The Road to Hana: Finding Joy in the Journey (not the destination)

One of the swimming holes along the "Road to Hana"

My wife Frances and I went to Maui and Kauai for our honeymoon (in 2001).  One of the most amazing adventures we had (and there were many) was the day that we drove to Hana, which is on the north shore of Maui.  Fortunately we had been informed that there really isn't anything all that special about Hana... it's just a small town with a couple of diners and shops, and there's not really all that much to do there except have lunch or dinner.  However, the "road" to Hana winds through incredibly beautiful tropical rainforests which occasionally open up to reveal some of the most spectacular scenery found anywhere in the Hawaiian islands.

With over 600 curves (and many of them right on the edges of cliffs) and 54 bridges, the road isn't for the squeamish.  Driving is slow, and if you don't stop at all it takes about 2-3 hours to get to Hana.  But stopping is the whole point!  There are often cars pulled over at various places along the road, and if you pull over to see why you might discover a hidden trail that leads deep into the rain forest.  If you follow the trail it might take you to a scenic vista, or a swimming hole, or a water fall, or a waterfall that spills into a swimming hole.   My wife and I found one big swimming hole where people were jumping off of the cliffs (see pic above).  We had a blast, and even got up the nerve to jump into the water with everyone else.   We spent almost the entire day on the road to Hana, and didn't actually get to Hana until around dinner time.  The drive back that night was a bit scary -- those hair pin turns at night, without street lighting, made even this long-time yogi forget to breathe on several occasions!  But we made it home to our little bungalo safe and sound, and slept very well that night.

The Road to Hana is the perfect spiritual metaphor, giving real-world truth to the expression: "true happiness is in the journey, not the destination."  It is all too easy to feel that we'll be happy when we accomplish some goal that we've created for ourselves, or when certain conditions are met.  In my own life, I can remember a string of conditions and goals that I have at one time felt would bring me infinite happiness:

1. aging -- turning 16 so I could drive, turning 18 so that I was a legal adult, turning 21 so I could legally drink alcohol...
2. acquiring -- getting a bicycle, getting a car, getting a girlfriend, getting a computer, getting my first apartment, "owning" my first apartment...
3. accomplishing --  getting an "A," graduating from high school, graduating from college, getting a job, quitting a job, getting the next job, getting cast in a play, becoming a yoga teacher, getting married, having children...
4. practicing yoga -- touching my toes, getting up in crow pose, headstand, forearm stand, handstand, lotus, dropping back into wheel...

Not one single thing from the above list has actually brought me lasting happiness.  Much like the experience of actually getting to Hana, once I got there it didn't take long for the excitement that preceded getting there to dissipate and eventually dissolve altogether.  It is of course true that there was a feeling of accomplishment that came with "getting there," but it just didn't last.  And then what?  I'm off on the pursuit of the next goal, because I'm still seeking happiness and the accomplishment of the previous goal or condition just didn't quite bring me the happiness that I thought it would.

I know that I'm not alone in this -- it is really a human thing.  But it doesn't have to be this way.  We can learn how to enjoy life one moment at a time.  We can set goals and move toward them, but we don't have to put all of our hope and energy into the accomplishment of our goals.  Instead, we can learn how to pull over and enjoy all of the amazing moments along the way.  And then ultimately, whether we "get" where we are going or not doesn't really matter... because we are right here, right now, where our lives are actually happening.  Yesterday is already gone, tomorrow may never arrive, but today is right here and right now and is the only moment that actually exists.

We can practice this "moment-to-moment" enjoyment of life during our yoga asana practice.  In Zenyasa yoga, there is a big emphasis on constructing a yoga posture one moment at a time, and placing an equal amount of importance on each moment -- so that ultimately the "final posture" is no more important than every step that led up to it.  Are you up for an experiment?

Revolved Triangle Pose: One Step at a Time
Read through these instructions a few times first, and then try them on your own.  Even better would be to read them out loud on a recorder, and then play the recorder as you do the steps.  Take your time in each moment, letting go of any desire to "get" to the next moment of the final posture.  Try not to think ahead of time about where you are going... just be in the moment and enjoy it.

1. Stand in Mountain pose with a yoga block between your feet, and your hands on your hips
2. Turn your left foot out 45 degrees, bend your knees a little, and then step your left foot back about one leg's length (or a little more if you like)
3. Keeping your front knee slightly bent, place your awareness in your back foot -- make sure that it is still angled in at least 45 degrees, and that your heel is grounded (if you can't ground it, turn it out a little more or step it forward a bit)
4. Place your right thumb in your right hip crease, and raise your left hand toward the ceiling
5. Reach out with your left arm as your hinge forward at your right hip, deepening the fold that your thumb is pressing into
6. Place your left hand on the block, and then your right palm on your sacrum (at the center of your pelvis); at this point your front knee is still bent... no hamstring stretch
7. Pressing your hand into the block, lift your chest as if you were doing little cobra (engaging your back muscles to extend your spine)  -- be here for a moment -- don't rush this part
8. Up til now your front knee has been bent -- now, keeping that "little cobra" pose feeling in your back, begin to lengthen your front leg until you feel a moderate and relatively pleasurable stretch in your hamstrings
9. If your leg easily straightens AND you are able to maintain that cobra pose feeling, then lower the height of the block (or even get rid of it and place your hand on the floor if you are quite flexible); if you are less flexible, you don't have to straighten your leg all the way, and you should keep the block!
10. Now hold on to what you have created... keep your back heel heavy on the floor, your back knee straight, that cobra-pose feeling in your spine, and your head, neck and spine directly over the midline of your mat... and then begin to revolve to the right, turning your chest toward the side wall
11. As you revolve, let your pelvis go with your trunk a little bit... it doesn't have to stay level, and you'll get more out of the posture if you let the left side drop a bit
12. Draw your right shoulder back, encouraging your right shoulder blade toward your spine
13. Be here for awhile, enjoy it... don't be in a hurry to take your hand up... this is another great stopping point
14. Now finally, go ahead and reach your right hand up toward the ceiling and take your gaze up -- you've arrived in Revolved Triangle pose, you're in Hana

Did you enjoy the journey?