Oh the twenties. It seemed just like yesterday. Looking back, I believe the twenties are like the adult-toddler years where we learn to stand on our two feet physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually.

It’s the time to learn, make mistakes and discover whom you really are. Besides busting my booty in the career field, I had an enriching and fulfilling decade. I lived abroad four times. I dove deep into spirituality and lived out some of my wildest dreams.
 
Whether peaceful or adventurous, every journey affected my personal growth. With no regrets, these are the 20 most epic adventures I experienced in my twenties.
 
I studied Yoga in India – There’s not much one can say besides studying yoga from the source was one of the most prolific experiences for a 22 year old. Although young, I became wise to understand certain things about life. Now in my 30’s, I REALLY understand my yoga training. Experience and knowledge is key in this unpredictable world.
 
I backpacked as a solo female – From Australia to India to Thailand, I did most of my traveling alone. Yes, I am very extroverted, but also introverted. For me, traveling was a part of my personal growth, and I needed to do many of these things alone. 

I scuba dove the Great Barrier Reef & Fiji – I thought the GBR was beautiful. Well, nothing compares to Fiji. There is an entire world of peace, love and harmony under the surface. People either love or are frightened by the ocean. I became fascinated and cried in my goggles at how precious under the sea life is. 
 
I studied abroad well actually surfed in Australia – Studying abroad was one of the most freeing life experiences. I spent much time learning how to surf and well, surfing taught me a lot. I realized that no matter how many times the wave knocks you off your board, you gotta get back up and try again. How symbolic to life? You can read more here! 

I studied Buddhist Meditation in Thailand and had to live a silent life –  Cat’s out of the bag, people love to chat. The Buddhist Meditation disciplined everyone at the retreat. We were not allowed to talk during meditation or at dinner. We had to place our fork on the table each time we chewed. Talk about getting in touch with your senses, this place taught me everything about sight, sound, scent and taste.
 
I hiked the Ben Lomond Trail in New Zealand – Alone with my thoughts; I plunged up the steep trail to master one of my dreams. Looking over Queenstown, I felt as if I conquered the world. The intense trail pushed me at the time when my minded needed to believe in myself. Standing solo with a few sheep, I never felt so alive and comforted in my life. 

I studied a foreign language – In college, I studied Spanish. In Germany, I studied German. Although I am not fluent in either language, I can read and understand more than I can speak. Learning a language changes your brain. I swear your level of thinking is on a higher platform.
 
I lived in a yoga ashram in Australia – Yet another one of my quirky spiritual experiences; I engulfed myself in spirituality and purity while living in an ashram. At 23, it was weird to see the outside world as an illusion. All the drama and bullshit that goes with being young just didn’t matter anymore. While living at the ashram, a friend from highschool and college died in a car accident. I became more appreciative for life and respected whatever guided us, as they decide when we come and go. 

I danced my ass in Australia, India, Thailand, Germany, Ibiza – Damnit I love electronic-based music. I don’t know why, but I do. I love all types of music, but this stuff triggers my soul. I feel nothing but freedom and happiness the entire time I dance. Dancing is not a new concept, so I find it to be my modern day “spirit” circle.

I detoxed in Thailand with coffee colonics and shots of wheat grass – The second time I lived in Australia I learned many lessons. Crazy boss, losing love, my emotions were a wreck. I traveled to Thailand and stayed at The Sanctuary, a small detox retreat on Koh Phangan. I signed up for a three-day detox where I first discovered the connection between the mind and the gut. I laid naked on a small wooden plank with a bucket of coffee and a tube hanging over my head. Let me say the detox was effective and my mindset ascended from that point. 
 
I went to the Full Moon Party in Thailand while detoxing – The full moon in Koh Phangan is an epic party for twenty-year olds. I ended my detox the same night as the full moon. Sipping on water and eating pineapple, experiencing the party post shitting your brains out gives you a different perspective about life and drugs. Mostly Europeans, many tourists were drunk and/or high. I found the experience to be spiritual to know that my mind and the universe are connected always (without the enhancement of drugs). 

