I am elated that I chose to come to Integral Yoga Teacher Training and gave myself the chance to live a yoga lifestyle. It is so much more than just asanas (the poses that come to mind when you think yoga) This is my forth day of the 28 day program and its the first time I´ve had more than an hour of free time. And even the 15 minutes we have here and there is filled with bathroom breaks and squeezing in the reading assignements.
I live in a casita with 3 other girls. We are the young group of roommate, with each of us around 30. I am the youngest in the group of 16 studets. There are only 3 men- one is 65, the Finn is with his finance, and the other prefers men. No romance there. But that´s good, because learning and relaxing are my focus points. The casita is small, but clean with a palm thatch roof. Geckos are in the roofing and they laugh (well make some sounds) at all the right time. Thankfully, both the young yogis and the geckos get my sense of humor. As Abby F pointed out, we´ll just have to see if I can learn to be sarcastic in Spanish for the time after my Yoga TT (Teacher Training).
When I say its more than the poses, or hatha, yoga, I mean we are living like yogis. We take turns waking the others up by going around the property chanting at 5:15 am. Then we go to morning meditation, hatha yoga practice, breakfast, lecture, lecture, meditation, lunch, swim, lecture, practice teaching, dinner, and then two more lectures, and a meditation. It´s all a bit much at first and this is only day 4. Thankfully, we have Wednesday afternoons and most of the Sundays (after morning meditation and practice) off. By the time we end at 9:30 (we practice silence from after the last meditation until breakfast) we are ready for bed, but there is still more reading to be done. It is a lot of work, but I am glad I am here.
The Rancho is a great setting. We meet for lessons in a large round palapa with a shrine it it. (Don´t worry, shrine, chants, silence, I haven´t become a monk yet, just feels like it) The floor is concrete so we put blankets under our yoga mats. My hips and back are sore from sitting cross legged for 7+ hours a day, but my body feels great with all the pure food and breath exercises. During the first night frogs kept falling from the top of the palapa onto the concrete floor in the center of our sitting circle. The 50 foot fall shocks them and they lay flat out for a few minutes before coming back to life and hopping out of the circle. I now know where not to sit for evening lectures or mediations.
The laguna is large and the color of the Carribean sea. When the wind picks up it looks more like an ocean than a lake. Its a clean lake and it refreshed every 72 hours or so, a limestone bottom keeps vegetation growth low so there aren´t too many fish. I have only seen 3 species and the catfish are the largest, the big ones are about a foot long. I stuck my hand off the dock and touched one. Apparently they have barbs infront of their dorsal fins. I´m learning.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
First Day in Bacalar
To get an idea of where I will be for the next three weeks, here´s the resort´s website: http://www.encantado.com/espanol/
I arrived last night after dark and it was a wonderful surprise to check out the beautiful surroundings this morning. So far the food is wonderful and strickly vegetarian. It will be a very pure month. Supposedly I will be much less agressive with no decaying former flesh in my system. I think I am already much calmer now that I am not in the go go go real estate development scene.
The bus ride from Playa del Carmen was an expereince. It was a second class bus so we picked up dozens of people along what was supposed to be a four hour ride. To start, the bus was 1.5 hours late and it runs every two hours so I was asking every bus that pulled into the station if they were going to Chetmal (my direction) as I didn´t want to miss the bus. I loved the ffood that senoras sold at the bus stops. So fresh and yes, eventually I may pay with sickness from street vendor food, but I am enjoying it for the time being.
The other yogis seem to have lots of prior training and meditation practice, but something has brought me here and I am ready to learn. The program doesn´t start until 6 pm (18:00) tonight, but I did get back on the mat this morning.
Cancun was way too crowded and big for me, but the hostel was fun and I went to the aquarium. I love sharks. Playa del Carmen was more my size. Main road only a block from the beach and you can walk for hours and hours on the beach. Struggled with swimming as a single traveler, but by the end of the first day I set up an elaborate system of locks and cables and left my passport and $ in the hotel room so I could dip in the Atlantic.
I have to figure out how to post pictures because I have a good one- me holding a tiny boa constrictor. Formally petrified of snakes, a few minutes of education changed my perception and now I like them. I was upset when the snake was taken away from my.
Ok, back to checking my email. I will post again next time I come into town. We´ll see just how ¨calm¨that post will be.
I arrived last night after dark and it was a wonderful surprise to check out the beautiful surroundings this morning. So far the food is wonderful and strickly vegetarian. It will be a very pure month. Supposedly I will be much less agressive with no decaying former flesh in my system. I think I am already much calmer now that I am not in the go go go real estate development scene.
