Winter Wanders

Hello and Happy New Year to all of you, friends! I started writing up a 2020 reflections post and going through my phone for pictures to pair with it, but I found all of these photos from Longwood Gardens in the winter, and they were too beautiful not to share with you.

While going to school in Delaware, I’d visited the gardens a few times in the summer months, but I had always wanted to come back to see their Christmas display. I finally got the chance last month. My sister came over from Harrisburg and we met for breakfast. It’s wonderful to be living in a place where you can meet up with a treasured family member for a day! She introduced me to her favorite restaurant, and I’m a little embarrassed to tell you that we ate there for breakfast, left one of our cars, and came back for lunch when we picked up the car. It was that good!

It was a warm day for December, so we wandered around comfortably outside and in the greenhouses all afternoon. I may bite my tongue later, but so far I’m appreciating the mildness of Mid-Atlantic winter. It’s been seven years for me without a real winter, and it’s not as bad as I remember. Ask me again in late February…

The decorations were gorgeous! I’m curious to come back at night, but those reservations filled up quickly, so we’ll have to wait until next year.

Fall

Hello! I’m here, more quiet and still than in a usual year. But, as we know, this is not a usual year.

They tell me island life is busier than in most years. I’ve never been here for this long, so I’ll have to take their word for it. The temperature has dropped, but things feel… strangely normal.

I’m lucky now, because the past 9-10 months have been anything but normal. Somehow we’ve been allowed to keep operating and I’ve managed to build a sense of routine that feels steady, but could always be gone in the blink of an eye.

Yoga has moved from the beach and the turf to indoors (thankfully for me, because I can’t handle the cold). Restaurants and gyms are still open, so I can continue life as it was going in the summer. That gives me a nice sense of stability and I’m sorry if you’re wanting to do those things and cannot.

I’m still dreaming of kicking off a Zoom yoga class before the end of the year so that we can all practice together if you’re not here.

I’ve started teaching at another studio here, and there still has been time for restaurant life, sunset views, and a quick trip back home to take in the fall foliage.

And a small-sized Thanksgiving with my sister and her boyfriend. And when I say small, I mean the number of people; the menu was most definitely regular-sized.

We enjoyed making the most of a weird and distanced holiday.

I’ve officially become a New Jersey resident (gasp), which include not one but TWO trips down to the shortest line DMV in Cape May. The first time I was turned away for not having all the right materials, but I turned it into a beach day instead. The second time was more successful, and I visited Lucy on the way back:

This is the longest I’ve stayed in one place for a while. It feels safe and like some sort of a home. I’m waiting to discover next steps, but right now I’m happy to be here. And the sunsets have still been amazing, in case you were wondering.

Life in LBI

Now that we’re all caught up on Spring quarantine and visits to Harrisburg, PA, that bring us back to here, Long Beach Island, where I’ve been somewhat safely planted as of May. It feels wonderful to be back, and I’m going to need a whole carousel of sunrises and sunsets to show you what each day has been like (see below). I’m working at the same restaurant as last summer, and it almost feels normal despite wearing a mask and gloves for sometimes ten hours a day. Customers have been mostly friendly and generous, although I’m selfishly glad they’re not allowed inside yet, so we have less cleaning side-work and don’t stay open as late. Oh, and the health factors, too.

I like my job and the people I work with, so it has felt more like a blessing than a burden to be working again. I’ll update you more on all the restrictions sometime this week! But since May, we’ve been slowly starting to peel back the layers of lockdown. It started with solo walks on the beach, and life on the island began to pick up speed. I’ve done yoga distanced in parks and I’m teaching weekly classes on the beach with Yoga Bohemia.

I’ve found it relatively easy to be socially distanced and outdoors, since we have the whole ocean and bay to entertain us. Fourth of July was a little more spread out than usual, but we were still able to gather with friends on the beach. I’ve played beach volleyball with a mask on and gone surfing with friends.

I still get most of my meals from The Local Market (and my sister makes fun of me for it), but I’ve added a new neighborhood coffee shop to my repertoire.

It’s certainly been a stranger summer than most, but is there anything more I can ask for than for 2020 to feel slightly normal? The sun keeps rising and setting just as before.

Harrisburg, PA

I didn’t expect to ever hear myself saying this, but I am very into Harrisburg, Pennsylvania right now! My sister, Elayne, and her boyfriend, Will, moved there last month to start their new life of being veterinarians and doctors around Hershey. They are enjoying it so far, and I’ve already gotten to enjoy it a few times with them.