I drank Kava Kava with the locals in Fiji – One night in Fiji, I sat in a circle with locals and other tourists and sipped the mud-like water out of a coconut shell. I don’t remember the dream, but I certainly traveled somewhere far away from my body. Since it was 2005, the authentic ceremony exceeded the watered-down versions of what you see in the west. 

​I worked and WWOOFed in Australia and realized the grass isn’t always greener –  Since 2005, I had this obsession with Australia. I had to return – no matter what! I did return and I worked at a tennis academy. The micromanaging boss was miserable and I needed to get so I WWOOFed and lived in a yoga ashram in Brisbane. I realized that traveling doesn’t always solve problems and the world is filled with the same “stuff” and people.
 
I quit a really well progressed career to move to Hannover, Germany and ate a lot of cake – I have to give credit to my husband for getting us to Germany, BUT I encouraged and supported it. Right when my career hit a peak, I quit and left. Do I regret it? Not really since I gained a different perspective about life that left me more balanced and gushing with happiness about my new-found work-life balance. Plus, Hannover was this last remaining gem of a city in the world. It’s a place where kids run and play in the fields, women walk alone at night and a city that respected arts and culture. 

I partied in Australia without pleasure – The twenties are an interesting age where ego, hormones and drama rule life. For some reason, some higher part of myself discovered epic party moments without drugs or random sex with strangers. I, like many young women, struggled with love and self-confidence, which many females “find” through sex. Not gonna lie, Australian men are very tempting, but I found myself through dancing and having fun. I boosted my self-esteem without some dependency on a man.
 
I bungee jumped the Nevis in New Zealand -  Young and wild at twenty, if I died, I wanted to exit the world doing something epic. Why not bungee jump? Plunging toward death was insanely….peaceful. What? That’s right, I found peace amidst the most chaotic eight seconds of my life. The natural high was way better than what you get in Amsterdam.
 
I did the whole coffee shop thing in Amsterdam – Growing up in the Midwest, we all took DARE classes. I am not a fan of drugs because most of its usage comes from a negative place. But, when in Amsterdam, everyone goes to the coffee shops. Innocently, exploring a brownie is really not that big of a deal. When people feel the need to get high all the time (especially to function) that is the point when it loses its “specialty.” Since pot is legal in Seattle, there is a new level of drug use, which many of the privileged corporate-waged liberals are high – all the time. Amsterdam shows that when drugs are contained and come from a regulated place (and most places do not accept intolerant behavior), pot can be a positive thing. 

I slept on this floor in this village in Thailand - and because of it, I will always appreciate a bed and pillow. 

I swam with sea turtles in Mexico – I first fell in love with sea turtles while studying abroad in Australia. Like a spirit guide, I glided through the water with these beautiful and nearly ancient creatures. Some turtles had “goiters,” which were caused from the oil and sunblock on human hands. Something as ignorant as humans touching a turtle reminds you how arrogant we are to those who believe that humans are not destroying the planet.
 
I hiked the Napali Coast in Hawaii – The Napali Coast is a challenge that is rewarded with the best of nature. Hiking the Napali Coast featured opulent views of the ocean, cliffs, waterfalls, rainbows and everything related to the tropical life. This hike inspired me to become a dreamer and a believer that heaven on earth does exist. 

I bathed naked in a Roman Spa in Europe – I remember studying abroad in Australia and smirked when I saw my first set of nude boobs on the beach. Many full moons later in Europe, I stripped off my clothes and enjoyed the Roman and nude-old spas. Although it took a lot of courage to do this, it’s really not that big of a deal. I mean at one point in humanity we roamed the planet either nude or dressed in a loincloth. 

​I explored the PNW Mountains – The Pac NW is one of the most beautiful areas of the USA. I bathed in fields of wild flowers and trekked some of the hardest trails; the mountains are majestic being that puts life into perspective.
 