The bus ride from Playa del Carmen was an expereince. It was a second class bus so we picked up dozens of people along what was supposed to be a four hour ride. To start, the bus was 1.5 hours late and it runs every two hours so I was asking every bus that pulled into the station if they were going to Chetmal (my direction) as I didn´t want to miss the bus. I loved the ffood that senoras sold at the bus stops. So fresh and yes, eventually I may pay with sickness from street vendor food, but I am enjoying it for the time being.
The other yogis seem to have lots of prior training and meditation practice, but something has brought me here and I am ready to learn. The program doesn´t start until 6 pm (18:00) tonight, but I did get back on the mat this morning.
Cancun was way too crowded and big for me, but the hostel was fun and I went to the aquarium. I love sharks. Playa del Carmen was more my size. Main road only a block from the beach and you can walk for hours and hours on the beach. Struggled with swimming as a single traveler, but by the end of the first day I set up an elaborate system of locks and cables and left my passport and $ in the hotel room so I could dip in the Atlantic.
I have to figure out how to post pictures because I have a good one- me holding a tiny boa constrictor. Formally petrified of snakes, a few minutes of education changed my perception and now I like them. I was upset when the snake was taken away from my.
Ok, back to checking my email. I will post again next time I come into town. We´ll see just how ¨calm¨that post will be.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Home on the Cape
I have a few days on Cape Cod before I leave for Mexico. My last day of work was Tuesday and I drove from Washington to Mass on Wednesday. I got up at 6 am and besides a quick run and a shower, I packed up the car until noon. And by packed up I mean cram everything I could into a Honda Civic. A surprisingly large amount of my stuff fit, but I was forced to rely on the side mirrors and not my review for the subsequent ten hour drive. I had to leave many items with my cousin/roommate. He seemed pretty happy to take them off my hands so I feel better about letting them go. I am sad about the plants that I have had for years and moved with several times - there just was NO more room. I can buy more furniture and more jars for my bulk food goods and of course plants can be replaced. My attachment to these physical items, while weaker than it was a year ago, interests me. I understand wanting items to "make life easier" but it still bugs me that I like things so much.
Most of my time on the Cape is spent sorting and repacking what I did keep for storage. I still have a lot- mainly clothes and kitchen items. Who knows where I will be living next year. Most likely in the Boston-area, but I am very flexible and I have a whole year to make that decision.
I went to see Bucket List last night with my mom. She is so take charge. There was a huge line at the theater, no credit card ticket machines and only one ticket seller. Oh yeah, I don't live in a city any more. We were already late for the movie so she wanted to walk in and then pay on the way out. I protested, so she marched up front, asked to cut the line and bought us tickets. The previews were over and the show was on when we arrived at our seats, so it was a good move on her part. Why did I wimp out? What is so scary about paying later? Am I afraid of the kids who work at the movies? I was proud and a bit envious of mom's take charge attitude.
Anyway, the Bucket List was cute, but certainly not a great movie. Probably 2.3 of 5 stars. It made me think- what do I want to do in my life. I have a list titled "100 Things" that I started a few years ago. My trip to Mexico will fulfill a some of my goals. When asked, mom said she had done many of the things she wanted to do on her list and some of the things she wanted when she was younger no longer applied. For instance, she does not care that she never went skydiving, but there are some places she'd still like to travel, like Vietnam and China. Also, an article in today's Cape Cod times pointed me to this blog where the woman chooses a new thing to do each day: http://www.todayslifelist.blogspot.com/
I know there is more than what I have written down so far, but here's a start:
100 Things
Live in Africa for at least 1 year.
Learn to play the cello.
Learn to play the steel drum.
Climb Kilimanjaro.
Invest in women-owned small business loans.
Attend the Olympics.
Brew my own root beer.
Ride a train across Asia.
Teach someone to read.
Spend New Years in Edinburgh.
Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
Run a marathon.
Raft or kayak through the Grand Canyon.
Trek to Machu Pichu.
See a polar bear in the wild.
Learn how to cook Thai and South Indian food.
Ride horses in Australia.
Swim a mile in the ocean.
Own my own house.
Become a level 4 tennis player.
Compete in a mountain bike race.
Apply appropriate technology in a 3rd world region.
Get married to someone I am madly in love with.
Go to a school bus demolition derby.
Milk a cow.
Start a fire with only wood, string and grass.
Get my MBA or another graduate degree.
Catch a fish with my bare hands and cook it.
Get a photo(s) into an exhibition/gallery.
Grow enough fruits and vegetable to eat only those for a week.
Teach yoga in a shelter or prison or hospital rehab center.
Teach yoga in a school.
Get certified to teach yoga in an exotic local.