When they first found out that Will’s medical residency was going to be in central PA, I have to admit I was worried that they’d be bored. But since I’ve visited, I’ve found that Harrisburg has a lot more to offer. There’s Hershey Park and all of its surrounding benefits—wineries, breweries, and a chocolate spa. (Yes, we are going there as soon as the world reopens and I have a weekend off!) Even the firetrucks have Hershey Kisses on the back. There are tons of nature hikes and even some underground caves. And their new townhome obviously has a lot more space for guests than the old apartment in Queens. It’s a win all around.

My favorite parts so far have been walks along the river where you can find roaming woodchucks and views of distant riverboats. There are also some crazy humid-weather bugs that look like they belong in a jungle.

We’ve hit some coffee shops and restaurants (one that shockingly already offered indoor dining!) And you can never beat cocktails on the patio with family and friends.

I’m happy for them to settle into such a historical and charming city. And I’m glad our family has a new place to gather and spend time. I’m already looking forward to the next visit!

A Quick Return to Normalcy

Hi friends! Wow, I think this is the longest I’ve ever gone without posting. But, truth be told, this spring and so far into summer have been wild and loud enough as it is. I’ve been doing a lot of sitting and reflecting (and now working), trying to process everything without adding more content to the noise. There was a lot that I liked about this spring, namely getting to visit with family and a few longtime friends, a chance to slow down and stay on one coast of one country for a bit. And on the other hand there was and continues to be a lot of confusion, frustration, sadness, and anger at why our world is the way it is and what’s coming next—both on a personal level and a societal level.

So I’ve stayed pretty quiet on the internet. I’ve cooked, crocheted, read books, and taken long rejuvenating walks in nature, just like everyone else. Sometimes those are the only things to do. I began to visit with friends outdoors and visit my sister in her new home (more to come on that!)

As summer arrived, I settled back into Long Beach Island, NJ and life has started to feel somewhat normal again (more to come on that, too!). It’s a magical place, and I’m secretly glad for all my failed endeavors to be back in California at this time. LBI feels like exactly the right place to be.

When I first got back, I was pleasantly surprised to find a protest here for the Black Lives Matter movement— I was surprised and a little nervous about going by myself since New Jersey can be very red and LBI is very white. I reached out to some friends to see if they wanted to come and, of course, most of the friends I know here were already planning to go. It made my heart happy to arrive and see people of all ages and skin colors in the crowd.

It felt reassuring to know how many people care, and at the same time it feels like not enough to march with a sign when elsewhere people are struggling and losing their lives. I hope you’re sitting and reflecting too, and that it sparks the changes that we all need to act and make.

I’ll be here wishing you and all of us well.

LBI in Springtime

I’m writing this a few weeks later now that I’m down in Long Beach Island, NJ “permanently” (not sure if I’m ever anywhere permanently at this point!) But in early May I came down to the beach for a little getaway. Being here before summer kicks off is very peaceful and relaxing. It’s not exactly bikini weather, but there was enough sun to go for walks on the beach. I forget how much nature is all around this normally busy island. The scenery is filled with gulls, crabs, dolphins, turtles, and all sorts of sea creatures. I ran into a family of geese down at the end of our dock that were guiding their new goslings by the water.

My sister joined me for the weekend and we did all of our favorite things, in quarantine style. It was different than your usual visit to LBI, sure, but we were able to check off some of the traditional activities. We had coffee and split a strawberry poptart by the fire at The Local. They’re open for full service with masks, distancing, and a limited number of guests.

We walked on the boulevard and onto the beach. There weren’t many people around before Memorial Day, but Mother’s Day brought a few families out.

The restaurant takeout scene was already busy before the summer rush. We called our favorite breakfast spot, The Sandbox, and were told there would be an hour wait. That seemed manageable since my sister doesn’t get to come down here very often. For dinner, we ordered sandwiches from Black Whale on the south end of the island. They had almost a two hour wait, but the server shortened it to an hour when she found out we were only getting crab cakes. Both meals were worth the wait since they provide reassurance that our beloved island eateries are surviving these wild times. I hope they stay busy and can do good business this summer in spite of it all.

On Sunday, my sister had to hit the road to go back to work as an essential employee, so I made us oatmeal bowls at home. The whole weekend was a fun girls’ trip and gave me some nice company for island hermit life.

