Springing into Change

Back home and beginning to make some changes.  I have decided to do a cleanse kit for the first time.  I have done juice fasts and a week of all raw fruits/veggies, but this is the first time doing a proper cleanse.  No sugar, caffeine, alcohol, dairy, processed foods plus a cleanse kit of supplements for 14 days.  This is something very exciting for me as weird as that might sound, I enjoy the challenge and look forward to feeling fresh for the spring!  Now that I'm home it's time to figure out my next steps with yoga teaching too.  Need to organize my thoughts, start planning out some classes and start teaching!  Have some goals to set for myself and my own yoga practice too.  I want to continue working on my inversions.  At training it was emphasized that as a teacher we should be able to do inversions at least at the wall...handstand, forearm balance and headstands.  I struggled with handstand for the first week, for some reason I felt afraid of kicking the wall even though that was what it was there for.  Then it just clicked one day.  Forearm balance is easy to get up to with the wall, but I want to start working on not needing the wall there.  Before leaving for training I was already working on my headstands, so no worries on that!  My goal for this year is to get my arm balances.  Before training I usually just bailed out and assumed I wasn't strong enough.  Training built up my strength and confidence, now I need to keep going and by the end of the year I will be strong on my hands.  This is a big year of changes for me.  Good changes, strong changes and of course healthy changes!  I will keep things posted on all these beautiful changes going on.  I always find that making changes at certain moments can make all the difference, so welcoming in the spring and new opportunities!

Airport Reflection

Sitting at San Juan International Airport reflecting on this journey in Costa Rica.  I have learned so many things over this month long adventure!  A wealth of yoga and teaching knowledge with some personal growth thrown in there too.  I now know how to pack for such a trip too, not that I did am awful job but I could have packed less of course!  My yoga practice got challenged.  Going to yoga teacher training I expected to study the history of yoga and how to properly teach classes, but I didn't think my personal practice would become so much deeper.  This experience has tied everything together for me.  It has truly joined both my physical asana practice with the spiritual practice as well.  I'm already plotting and planning my next big adventure to do my advanced training.  This trip was also the first time I have left the country by myself and stayed out of the country for such a length of time.  It was a thrilling experience that has opened the door for more travel hopefully.  For now I will head home and work my you know what off so I can save for another journey.  Advanced training in Thailand & Spain...hmmm which one first?! 

Month of Lessons in Non-Attachment

A month away from home in a foreign country is sure to be filled with lessons in non-attachment.  Packing enough but hopefully not too much as I would be carrying a travel backpack.  I originally planned on carrying on my pack, but the airport said otherwise.  Ah the stress of trying to cram it all into that pack meant no make up, just a basic face/body soap bar and a simple face lotion.  Mainly yoga clothes seeing as three weeks of my time would be at yoga teacher training.  It always feels liberating to me not to be weighed down by lots of unnecessary things.  However, standing at the airport I learned my first lesson of non-attachment as I had to release the pack into the hands of check in.  It was a disappointing feeling and then there's the thought of what if it doesn't arrive in Costa Rica?!  Then I let go and accepted that this was great, now I didn't have to lug this heavy thing around!  Arriving at the Goddess Garden I had some more lessons in non-attachment.  At home I have a soft, comfy bed and an ergonomic memory foam pillow...ah good 'ol Goddess Garden's twin bunk beds were "firm" and the pillow was maybe and inch thick.  But I adapted to this by folding my little pillow in half to make it a bit more comfortable.  I actually ended up getting some of my best sleep there in the rainforest.  There are so many things we become attached too in life.  The way we look or watching tv, wearing make up and doing out hair, the sound of people's voices.  While away for my three weeks of yoga training I didn't call home.  I wanted to live in the moment and enjoy the time away learning.  Now here at Samara beach my husband and I learn another lesson in attachment...the ocean took both of our sunglasses!  I had just said earlier today how it was no biggie that I squished them a little yesterday when playing on the beach.  There was a little crack in the lens, but eh I only needed them for a couple more days.  Then as I body surfed a wave this afternoon, the wave rode off with my super cool white shades!  All I could do was laugh, hey I had the choice of grabbing the sunglasses or my bikini top, figured the bikini top was higher on the priority list.  But nothing is forever, even my $4 shades left me before my time in Costa Rica was up.  Even funnier was that a couple waves later and my husband was also dealing with non-attachment to his shades too!  It has been a fun month here and I have learned a lot about what I really need.  There are always wants and wishes, but I made it through without a lot of those comforts of home.  Never take things for granted and never think you will always have something, cause in the end we leave this world without our "things". 

Farewell sunglasses...