I stood 10 feet away from a Black Bear catching salmon on Vancouver Island – Do I need to explain more? My body shook with fear and adrenaline as I got eye to eye with a black bear while standing in scat. 

What crazy, adventurous or epic stuff did you do in your twenties? 
I'd love to hear your stories and adventures!

Let's Connect and Be Friends!

 
Is living an unconventional life okay?
I struggled with this for along time before India. Australia exposed me to a different life where money and suit-and-tie jobs were not the most important part of life. Fast-forwarding to 2016, I think society is more accepting of this now than ever. I believe people need to do what makes them happy even if that makes them an outcast.
 
I’ve been an outcast most of my life. Even in fitness. Sometimes I feel like I don’t know where I belong because I can see through the smoke screen and runaway from any trends or conventional BS. In India, seeing the most unconventional country in the world made me accept my own eccentricities. India helped me "come out of the spiritual closet" as I balance logic and spirituality. It's challenging because at times, but I've never been happier revealing my true identity. 
 
What is spirituality?
My knowledge of spirituality expanded while in India, but mostly afterwards. I believe that India was the setting point to expose me to many spiritual terms that we know today. Looking back, spirituality is the reality that we live in - souls living a human experience to learn lessons, the flow of nature, the movement of planets, the air we breathe – everything is spiritual.
 
In India, I believed one’s spirituality was diving within their inner world. Breaking patterns, suffering, letting go, and discovering who you really are was a part of the spiritual process.
 
During my journey, I wondered the difference between religion and spiritualty. I see that religion is a system under the spiritual umbrella.
 
Ever since I was a young teenager, I would sneak down the “New Age” aisle at Barnes and Noble and read astrology books. Today, I understand that astrology is the system that influences the human experience.  I questioned why people’s personality differs and why one person went to college for art where another did for business. I believe society and culture molds us, but deep down there are innate traits that “are who we are.” I think everyone’s opinion differs on spirituality, but I came to realize in while living in Germany that good, evil and everything in between is part of this spiritual experience that we must learn from. And a lot of this experience is based on our choices and free will.
 
Even death is a spiritual part. My yoga guru said, “The spiritual person is not afraid to die as he or she will live again.” Although tragic deaths are hard to comprehend, when you understand spirituality you know there is a reason behind the “how.” Souls need to experience the extreme in order to learn lessons. It’s sad but true. And I better accepted the terms of death from studying yoga.
 
What about the bad parts of life?
One of the best lessons I learned in India is that the “bad” parts of life cannot be avoided. I understood that life is like the weather. One day is sunny. Another is cloudy. The others are a shit-storm. We cannot avoid it, but how we handle or process the emotions is key.
 
The bad parts are what make us grow. It sucks really, but like yin and yang, the polar opposite of good, cannot exist without the bad. It’s just the way it is.
 
It made me realize that blessings in disguise are some of the best things that can happen to us. If I never became an insomniac and caffeine addict, I would have never gone to India. Although I suffered for a year and a half of miserable health, it was the best thing that happened to me.
 
Is there such a thing as a soul mate?
I remember in my early college days watching movies and wondering about this question. India proved to me that soul mates and deeper connections exist. This ignited my understanding to the subject. Soul mates exist, but they may not always lead to a romantic relationship, which I did not understand until leaving India. 
 
What is the purpose of life?
This is the million-dollar question that everyone wants to know. Everyone has his or her own opinion, and it took me some five to seven years after India to truly understand this. The purpose of life is to live, learn and grow. It sounds simple, but when combining human emotions its complex. I acknowledged this when I consulted the jyotish astrologer at the yoga center. If we do have a blue print or map to our life we are here to fulfill some need to the people and the planet. Although there is free will, we choose our actions – which everyone hopes it benefits society. 

Elizabeth Kovar M.A. is author of her travel memoir, "Finding Om," which is about her journey through the South Pacific and India to backpack and study yoga - solo. Print and ebook versions are available on all major devices. For more information and direct links to the ebook- click here.