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“Breathe deeply and release completely.” I hear her say while I close my eyes and sink deeper into my yoga mat spread out on the wooden floor. Savasana, end relaxation and I feel a slightly relieved smile on my face. It’s Sunday, 8am in the morning and I am in one of the places I know the best. Yoga Barn in Ubud, it’s my third time in Bali. Sweat still running down my face, my heart beat slows down, my muscles relax and Susu, our yoga teacher, continues “Let go of every thought, find yourself in the present moment.” I start drifting away in no time and no space, sensing the breeze of fresh air on my skin when ‘booom’, all of a sudden, I feel a rush of adrenaline and goose bumps all over my body. My muscles tighten up, my breath gets blocked in my chest and my eyes are wide open. And all because of a simple thought I so deeply wished I could have just let go again. 12 hours later, it’s 8pm in the evening and I am sitting in the back of a cab on my way to the international airport. My mind nervous, my hands sweaty while checking my flight status continuously on my phone. The traffic is crazy as always in Indonesia and it doesn’t take long until we find ourselves stuck because of a ceremony in the middle of the street in front of us. It’s the second time that day I close my eyes, trying to breathe deeply and to somehow find comfort in the discomfort of the unknown. As we finally arrive at the airport, I grab my backpack and run into the departure hall. I see people everywhere sitting on the floor as their flights have just been cancelled. But mine is still on. I manage to check in and approach the passport control. I take a deep breath thinking of my family who are all crossing their fingers. They bring me into an office where I have to pay an additional fee. That’s all, no further consequences. With only a handful of other passengers I then find myself waiting for the boarding call, there is still a chance our flight might get cancelled. Twenty minutes later my body sinks deeply, this time not into my yoga mat but in the seat of AirAisa flight to Kuala Lumpur. My flight has been the last one before the airport temporarily shuts down completely. Oh what a day, oh what a journey so far, oh what a leap into the unknown! Back home in Germany when I booked my flight to Bali I did not know that I would soon be faced with the situation of having overstayed my tourist visa for the first time in my travel history. Nor did I know that I would be one of the last persons leaving the island when Mount Agung, the still active volcano on Bali, eventually decided to erupt. And I definitely did not know that all of this would happen within one day and I had as well no idea of how the magic of the unknown would play out its synchronicities. Two weeks ago, during a silent retreat in the jungle of Bali, I read a book from Osho saying ‘Courage is a love affair with the unknown’. I highlighted this quote thinking to myself that if I would ever write a book this would be its title. Not knowing that I would soon have a story more to tell. Now there is only one thing I know for sure: for me traveling the world will always be a never-ending love story, no matter how much courage it takes. Probably not despite but because of the unknown. It‘s never about not taking the leap but about discovering that the wisdom of uncertainty means having the faith that it will unfold in a beautiful way. As the plane takes off I close my eyes for the third time this day and a relieved smile find its way back on my face while I say quietly to myself: “Breathe deeply and release completely”. See you later world, it’s time for Savasana.