The Hamptons

My sister is having her last hurrah in NYC this week before she and her boyfriend pack up and move to Pennsylvania to start his medical residency. I feel bad for them since their last months in the city were dashed by Covid quarantines. They’ve been fully cooped up, so I’m sure the trails and forests of PA will be a welcome change. I took a couple trips down to see them and make the most of our rare time together in the same state.

During one of the trips, I decided to take a drive out to the Hamptons, because I’d never been. I knew it would be a long drive, but I don’t have much else going on these days. I started out following this guide to the scenic stops along Montauk Highway, but after about 4 stops, which were certainly beautiful and worth stopping at, I decided I’d better just make my way to Montauk or I’d be on the road all day.

There are so many gorgeous views along the way; it doesn’t hurt to stop at any of them. And it was so nice being outside and on the water after so many cold and rainy days this spring.

I was surprised at how rural and scenic everything is once you get further out onto Long Island. It’s a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Queens and the rest of NYC.

Since it was midweek, the stops weren’t crowded at all. It was even strange to see the touristy beach towns almost deserted. On the other hand, I was glad to have views like these all to myself:

Montauk was the main attraction. I couldn’t believe how many trees and how few cars I saw along the highway. I wouldn’t have believed that I was less than two hours outside of New York City. Once I got into town, I could tell that I was in a beachy vacation neighborhood by the number of cars and people walking around, but it still felt calm in the offseason. Restaurants were open for takeout, so I grabbed a bagel for the road.

Of course the main lighthouse park was closed due to quarantine, but I was still able to walk around the beach and the base of the lighthouse. The restrooms were open, which I thankfully found out before I had to duck behind the nearest tree! I did see more people walking around on the trails down to the beach, so I put my mask on and kept my distance.

I felt peaceful walking along the water by the ocean. It ended up being a long-ish drive from Queens (about 2 hours each way), but I found it to be worth the trip. I’m not sure the next time I’ll be on Long Island after my sister moves, so I’m glad I took the chance to travel out there while it was accessible. However, if anyone has a Hamptons beach house, I will gladly accept any invitations (wink, wink).

Porch Parties

Whew. It’s hard to keep your mind satisfied and occupied on its own day after day when all you have is a yoga mat, some crochet yarn, and a Netflix account. Fortunately the weather turned up for a bit in New York (but only a little bit since it apparently SNOWS HERE IN MAY) and we were able to do some outside visits with family and friends.

My sister drove up from New York City to hang out on the porch, so we made some raspberry bubbly jam margaritas. Margaritas have definitely been a big theme of our quarantine thus far. What else can you expect after my birthday, Cinco de Mayo, and the weekend and other days around Cinco de Mayo which were full of nothing but puzzles and rain clouds? I will say that the bubbly jam margs (made with seltzer and raspberry jam) were a crowd pleaser.

My dad lit up the BBQ and it almost felt like summer here for a day. We camped out on the porch and soaked up the sun. It was a welcome relief from all the windy, rainy days we’ve experienced this month and last.

He also made an awesome tres leches cake. Our days have certainly revolved around food and whatever we can possibly celebrate, but who can be mad about that?

I haven’t jumped into the live yoga teaching scene yet, but I have been taking classes with some of my favorite teachers. I love that quarantine is giving me time to experiment with different exercise classes like bootcamp, weightlifting, and core. I always come back to my old favorites, though, and I’m feeling lucky to be able to connect with former teachers from different parts of the world. I have been teaching my own classes on YouTube whenever I get the chance (you can subscribe to my channel here).

The sunsets have been lovely, and I hope you’re still enjoying your own bursts of nature when you can. See you soon!

Small Adventures

Ok so, I haven’t been 100% sheltering in place. I did my best, really. And it was a lot easier when it was raining. A person can only do so many puzzles.

We’ve sometimes branched out from our walks in the neighborhood to include nearby parks and trails. My dad and I took a nice weekend hike through James Baird State Park. Having to stay close to home has deepened our appreciation for nearby gems.

But this past week was very nice, so I went upstate a bit to visit my friend Annie and to celebrate her daughter’s first birthday (socially distanced, of course)!

On the way home, I stopped to get my daily exercise in by checking out the Hudson River Skywalk over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. I think I liked it as much as the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie! It was definitely refreshing to be out and about.