Become fluent in Spanish and live in a Spanish speaking place for at least one year.
Get back on a pottery wheel. Make my own granola bowls.
Be a mother.
Most of my time on the Cape is spent sorting and repacking what I did keep for storage. I still have a lot- mainly clothes and kitchen items. Who knows where I will be living next year. Most likely in the Boston-area, but I am very flexible and I have a whole year to make that decision.
I went to see Bucket List last night with my mom. She is so take charge. There was a huge line at the theater, no credit card ticket machines and only one ticket seller. Oh yeah, I don't live in a city any more. We were already late for the movie so she wanted to walk in and then pay on the way out. I protested, so she marched up front, asked to cut the line and bought us tickets. The previews were over and the show was on when we arrived at our seats, so it was a good move on her part. Why did I wimp out? What is so scary about paying later? Am I afraid of the kids who work at the movies? I was proud and a bit envious of mom's take charge attitude.
Anyway, the Bucket List was cute, but certainly not a great movie. Probably 2.3 of 5 stars. It made me think- what do I want to do in my life. I have a list titled "100 Things" that I started a few years ago. My trip to Mexico will fulfill a some of my goals. When asked, mom said she had done many of the things she wanted to do on her list and some of the things she wanted when she was younger no longer applied. For instance, she does not care that she never went skydiving, but there are some places she'd still like to travel, like Vietnam and China. Also, an article in today's Cape Cod times pointed me to this blog where the woman chooses a new thing to do each day: http://www.todayslifelist.blogspot.com/
I know there is more than what I have written down so far, but here's a start:
100 Things
Live in Africa for at least 1 year.
Learn to play the cello.
Learn to play the steel drum.
Climb Kilimanjaro.
Invest in women-owned small business loans.
Attend the Olympics.
Brew my own root beer.
Ride a train across Asia.
Teach someone to read.
Spend New Years in Edinburgh.
Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
Run a marathon.
Raft or kayak through the Grand Canyon.
Trek to Machu Pichu.
See a polar bear in the wild.
Learn how to cook Thai and South Indian food.
Ride horses in Australia.
Swim a mile in the ocean.
Own my own house.
Become a level 4 tennis player.
Compete in a mountain bike race.
Apply appropriate technology in a 3rd world region.
Get married to someone I am madly in love with.
Go to a school bus demolition derby.
Milk a cow.
Start a fire with only wood, string and grass.
Get my MBA or another graduate degree.
Catch a fish with my bare hands and cook it.
Get a photo(s) into an exhibition/gallery.
Grow enough fruits and vegetable to eat only those for a week.
Teach yoga in a shelter or prison or hospital rehab center.
Teach yoga in a school.
Get certified to teach yoga in an exotic local.
Become fluent in Spanish and live in a Spanish speaking place for at least one year.
Get back on a pottery wheel. Make my own granola bowls.
Be a mother.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I am Really Going!
Wow, ok while taking a bath this afternoon I realized I was really hitting the road. I am going on the biggest trip so far in my life and I am going about it very casually. Now I know why, I haven't really planned it out. Sure, I first felt nervous when I gave my notice at work, but now as I am packing my bag, I am starting to really think about my trip. I am really looking forward to it but I wish I was more prepared. Do I do that a lot? Want to be more prepared and put off what I plan because I am not totally ready? Well, for this trip I have no choice. I will be on the Boston to Cancun flight early am on Tuesday- less than 10 days from now.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Tying up Loose Ends
There's lots to do before I hit the road. I wish I had taken more time to plan my trip or left more time in the US before my flight to Cancun. I am still hard at work at my job so there is little time to prepare. I am also getting oddly depressed and experiencing low energy- so not me. The goal over the next few days is to sell the remainder of my furniture and pack up my clothes. When I drove home for Christmas, it took almost three hours to pack my Civic. This time I want to load up in one hour so I can get to Providence by dinner time. I want to enjoy a meal with Lauren and Liz.
I am making copies of credit cards, my passport and travel documents. I have taken all the recommended shots; the one I missed was rabies, I just hope I don't have a run in wild a rapid dog. Giving my notice at work was the biggest obstacle, next is selling the remainder of my furniture and fitting the rest into my car. Finishing the DC / E&A chapter of my life is hard, but it is creating new opportunities. I would like to have a travel partner, but the time alone will be good too.
"All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself." ~ Ralph Ellison, "Battle Royal"
I am making copies of credit cards, my passport and travel documents. I have taken all the recommended shots; the one I missed was rabies, I just hope I don't have a run in wild a rapid dog. Giving my notice at work was the biggest obstacle, next is selling the remainder of my furniture and fitting the rest into my car. Finishing the DC / E&A chapter of my life is hard, but it is creating new opportunities. I would like to have a travel partner, but the time alone will be good too.
