London Sites

Westminster

 Buckingham Palace 

Buckingham Palace

St. Pancras

 The Tower of London

Tower Bridge

London Eye

 Kensington Palace

Big Ben

London so Fantastic

Traflagar Square

So, I'm a weeeeee bit late posting about my trip to London. My blogging muscle has gotten soooo weak lately! I apologize. Some how, I've managed to blog, here and there, in the past year.  As always, I've been too optimistic - stating I'd be back up to speed posting regularly soon. As you can see, that hasn't happened, yet. This go around, I'm not even going to say anything in regards to blogging, and see what happens. Seems better not set any expectations. Just know I have every intention to get it going.

Ok. London. Well, I mean, what isn't there to like? A million thanks to my boyfriend who generously planned the trip as a birthday present. What MORE could this particular girl ask for on her birthday? Yoga, with Sharath, mixed with great friends, and travel to a fabulous city, is a combination that is hard to match. I was in heaven, minus the rain we were blessed with.

Right away the hustle and bustle of London threw me off. In contrast, Stockholm flows at a much slower pace. Took me a while to adjust. Granted, the city had taken a hit with the riots they recently experienced. A definite wake up call, but when it comes to culture, history, arts, and diversity, it's an unbeatable city. I'm ready to go back! 

As you've probably already gathered, there's something about travel that really gets me going. I love discovering new places. Even though, in many respects, London felt familiar in that it's one of the most well known cities in the world. Per usual fashion, I sunk my teeth in and took a huge bite. There's no better way to do it really. I ♥ London!

 House of Parliament & Big Ben

Westminster

What about the yoga!? Yeah. The main purpose of the trip was to practice with our teacher, R. Sharath Jois. This was the first time I had ever participated in a tour. It's kinda strange seeing Sharath some place else other than Mysore. A tour usually equals a full week of led class. I signed on for a full week of led Intermediate series. Let's just say there was a whole lot of nerve cleansing going on. In Mysore, one day a week of led Intermediate feels like enough. A full week is intense. A manageable challenge, though, if taken in stride. I just love the rhythm and pacing of Sharath's classes. I have yet to meet a teacher who has the finesse as he has. I mean, it should really come as no surprise, he's had enough practice and influence from his grandfather. It's all there. Simple. Straightforward. Energetic. 


I took the opportunity to really focus and go inward, surrendering to the counted rhythm, which is more challenging to maintain when practicing at home. It's an amazing litmus test. Going in, I wondered if I would totally flake on karandavasana, haha. To my amazement, I didn't. No touching. Whew! It's one of those things you can't predict in a led class. Flowing on command poses interesting challenges for the mind. There's an abundance to learn when it comes to this. To trust the energy flow. Just do. No thinking. Understanding when internally aligned, the embedded power carries the body.


As the days progressed I found myself being sore in the oddest places. The side of my forearm kept talking to me amongst others. I felt I was being re-calibrated. That's the thing, even though I've practiced Intermediate series a multitude of times, it's never the same as it is with Sharath. Of course it wouldn't be. After practice I felt stretched and challenged both mentally and physically. By the end of the week something shed. Old karma, emotional baggage, who knows. A weight lifted. Which is hard to explain, because it felt like the most natural thing. Of course this would happen. On the way back home everything culminated. I felt unknown anxiety. Sadness. Grief, that I couldn't explain. An emotional release came and went through. Somehow afterward I felt a big sigh of relief. Another level of clarity. I also felt pumped in a way. A true testament to how unbelievably strengthening it can be. Like a slow burn. A steady sizzle. As the embers of tapas dove deep inside.

Practicing back home the integration filled into the new empty spaces. My breath felt fuller. Deeper. Expansive. It's one of those things you don't realize while going through it. It's like you have to step outside to really feel what has transpired. I'm not trying to make it into some earth shattering experience, no, this is not the case. However, with that being said, I felt the profound affect on what being in his space has. Focused and clean. Underneath it all, opening to what the practice does over time. I'm thankful. It's a learning and stretching that can only be experienced through practice and practice alone. And the willingness to be in it, is key! It's not always easy.

London Tour 2011 with R. Sharath Jois

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the practice area. Somehow the above picture was taken on the last day! Tisk, tisk, I know! It's not really representative of the space we were in. We were packed in pretty good for the Friday, Primary series class that ended the week. Felt good to be part of such large sangha! As far as I'm concerned connecting with a community of practitioners becomes just as rewarding as the practice itself.

 Tower Bridge

Obviously practice with Sharath was the highlight, however with London as the back drop there was much more to take in and experience. One of my favorites was our visit to Hampton Court. I always enjoyed history in school, and to walk around one of Henry VIII's old stomping grounds was absolutely fascinating. Being educated in the U.S. our history classes always had an English slant to them. It was fun imagining life "back in the day," especially as tyrannical and neurotic as Henry VIII was. What a guy!

Hampton Court

Yoga Gives Back!

"Yoga Gives Back is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds in order to alleviate poverty in India. We started in Los Angeles in 2007, determined to find a way for the US yoga community, which generates over six billion dollars per year, to help the poorest people in country that gave birth to yoga. Many charitable organizations have emerged from within the yoga community, but Yoga Gives Back specifically targets and supports our struggling sisters in India." 

Gearing up for an amazing event held on September 17th, 2011! 

She's Alive

The Power of Micro Finance!

