A Stubbornly Embodied Yoga Teacher Tries Virtual Reality

As I was waiting in line for my first virtual reality experience at the Musée D'Orsay in Paris, my excitement suddenly turned into anxiety. Jay couldn’t join me… his backpack was apparently too big for the lockers, and so I was alone for the next 40 minutes. On top of that, I was watching the experience of the people in front of me. Goggles on, shifting aimlessly around like something out of a zombie movie, completely disconnected from reality. Do I actually want to do this? Separate myself from reality?

When my turn came, I couldn’t get the headset to fit right. Everything felt like an inconvenience. “Just be in it,” I told myself. I wanted to do this, and was excited to sign up for it. If I could just let go, I would be able to experience 19th-century Paris and the first Impressionist exhibit. I could talk to the artists, walk the cobbled city streets…

But unfortunately for me, the part of my brain that is rooted in reality is much stronger than the part of my brain that can escape. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve never been one for escapism. I’ve never touched or participated in anything “mind-altering.” For all of my brain’s tendencies towards anxiety or restlessness, I never tried to change it.

As I was trying to see myself in this virtual experience, I was still completely aware of everything that was happening around me. And it was a bit of a mess. If you looked at me from the outside, I was probably just spinning in circles. I had to disconnect from my body in order for the virtual reality to “work.” I tried to do it… but then I realized… I don’t want to. I don’t want to disconnect from my body. I don’t like how that feels. And then I raised my hand and asked to be escorted out of the exhibit. To assuage concern, I said it made me feel sick… but in reality, Reality won.

In hindsight, I think this experience teaches an important lesson about embodiment. I am a practitioner and teacher of being IN the body, and of being connected to the present moment. This practice of embodiment is what allows me to be grounded in reality, to have strong discernment, and to filter everything through a rooted intuition.

When you are embodied and present, you are not easily swayed by conflicting realities. You are not easily suggestible. You have an ability to see things as they are, even with the understanding that many possibilities and potentials can exist at once.

I can be a magical thinker. I can dream entire worlds. I can astral travel. I can visit ancient lands. I can see future timelines. I can remote view into situations and get clear answers from my intuition. And I can do this while being firmly present and clear and discerning. Embodiment practices may not seem as fun and interesting as mind-bending, reality-shifting, escapist experiences – but for me, embodiment has opened more magical doors than anything else.

Here. Present. In body.