"All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself." ~ Ralph Ellison, "Battle Royal"
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
First Post- Packing the bags
Here I go- only four more business days and I am free! I have never quit a job before and moved to a foreign country. It's all new and so far its all good. I am going through a mix of emotions- sad about leaving my co-workers and my company; excited because I am on the edge of a new adventure; anxious because I don't know where I will be in just a few months. I can't wait for more new experiences and friendships. The road is wide open and I am sure I made the right decision to leave my corporate real estate development job and move to Mexico for the next 6 months or so. What would you do if you had a few thousand dollars and several months?
Right now I am tying up loose ends and packing. I bought a sweet North Face Base Camp Duffel size Medium. It's bright red so I am going to cover it with stickers and roll around in the mud so I won't stand out as new tourist. The bag doesn't fit too much stuff which is good as it limits the amount of weight I can pack.
This is what I have in my bag:
Yoga Mat
ziplock baggies
Thyroid Med, Allergy Med, Birth Control, Multi-Vitamin and Green Energy pills
tweezers
hostel sheet bag
scissors
travel toothbrush
sunglasses (2 pairs)
Red Sox hat
bathing suit
sunscreen
moisturizer lotion
running sneakers
money waist bag
black shoes
flip flops
Electric adapter
alarm clock
books to read
journal
headlamp
first aid kit- small
anti-biotic cream
passport, license
copy of birth certificate
extra passport photos
postcards from dc and boston and cape cod
addresses of people at home
credit cards
black running shorts
lululemon eggplant long sleeve shirt
metal lock for backpack cable
Digital Camera
Extra camera cards and batteries
tooth paste
triple braid nylon cord for clothes line
soft nylon cord (thin)
floss
titanium spork
ear plugs
eye mask
health insurance information
lip balm
water purifier- iodine tablets
tampons
cord to connect camera to computer
one pair black socks
athletic socks- thin, 2 pairs
underwear- 8 pairs
two sports bras
two bras or 1
three tank tops
long sleeve shirts
TNF conversion pants
black pants
nail clippers
comb
running watch
batteries
english/spanish translator from Liz
Q tips
condoms
jump drive-really big one
performance t-shirt
performance long sleeves
ATM card
cup(mug with lid)
sewing kit
pocket knife
travel towel
black dress
earrings-hoops
extra hair elastics
silver "wedding" ring
DEET
white yoga outfit
highlighters, index tabs, pencils, pens notebook
Imodium
books for courses
flat sink stopper
Kleenex
sweatshirt
There is basically no more room in the bag- what did I forget????
Right now I am tying up loose ends and packing. I bought a sweet North Face Base Camp Duffel size Medium. It's bright red so I am going to cover it with stickers and roll around in the mud so I won't stand out as new tourist. The bag doesn't fit too much stuff which is good as it limits the amount of weight I can pack.
This is what I have in my bag:
Yoga Mat
ziplock baggies
Thyroid Med, Allergy Med, Birth Control, Multi-Vitamin and Green Energy pills
tweezers
hostel sheet bag
scissors
travel toothbrush
sunglasses (2 pairs)
Red Sox hat
bathing suit
sunscreen
moisturizer lotion
running sneakers
money waist bag
black shoes
flip flops
Electric adapter
alarm clock
books to read
journal
headlamp
first aid kit- small
anti-biotic cream
passport, license
copy of birth certificate
extra passport photos
postcards from dc and boston and cape cod
addresses of people at home
credit cards
black running shorts
lululemon eggplant long sleeve shirt
metal lock for backpack cable
Digital Camera
Extra camera cards and batteries
tooth paste
triple braid nylon cord for clothes line
soft nylon cord (thin)
floss
titanium spork
ear plugs
eye mask
health insurance information
lip balm
water purifier- iodine tablets
tampons
cord to connect camera to computer
one pair black socks
athletic socks- thin, 2 pairs
underwear- 8 pairs
two sports bras
two bras or 1
three tank tops
long sleeve shirts
TNF conversion pants
black pants
nail clippers
comb
running watch
batteries
english/spanish translator from Liz
Q tips
condoms
jump drive-really big one
performance t-shirt
performance long sleeves
ATM card
cup(mug with lid)
sewing kit
pocket knife
travel towel
black dress
earrings-hoops
extra hair elastics
silver "wedding" ring
DEET
white yoga outfit
highlighters, index tabs, pencils, pens notebook
Imodium
books for courses
flat sink stopper
Kleenex
sweatshirt
There is basically no more room in the bag- what did I forget????
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