Recently, I've been asked to be part of the Yoga Gives Back organization serving as Regional Representative in Sweden. I'm sincerely honored and humbled to align myself with the powerful work YGB supports in uplifting the lives of those stricken with paralyzing poverty in India. In the future, I'll be posting more information and videos centered around the great work being done. There's nothing better than paying forward all the blessings bestowed through the practice of yoga. Truly!

Above, is a video highlighting the beauty of micro-finance from the man who started it all, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

Now, through the inspiring vision of Kayoko Mitsumatsu, the president of Yoga Gives Back, she has expanded this vision to the woman of India inspiring those who practice yoga to be involved.

For more information, please visit, www.yogagivesback.org. 

Hello There

"The task of all tasks is to transform what is insignificant into greatness, what is inconspicuous into radiance; to present a speck of dust in a way that shows it to be part of the whole so that one cannot see it without also instantly seeing all of the stars and the heavens’ deep coherence to which it intimately belongs."      - Rilke

Ahhhh. I'm slowly breaking into blogging regularly again. Feels nice. Hard to believe I've been living in Sweden for over a year and a half now. Will be two years in mid-November. Although, much of that time I've traveled outside Sweden. In many regards it feels natural being here. I mean, Swedes are quite normal down to earth people.  Culturally, it hasn't been all that challenging to flow with life here. It's a progressive country. Stockholm is clean and livable, with a big, little city feel.  The winters haven't scared me off too significantly. I've made quite a few friends who are living here as foreigners and we often joke that the ones who complain the most about the weather are the Swedes themselves! Funny how the amnesia sets in, because winter feels like a distant memory. Summers in Sweden are stunning. I feel no need to be anywhere else this time of year. 


What's been keeping me busy is the start of a new Mysore program. I've done this before knowing it takes an abundance of time and energy in the beginning. With that, I've been battling fatigue. Kinda started since India. I brought home parasites. Had to do a cleanse to take care of that. Think it addressed some issues with my diet. So, I've been tweaking in that area. Looks like I'm low on iron, hence the fatigue. It's been low grade in that I've been able to still practice, teach and work. However, it just made it more challenging. 


Added a few things to the diet which have seemed to really help. Sometimes you can be so deficient it takes a while to simply get back up to equal footing. I've come to a point where I don't want to be defined by diet or labeled as being something that pertains to what I eat, such as vegan, or vegetarian. Does that mean I eat mostly vegetarian? Well, yes. Often vegan. However, I never want to restrict myself into a box. Whole, organic foods are where it's at. Knowing where your food comes from is extremely important. Connecting with farmers who use best practices in their methods is another necessary element. With that being said, I've added a daily supplementation of krill oil (non-vegetarian, obviously), and it's been amazing. Great for muscle recovery. Gonna give this ago for a while, since, like I said before, been deficient in a few areas. I'm very thankful for the krill. Hard to believe those little guys are food for most whales - our biggest mammals on earth. If so inclined, google krill oil and see what you find. There's loads of good information. 


Also been experimenting with taking coconut oil. Working my way up to 3 heaping tablespoons daily, maybe 4. Wow. It's amazing stuff. I've always known about the wonders of coconut oil, but never committed to making it a mainstay to my diet. I can really tell the difference, and looking forward to observing the long term effects. What I didn't know beforehand was that ingesting it helps to prevent and  kill parasites. Something I will have to remember during my next trip to India. Coconuts are in abundance in Mysore. Duh. I was always slathering the oil all over my body, drinking coconut water, but never consuming the oil. The missing link! 


Besides yoga, learning about nutrition and longevity are hobbies of mine. I can't seem to help it. Been tuning into some ground breaking information in regards to this. I like to experiment and see how things affect me (within reason). For one, there is so much misinformation out there. Going mainstream is definitely a no, no. To many agendas. Most importantly, I've continued to have an open mind in regards to it all, while releasing belief systems and labels. In doing that, I've felt tons better. It's all about balance. It's all about listening, too. Most people are so disengaged from their own bodies, anxious, or even trying to mold themselves into something they are not, that they don't even give themselves the opportunity to listen to their own intuitive guidance. Like one Ayurvedic doctor told me, "if you make eating an issue, it will be an issue. It's not a problem. Listen to what your body needs, and most importantly chew your food thoroughly!" Hahaha. I like that last part. Eating low on the food chain as much as possible is another no brainer.

It's amazing how the world is viewed in brighter color when feeling more energized. Whoo-hoo! Also, my boyfriend has made the point that acclimating to a new environment/culture/life can also attribute to the wind being taken out of my sails from time to time. I can see his point. Even positive stress, is still stress. Takes awhile to adjust. My little brain cells are being rewired constantly especially with the language. It's amusing how when I hear English it seems to come into my awareness at full volume. When I hear Swedish it pulls back into the background. Not really the best habit I've adopted. The language thing is moving at a snail's pace. I'm definitely the turtle, not the hare, in this little scenario. Hahaha. 


I've got some good things to look forward too. Like, my sister coming to visit with her family in a little over a week. Selfishly, I can't wait to tickle my little niece. She's the cutest. Should be fun. Stockholm is a great city to show off. During that time Yogayama, the studio that hosts the Mysore program, will be taking a two week break. I wasn't too privy to this idea, but it's the European way! Taking time off. My American mind is wired so differently. But it's great, Swedes see the importance in the quality of life. When students tell me they'll be going on vacation, I'm be like, great, I'll see you in a week or two. No, no, no, it's more like 5 weeks. It's the most natural thing in the world. 

"To love and to be love is to feel the Sun on both sides." -David Viscott