What We've Been Doing in Quarantine

Hi friends! Here we are again (still!), and we are holding it together (barely)! It’s been a long string of days, but I’m honestly grateful to be home, to have a family that loves me enough to let me stay with them without paying rent, and to have a wonderful neighborhood to walk where I can still be outside. Although I’m certainly the type to get restless, I’m reminded every day of all the things I have to appreciate.

How have you all been spending your quarantine? Have you been sneaking out of the house? I won’t tell. We’ve been cooking and eating yummy meals every night.

I made tempeh tacos (above) and a veggie chickpea stew (below). My dad started doing this thing at dinner where he asks everyone the best part of our day. It gives us all a chance to reflect, stop talking about the news, and be a little more positive. I highly recommend.

I’ve been doing yoga, as usual, mostly indoors. I’m enjoying taking online classes with my favorite teachers from Austin (BFree Yoga) and LA (Golden State Yoga), and some new teachers (like Erika Gasztonyi) who I’ve followed by never had the chance to practice with before. I’ve also been trying out Alo Moves this month, and I love it. I’ve been trying to spread my love and money around to my small business studios, but it’s hard to resist all of the great teachers on the Alo app. I’m like a sponge soaking it all in.

We got cute masks to protect ourselves from the virus. I’ve gone to Costco (first time ever!), the grocery store, and Target. I actually find myself extremely excited to leave the house for these small adventures. Who would have thought?!

And at night we’ve had lots of time to watch some gorgeous sunsets. That’s one benefit of the colder weather in NY. Soon the leaves will be back on the trees to block our view. I wouldn’t mind wearing shorts though…

<3 Thinking of you and missing giving hugs in person!

5 Yoga Poses for Better Sleep

I know the past few weeks of quarantine, COVID-19, and shelter-in-place have generated different emotions for everyone. Some of us might be adept at dealing with change and uncertainty, while others may be feeling the intense effects of stress and anxiety. No matter how you cope, there’s no denying that life has changed and brought up new concerns for all of us.

I’m normally a great sleeper and, thank goodness, don’t usually have trouble falling asleep, but lately when my head hits the pillow, I become convinced that I must have coronavirus! My mind starts racing, and the slightest tickle in my throat will send me into a whirlwind of worry. Of course, when I wake up in the morning and see the sun shining through my window, I feel fine.

There’s something about the nighttime hours that bring up our most extreme and bothersome thoughts. I hope you haven’t been having the same fears that I have, but if you’ve had any of your own trouble catching z’s, these are five yoga poses to help you fall asleep. I’ll even do some of them in bed if I find my mind racing at night.

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)

This forward fold turns our attention inward and away from the outside world. For the restorative version, I like to place a pillow under my knees or over my thighs, so the fold becomes less intense. Let your weight feel heavy and supported by the floor, then bring your attention to your breath.

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Supine Twist

In the yoga world, twists are known for helping the body improve digestion. They also relieve any pain or tension in the lower back. This easy, reclined version relaxes the body as you breathe slowly and deeply. My teacher always recommends twisting to left side first, then the right side in order to align with the flow of digestion in the body.

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Supta Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)

This is my go-to favorite yoga pose to help me fall asleep. If I can’t fall asleep or wake up in the middle of the night and want to go back to sleep, this is the position you’ll find me in. You can increase the relaxation by adding pillows to support the knees or under the head.

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Legs Up the Wall

This restorative variation of viparita karani (inverted action pose) has multiple effects. Its name tells us that the pose inverts the action in the body. So if you’re feeling too lethargic, this pose will give you a boost. In this case, if your mind and body are too active and it’s time to go to bed, this pose will help you slow down and find rest.

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Savasana

If you’ve gone to any yoga class before, I’m sure you didn’t need a blog post to tell you this. Many of us are guilty of falling asleep during savasana, the final pose of class. Corpse pose is actually not intended to put you to sleep, but to give the opportunity to focus and relax your mind. Try counting breaths, repeating a mantra or phrase, or conducting a scan of your body parts. You just might find yourself calming down after a few minutes.

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I hope some of these yoga poses will bring you peace if you have any trouble slowing down and falling asleep at night. If you have an extra ten minutes to spare, I posted a sequence on my YouTube channel to help guide you through it.

Sweet dreams!

Easter Weekend

Hi! How are you holding up? I hope you are hanging in there as much as we are here. We have been in here for a while, but we’re still trying to maintain some aspects of life as usual.

I had a birthday last week! It was weird and different but equally enjoyable to be at home and to have people to celebrate who wanted to celebrate with me. I Zoomed with friends, ate cake, and drank margaritas. I even got new skis which I hope I will someday be able to actually go somewhere and use. I can’t believe I’m old enough to be having my 10 year college reunion this year.

