Happily Homeless

“Do whatever brings you to life, then. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.”
​—Elizabeth Gilbert

Many of you have been following our story in our quest of what I fondly called, “Hoping to be Homeless.” Nine months later, we have sold our house and achieved our dream! We spent the last several months conceptualizing, visualizing, and downsizing in preparation for this dream-turned-reality of seeing and experiencing the world while living minimally.

Now, we proudly present that we are “Happily Homeless.” If you want to know how we downsized our life from 1,700 square feet to just 200 square feet and put thousands of dollars a month back in our savings, keep reading...

We have been raised on this Western ideology of “bigger is better” and “quantity over quality.” The more money we make, the more we spend. The more we have, the more we want and we begin accumulating "things" at such an alarming rate, that we can't even itemize everything we own. We are hamsters on the wheel of consumption and excess, which only seem to spin us into greater depths of dissatisfaction, stress, and debt. We become pinned underneath our financial commitments and find ourselves losing our deepest passions and interests.

Yogic philosophy teaches us the moral restraint (yama) of what is known as aparigraha, or non-possessiveness. In yoga we learn to embrace simplicity and efficiency, understanding that all attachments lead to suffering. My first experience and taste of this dream came in 2007 when I traveled North India to work with women and children living in poverty. The impact was two-fold:

To witness children playing in the trash or sent out to the streets to earn money for their families to eat delivers an embarrassing confrontation of every dime you have wasted and every moment you experienced self-pity in the belief that whatever you had was not enough.

Secondly, comes the realization of how little provisions you need to truly be happy...and that living with minimal necessities out of a backpack is truly liberating. Letting go of material possessions frees you to experience the whole world without the chains of debt and financial responsibility. That experience changed my thinking and for years I have longed to move closer to that kind of living.

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“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.”
​—Brené Brown

Sydni and I had both moved to California seeking some form of the American dream. California is rich with rolling vineyards and majestic coastlines. We are verily spoiled with incredible food and an endless calendar of events from which to choose. The problem is, most the time you don't have the time or you can’t afford to. Next thing you know, you find yourself working day and night to maintain a life you cannot maintain or enjoy. The expenses mount and you’re conflicted inside and out with what society defines as happiness and success.

Our decision to downsize to a 200 square foot RV is one of living mindfully, consciously, and FULLY in the present...no strings. No attachments...and no guarantees. It means that every decision we make has great impact and meaning. It means that we have less responsibility...but also less security. We inherit a life of risk and uncertainty...but that lifestyle is ours for the choosing.

Everything we purchase must live in harmony in our small space. There is no room to negotiate. Living small means practicing patience and courtesy to share the same space with ease. Lastly, it means practicing grace in the face of all life’s unexpected moments: the things that open our eyes, challenge our perceptions, and break our hearts in exchange for living and loving boldly. We are under no illusion that everything will go our way. Some things will work and some things won't. But we are prepared to skin our knees and learn from those falls because life is short and the world is not small. We are hungry to experience everything this journey has to offer.

So we sold the house and our two vehicles to get a 24' RV and a smaller car for towing. In the act of downsizing we cut our monthly expenses by more than half, saving approximately $2,500 monthly. These decisions alone pared our loan debt down from over $450,000 to under $60,000! Now instead of paying for a house we’re never home to enjoy, we can see the world that many only see on their iPhones and flatscreens. Now, we can spend our money on living versus working to pay off the insurmountable debts we were accruing.

The added incentive of purchasing this tiny space was not just to open up travel in this country, but also internationally. This decision enables us to store our home on wheels easily while we are globetrotting, or to rent it to those who wish to sample a little of what a minimalist life has to offer.

For now, we remain in the Napa Valley while we finish our commitments and contracts locally. In July we will embark on our first tour across country, which will allow us to connect with friends and family while I am teaching. For Sydni, this will be a first opportunity to breathe after years of hard work and overachieving. She can finally take the time to explore what she really wants and needs; her own wishes, and dreams. She has innumerable talents and skills from business, to cooking, art, yoga, and photography. I cannot wait to see her spread her wings; to live freely and joyfully. As for me, I have always had a need to live my life creatively and I look forward to where ANANTA will take me as well as the ways it will open up new options and opportunities. To share my love of yoga through teaching is such a gift to me, but equally important is to continue studying. I am the best version of myself when I am both student and teacher equally. So I have mapped out many of the teachers I respect and admire to add to our summer itinerary. Truly, I feel that we are living a dream.

For those of you here in California, this is not goodbye forever. My students and relationships I have forged these past few years hold great value to me, and my Ashtanga community are like family. We will return in September and there on periodically to reconnect, offer workshops and trainings, and for me to continue my ongoing ashtanga practice under the guidance of my teacher, Kory.

Lastly, as most of you may have heard— this national road trip is just the beginning! October 20-27th we will be jetting off to exotic Thailand to lead a week long retreat and other offerings! We are excited to explore the jewels of Southeast Asia while teaching. If you haven’t looked, you simply must take a peek at this incredible 5-star resort and its amenities.

Many more announcements and plans to come...I can't speak them all just yet because some are a surprise for Sydni. I take great pleasure in teasing her with these things. It keeps her on her toes with me;) My love...this is just the beginning...