The book that knew me: Reflections on Baron Baptiste’s 40 Days to Personal Revolution

As she looked into my eyes, a rush of memories came through my mind spontaneously. All of the lessons, the challenges, the failures and losses, and the happiness and peace of the past two years rose up within me in that one moment.

It was the last meeting for our ’40 Days’ group and we had been given an odd (and somewhat uncomfortable) group exercise. We were told to stand facing another person and to look into their eyes. As we did so we were instructed to tell them about our experiences of the last 40 days, in silence, using only our eyes.

As I passed through all the stages of awkwardness and discomfort that you can imagine an exercise like this would entail, I began to really look. What I saw, as I peered deep into the eyes of my fellow 40-dayer, surprised me. All of the struggle, the growth, and the joy that had often left me feeling alone in the world – I saw these in her also. What I saw in her eyes was, in fact, myself.

This is what the 40 Days program does. It brings people together to grow.

My first time participating in the program was two years ago. Everything involved with the program felt foreign then. The daily yoga practices and meditation, the concepts in the book, the suggestions about diet – everything was a new and challenging experience.

I remember some very significant “aha!” moments during that first time around.

One, for example, was when the group leader asked the question, “how much of what you are eating is food and how much is actually a food product?”

Until that point I hadn’t put much thought into what I ate, but that single question changed everything. From that moment of clarity I changed my eating patterns entirely and haven’t looked back.

Another moment of realisation came during one of my daily meditation sessions.

I had never meditated before and often found my mind racing uncontrollably, but on that day, out of nowhere, I asked the question, “who would I be without thoughts?”

As I asked the question, a space seemed to open up somewhere inside me. For the most blissful moment I became separate from thought and just existed in being.

That experience taught me that the world won’t fall apart if I don’t constantly hold it together with thought. I realised that my identity doesn’t have to be defined by my thoughts and that I can choose whether or not I want to buy into them.

So much change took place during that first 40 Days and, looking back, I see it as the definitive point at which I started to steer my life in the right direction. It was the bridge between doing yoga and being yoga.

I became much healthier physically. I dropped toxic relationships and toxic patterns. I opened my eyes to what I wanted my life to be.

Doing the 40 Days Program for the second time this past year was like coming home. My thrashed and ink-marked book felt like an old and cherished friend as I pulled it off the shelf and tried to reinsert the first 26 pages in their proper order. The changes that took place this time around were less visible to the outside world but just as palpable within.

There is always something more we can learn about ourselves. We can always get to a deeper level. That is why this program (or any dedicated and continuous practice like this) works, regardless of where you are on your path.

And, like I saw in that woman’s eyes that day, underneath our unique personal struggles we are all seeking the same healing. This healing is equally available to all of us.

So, if anyone asks me about the 40 Days to Personal Revolution program, there is very little I can say about it. You need to experience it to know.

For me it will always have a special place in my heart, like a first love. It is the book that knew me when I didn’t know myself. It reached inside me and pulled the real me out of the shell I was stuck in. I will forever be grateful to the 40 Days and to Baron Baptiste for opening my eyes to love.

Gratitude and love to the beautiful Yoga Loft in Newcastle NSW for sharing my story on their monthly newsletter! Love you guys!