Easter was many celebrations in one for us: Palm Sunday, my birthday (pretty much the equivalent of Easter, wink wink), Good Friday, and the main event. It was nice to have constant fun to look forward to during this quarantine.

I busted out my ornament painting skills and added some flair to the dyed eggs.

I am feeling very grateful for the occasions and celebrations. And also the fact that we can get outside, walk the hills of the neighborhood, or even explore local trails. This one was a recent find that we tested out on Easter Sunday:

It truly is all about the little things these days and there are a lot of feelings going around. I have my ups and downs, but as always I’m thankful for family and nature.

I miss you and I’m thinking of you, too!

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New Normal

Just checking in to (and taking a break from Disneyland and El Salvador content) see how your quarantine is going. These are wild and unprecedented times! I actually hate the expression “new normal” because we can adapt to the new, but we don’t need to pretend that anything these days is normal. I hope you’re feeling your feelings, getting outside when you can, and connecting with your friends and family members. I’m an eternal optimist, so I believe that we’ll make it out of this, and I’ll keep crossing my fingers that it will be sooner rather than later.

I started off this strange time at my sister’s apartment in NYC. Her boyfriend and I were on the same flight back from LA on March 9th. The airport felt normal (no social distancing yet), but the flight was empty enough that we each had a whole row to ourselves. We’d heard warnings, but weren’t too worried. Back in NY, we even went to Comedy Cellar and to visit Grandma in Buffalo. Yikes, in retrospect!

I stayed at my sister Elayne’s place for a week, and Will took me down to Long Beach Island to pick up my car. Stores and restaurants were still open. I stopped in the restaurant where I worked last summer and grabbed a festive latte from my favorite quick lunch spot.

As it turned out, I wouldn’t be needing my car much. I drove it up to visit my dad, with a bag packed for three days, but I’ve been here ever since. We started to get worried about me getting stuck in NYC, which I’m sure would be fun, but could get old quickly for my sister and Will with me sleeping on their couch and all of us in the same apartment all day.

I arrived in Poughkeepsie on St. Patrick’s Day. My dad tried to salvage the holiday by serving corned beef and cabbage (with Harp lagers!) and my stepmom delivered green bagels. They did a great job of making us forget the quarantine for a night!

Since then, I’ve been here. In the beginning, we took little day hikes in nearby parks, but as the social distancing warnings became more severe, we’ve been keeping our exercise confined to the neighborhood and the basement gym.

It’s really all I could ask for at this time, and I’m SO GLAD to be here at home instead of on my own in Australia or trapped in El Salvador.

There’s no telling how long we’ll be cooped up, but Spring has sprung and the sunset view from the back deck is lovely. I haven’t spent this much time at home in quite some time, so I’m soaking it all in. I planned to visit friends and hug their babies, but I’ve been forced to slow down and sit quietly with myself.

I’m sure you could have guessed that I’ve been practicing yoga!

And Bonnie (my stepmom) made us yummy pizza!

We (mostly I) did a challenging and sanity-testing puzzle!

And here we are, a little stir crazy but enjoying our time with each other! I hope your quarantine days have been rewarding or cleansing or however you’ve needed them to be. We’re all in this together.

Back to El Salvador

Another thing that feels far away and inappropriate to talk about now is how we went to El Salvador in the first week of March. I joined Pixie and Surf Sweat Serve for the second year in a row as yoga teacher, Spanish translator, and event coordinator extraordinaire. If there is a better job on this earth, please tell me and I will apply.

We stayed at Puro Surf again since we’ve become so close with the best staff members and the BEST surf coaching team.

Much to my own shock and disbelief, I rode my first unbroken wave this time around.

We hosted a group of twelve women in this incredible country, and I’m so glad Pixie chose the week that she did. It was our last international hurrah before borders started closing and we all got sequestered indoors. I’m thankful for the pictures that are helping me relive it.

This trip was a little bit different from the last one because we got off the hotel property, walked around town and visited nearby bars and restaurants. El Salvador gets a bad rap, mostly because of gang violence among locals, but I’ve never felt safer in a Central or South American country. The locals are very friendly and welcoming to people from the US, and they’re always willing to chat or help you out.

