My Five Moments: Reflections on the First "A New Earth" Online Class

On its premier night, I had trouble viewing the online class about "A New Earth" with author Eckhart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey due to technical difficulties. Like many who experienced the same, I was relieved to know that the class would be available for viewing the next day and for downloading. Feeling like a college student again, trying to catch up on the week's homework over a weekend, I found time today to go back and listen to the online class . I have to admit that on Monday night, I was wondering how beneficial for me the class would be because the pedagogy didn't seem too appealing as an educator that likes to interact with her audiences as much as possible. (In all fairness to Oprah, it is difficult to interact with 700,000 people!) Much to my delight, I found that first class to be more than I had ever imagined it could be and ended up taking 8 pages of notes, and filled with an inspiration to write about it.

There were so many quotes and discussions from the first class that resonated with me. Rather than go into great detail here, I decided to share 5 moments from the class that really moved me.

1. Tolle says that we should ask "What does life want from me?" I prefer to ask "How may I serve?" but it's the same idea and I totally can relate to it.

2. "Practice inviting moments of stillness into your life." This is the key to awareness. It begins with small steps. While Oprah advocates the easiest way to accomplish this is by spending time with nature, the road to finding the stillness for me began by a series of traumatic events and changes in my life (which Tolle claimed sometimes happens to people). I had to reach one of my lowest points in order to turn to the power of prayer. The study of the power of prayer led me to meditation, which has since led me to rediscovering the beauty of nature that I once so highly valued as a child. As a child, I always appreciated nature and felt one within it. Now I am finding that my meditative practices have led me to many moments everyday where I am with nature. I live in New York City and I find everyday that I am in awe of the nature around me.