Yogic Diet

Yogis are very interesting, their spiritual path not only includes meditation and scripture but also eating in a certain way and purification rituals.  It's all about leading a clean life.  Traditionally they would of course be vegetarian, after all Ahimsa (non-violence) is strictly followed.  As a high school student I went veggie, but although I loved animals it was more of a health/diet thing at that time.  Then in my early adulthood I dabbled with being vegan, again more of a food control thing.  In my mid 20's I came to terms with the fact that I had major issues with my need to control food and it was beginning to become an unhealthy obsession.  So I fell off the wagon and started eating meat again, along with all sorts of junk! I became chubbier and less healthy, less happy with myself.  When I decided to enroll in yoga teacher training I also decided it was time to get back to a healthier me.  Over the next few months of getting ready for training I made the decision to go back to being vegetarian, however I would have the occasional seafood dish not really thinking too much about it.  I felt like I was getting back to my roots.  I have always felt very passionate about healthy eating and lifestyle.  Eating light, nourishing foods always leave me feeling good...after heavier meals like the Mexican feast I had last night with a couple beers, I feel bogged down today.  During training we talked extensively about yogic diet, being vegetarian and about how yogis believe food has different energies.  Sattvic foods are considered the purist form of energy....fresh fruits & veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains.  Rajasic foods are foods of change, passion, and restlessness...anything hot, spicy, stimulating.  Tamasic food makes you sluggish, think processed food, meat, fish, and alcohol.  It is interesting to take notice of what you eat and how it makes you feel.  Yogis would try to eat a Sattvic based diet.  I most definitely notice how I feel and seem to be quite sensitive to the foods that I eat.  With all the talk about food, I realized that allowing myself to have seafood has been a crutch for me.  It makes going out to restaurants easier.  But it also means that I am not really a vegetarian if I want to still eat seafood.  So I have made the hard decision to adhere to being a vegetarian fully because that is truly what is important to me.  This has been very challenging so far in Samara.  This area is full of fish and meat based dishes.  But I have figured it out...life isn't always about being easy!  Challenge yourself to look into what you are eating and nourish yourself the best way possible =)

Two Hour Practice

During yoga teacher training I had the pleasure of doing a two hour practice every morning, after a 30 minutes meditation.  Now that training is over and I'm on vacation, I feel kind of lost without that practice!  It was very challenging to do such a long practice, but I honestly loved it!  Growing up going to dance classes, usually class was two or more hours long.  That intensity has carried over into my love of yoga.  Some days at home I like to enjoy a morning yoga class and then head back to the studio for an evening class too.  Flowing vinyasa just speaks to me...makes me so joyful!  I definitely can't wait to share that with people when I get back and can start teaching.  For now here in sunny Samara, it's time to get the swimsuit on and head to the beach.  I believe a beach yoga session is in the works for me today!  Namaste <3  

Rain & More Rain

My time on the east coast in Cahuita was less sunny beach time than I thought.  We were quite busy with our yoga practice and studying, not leaving a lot of time for fun in the sun.  Then on our two days a week when we had the afternoon off it often times rained on our parade!  So the amazing tan I expected to get didn't happen.  I hadn't given much thought to what a retreat center in the rainforest would be like.  When I read there was a beach I just assumed I would be out getting a lot of sun.  Not so much when you are surrounded my heavy vegetation and have a ton of "school" work to do.  But that is ok cause now it's vacation time on the west coast at beautiful Samara Beach.

The rain was pretty in the jungle area during yoga training.  One night we got hit with some pretty intense thunder & lightening.  It woke me up and I will admit I really missed my husband!  I'm a bit of a baby during storms and usually he keeps me safe.  The next morning I joked with one of my room mates that I almost climbed in her bed haha!  The other thing about having rainy days was that it allowed me to have some relaxing time.  I took a nice nap during afternoon off with rain.  There is also something so invigorating about rain drops falling on your face, especially when they are warm rain drops and not bitter cold ones in New England.  Rain or shine I was a happy girl on my yoga retreat =)

Dancing Yoga Fun!

Last night was a yogi dance party!  Our wonderful anatomy teacher was finishing up our training with a fun yoga, movement and love fest!  We got to just move how ever we wanted to, then we danced around the room.  I love having the chance to do these things...just letting go of any and all judgement as we find joy.  Everyone had a smile from ear to ear.  We have all been working so hard on our yoga classes we had to teach to each other and be critiqued on.  We finished our teaching yesterday afternoon, so we could finally let go of all that stress.  Ending it with sweaty hugs to remind us all that we're a family now and to always love & support each other.  And of course a party ain't a party without dessert!  We feasted on yummy warm brownies after all that dancing.  Jumping in the pool after to cool ourselves off after.  It started raining on us while we were swimming.  I love the feeling of raindrops when swimming...and walking back to the rooms just holding my towel cause it doesn't matter when you're already wet.  Feeling alive as every drop of water splashes onto me!!!  I have loved this experience here...even the hard moments cause those are the moments that make you a stronger person.