by Dr. Bohdanna “Billie” Zazulak: Mother Nature has always called to me for adventure and challenge;
cycling the 385-mile perimeter of Corsica, conquering Moab’s Slick Rock Trail, enduring the Lake Placid Ironman, and overcoming my fear of heights by cliff diving in Kauai, to name a few of my most memorable, wonderful feats of wanderlust. One adventure I’ve always dreamed of, is sailing around the world, so when I was invited to sail to St. Croix from the Florida Keys, I took a 3-week vacation and hopped on a plane with my furry first mate, Eli (my Jack Russel terrier), to the “Wild West”.
Stretching almost 200 square miles west from Miami to the Dry Tortugas, the Keys are a string of 1700 sub-tropical islands. This coral cay archipelago formed over millions of years from ocean sediments flowing over the reefs, creating a magical slice of heaven of lush mangroves, palm forests and turquoise waters. Technical issues with the sailboat motor delayed our launch, which gave me and Eli time to explore the mangroves by kayak, swim around in the sparkling crystal-clear sea, and run outback to spot osprey, key deer, and alligators.
With only a week left before I had patients scheduled back home, the motor repair was still ongoing and looking grim. As I was losing hope of our sailing adventure coming to fruition, I came up with a back-up plan: Eli and I would spend our last week sailing on a 14-foot catamaran sailboat with no motor, only the winds of Mother Nature to propel us on our journey.
After a day of consulting with local sailors, packing our provisions, and practicing righting the catamaran from capsize, we headed off from Cudjoe Key on the Great Atlantic with map in hand. Our chartered course would take us to Islamorada, our turnaround spot, where we would cross the Snake Creek channel and head back through the Gulf of Mexico, a total of over 100 miles.
Our first stop was Lois Key, known to locals as “Monkey Island”. It struck me odd that everyone told me there were monkeys on this island, yet no one had actually gone to see them. I envisioned cute, furry, playful creatures like the ones I had seen in Costa Rica and in zoos and was super excited to scope out some new friends.
As we floated towards Monkey Island to anchor, a clearance of palm trees came into view with a heap of rusted empty cages. Cautious curiosity slowly drew us ashore as we trudged through seaweed towards the sand. What I didn’t expect was a mob of screeching, emaciated, bloody, angry creatures from Oz (except these couldn’t fly) to chase us off their turf! They were Rhesus monkeys, the same species I dissected and macerated with my Anatomy students. Seeing them so obviously mistreated sank a heaviness deep within me that resonated for the rest of the transformative sailing voyage, and sparked some serious contemplation of my own life, and my relationship with Mother Earth.
“Everything in the Universe is Within You.
Ask All from Yourself.”
-Rumi
Oneness
The quest for answers in nature is the pathway to spiritual experience and transcendence in the oldest and dominant world religions, as a means to achieve deeper connection with the divine. The sacred wisdom of Mother nature speaks to us in infinitely mystical ways, connecting ourselves as one with the universe. This meditative experience unifies us as one whole self, or a collective consciousness, where the boundaries between us and nature are obliterated. In ancient times, science and spirituality were not in conflict, but complementary, and formed the basis of a healthy relationship to the creation in which we live. It is the more recent disconnect that has caused many of the challenges we face as a global community today.
Spending time in the serenity of nature awakens the senses and promotes clarity, peace, positive thinking, improved coping skills, resilience, and nourishment of our infinite eternal presence. Developing a sense of oneness strengthens individual commitment to all endeavors, whether it’s for a sports team, a company, community, civilization, or Team Universe. When we know and feel ourselves as part of nature, we live in harmony.
Becoming one with Mother Nature correlates with longer life spans and fewer health problems, such as obesity, depression, asthma, anxiety, mood disorders, high blood pressure, vision problems, heart problems, and chronic pain. People who exercise in natural environments, whether at beaches, forests, parks, or gardens, are more likely to stick to their goals and practice regularly. This powerful connection fortifies human and environmental wellbeing and guides us on a journey of prolific growth and transformation.
Passion
The stars have guided us for millions of years, giving us light through darkness, and illuminating our future with nourishing light. We deepen our spiritual union with the universe when Mother Nature’s winds inspire us, or “breathe into” us (Latin “in-spirare”), whispering our purpose with the real truths that guide and empower our full potential with divine grace. When Mother Nature’s winds awaken us, we breathe her wisdom out through our thoughts, words, and actions.
There is no greater gift we can give back to the universe than to honor our calling and share our unique gifts with the world. It’s why we are born, and how we become most fully alive. Outdoor activities challenge and empower us in novel ways, and provide physiological, psychological, and spiritual benefits that connect us with what it means to be human and ignite our unique passion. Passion gives us courage to follow our hearts, step out of our comfort zone, and break through perceived limitations.
Passion empowers superhuman feats of strength, like when a mother lifts a car off her trapped baby. This is when we as scientists recognize that there is so much we don’t understand about the alchemy of all aspects of humanity and spirituality, including the inherent power of the body, mind, and soul, and our inextricable link with the universe. The root of the word passion means “to suffer”. To be passionate means we are willing to suffer because we care so deeply and yearn to be of service. Passion grows into a larger dimension of compassion, guiding us to be protectors of our sacred planet and all her inhabitants in distress.
The Sweet Spot
Balancing a catamaran, as an extension of my own center of gravity, demanded acute awareness, both internal and external. A slight adjustment, leaning backward or forward was the difference between the sweet spot of magical smooth cruising with dolphins, or flying off the boat in a blur of ocean spray. The sweet spot is an exhilarating, dynamic happy medium of flow in the groove with the ultimate source of equilibrium, Mother Earth. Similarly, athletic training in the “sweet spot” implies exercising with the perfect intensity and duration to take you to the next level of progress towards your goals.
On this journey, keeping and even keel for many grueling hours meant finding balance between extremes in so many different perspectives; warming up in the sun or getting scorched, rinsing the salt off with refreshing rain or ducking under mangroves to escape the unrelenting deluge, praying for a breeze to get moving or tethering to the mast against tropical force gusts. We learn from nature how to stabilize ourselves in response to opposing forces, both within ourselves and in the world around us. Finding the perfect balance in each moment is what creates a life of discovery, joy, and adventure.
A united, global movement is gaining momentum to face the challenges that are pulling us off kilter, including climate change, social injustice, and global health inequity, aligning our sweet spot of optimal physical, emotional, and spiritual growth with the universe as one. All living things must be in equilibrium to thrive, as we are all interdependent for survival. To truly flourish, awareness and continuous regulation of this balance is especially critical in the turbulent seas of adversity.
Righting ourselves in nature takes us on a self-realizing inward journey to divine union with the universe. Experiencing one’s own essential nature and understanding that everything is within us promotes a healthy, vital relationship with oneself, others, and the environment. Through affirmation of our unity with the universe, we not only recognize our dependence on nature, but recognize that nature must be treated humanely, with love, empathy, care, and commitment. Find deep, peaceful bliss of wide-awake awareness to be fully alive in each moment. With widespread awakening, everything will flow towards our universal purpose of unbridled loving stewardship, cruising on our collective journey in the sweet spot with Mother Nature.
Read The MAP to Wellness Here: Awakening with Mother Earth – Dr. Bohdanna “Billie” Zazulak
Read Here: The Virtuous Mindset – Dr. Bohdanna “Billie” Zazulak
Read Here: Agility of Mind-Body-Spirit – Dr. Bohdanna “Billie” Zazulak
Learn to awaken and empower yourself in her book Master Your Core and on her website doczaz.com.
