|
Welcome Home I have moved around a lot in my life. I was born in Karachi, Pakistan where we lived in a building called ‘Manizeh Mansions’, my namesake (yes, my parents named me after the building where we were living!). Then on to Dubai, Geneva, Kent, Providence R.I., Boston, New York, San Francisco, and London. Throughout all this moving around, I was always looking for roots and where I felt the most at home. Not only which city, country, or continent I felt the most at home in, but also which actual dwelling in these different places felt like home. I finally decided that the best thing was to not feel at home anywhere but rather to identify with being from everywhere and nowhere - a true Citizen of the World. And luckily for me, none of this moving around was forced on me due to conflict, climate change or other events out of my control. After years of different Yoga practices and study, I finally understood that these practices are here to lead me back home. My home is not somewhere to be found outside of myself. I am my own home. My body, mind, and heart are my dwellings. And the practices are here to help me build a comfortable, safe and fulfilling home for myself. Maybe my parents had figured out more than I understood at the time! As Thich Nhat Hanh says so beautifully: ‘So now we’re home with our in-breath and our out-breath, our mindful breathing, we begin to tidy up our homes.’
|
