or if you are trying to find your way and need some support, I am here to: Empower Your Pathway to Unity. Reach out: Cairnyoga@gmail.com.