Especially now that I’m tucked away at my dad’s house in Upstate NY, I feel so lucky to have gotten to see so much of the world and to have had these experiences. I’ll be sharing more about our retreat week while I’m here in hibernation. I hope the stories will inspire you to grab life by the horns (once we can go outside and start living it again).

And if you’d already like to start planning for next year’s trip, you can do that here.

Disney Day

It feels weird to talk about Disneyland right now, but that’s where we went three weeks ago before it shut down until mid-April. It was my first time, and I was very impressed! My parents have always spoiled me rotten, so I’ve been to Disney World more times than I can remember. My sister and I even ran the Disney Marathon in 2012. We are old Disney pros.

I wasn’t sure what level of excitement to bring for the trip. My mom warned me that the California version of Disney was smaller with fewer adrenaline-inducing rides. But the park is less than an hour from East LA and we started out with the new Star Wars area, so that quickly raised the bar high.

The day got even better from there! We rode all my old Magic Kingdom favorites and saw new things like Mickey-shaped pretzels and the Sleeping Beauty castle. Since we were in the off-season, it felt like a chill rendition of the all-out Orlando experience.

We helped Katherine eat a giant turkey leg and hung out by the Louisiana-looking river. She and Nath have been living in LA for a few years, so this wasn’t their first rodeo. They showed me the fast pass system which rmeant we didn’t have to wait in line for more than an hour for most of the rides we wanted. We were bummed that the newest Star Wars ride was already booked for the day by the time we got there, but there was plenty else to do.

We met Pooh and Eeyore and got more drenched than expected on Splash Mountain.

Riding “It’s a Small World” was a bit surreal for me when we saw the koalas and kangaroos in the Australia display. Had I actually been in another hemisphere only a week before? It really was a small world after all.

It looks like we won’t be visiting any amusement parks for a while now, so I’m glad we went when we did. LA Disney turned out to be 10/10, would definitely do again.

Marina del Rey

Thus far, 2020 has held a lot of uncertainty. I think we’re all feeling it in the first quarter, and I know the small ripples are being felt in my own life. In January, I was feeling restless. I’d planned to join my lovely friend Echo on her yoga/snowboarding retreat to Japan in March, but something wasn’t feeling right. I didn’t think I would be able to relax and enjoy another trip after hanging out in Sydney with nothing to do for two months. The Bali workshop was already booked. Too much vacation is an easy problem to have, and I’m sure from the outside it looks like I’m never working (!!!), but I do eventually get fidgety if I’m sitting around twiddling my thumbs for too long.

It was time for the plan to change.

The day after I decided to pull out of the Japan trip (pre-Coronavirus scares!), Pixie, my El Salvador retreat leader, started messaging me. She wished we could still teach on her trip together and keep some consistency from year to year. I, of all people, realize that I’m scattered and often too non-committal, so I was nervous to tell her that my plans had changed yet again. But the wheels were already in motion.

“…What if I said I might still be able to go?”

And with that, we locked it all into place. I would land at her new apartment in Marina del Rey. She needed someone to watch her dogs for a week. I would have time for visits in LA, and we would depart for El Salvador on February 29th.

Sometimes things just click, and this felt like one of the clicks. Here’s the view from her new apartment:

I think I made the right choice.

Still fuzzy from the long flight, I walked on the beach to view the Pacific Ocean from the other side. Pixie introduced me to her new rescue baby, and we became fast friends:

Gouda (on the left) is new. Oscar (on the right) is my old pal.

I made new friends, caught up with old friends, played beach volleyball, and took some of the best walks I could have imagined. I was reminded of my old life here, and I sure did miss it.

California, there is just something about you.

Last Steps in Sydney

Suddenly, after Bali, there was only a week left in Sydney. Four months had spun past and disappeared into a cloud of fine memories. It took a lot of back and forth decision-making in the first month of 2020, but by the end, I was ready to leave. I wanted to get back to teaching and meaningful work without being held back by the limitations that come with a temporary visa.

The last days were full of my favorite things about Sydney: Bondi Beach, good food, live music, and saying goodbye to all of the dear people I’ve known here.

I had time for a Galentine’s brunch at my friend Amanda’s, safely sheltered from the flooding that drenched the city for three days.

My stuff was back in Mike’s apartment, so we go to hang, eat pizza (among other delicious Italian foods), and see some shows. I checked off the last things on my list—nope, I never did do the Harbour Bridge Climb, but I did come away with a sweet lil’ tattoo!

I definitely had tears in my eyes during the last bus ride home from the beach, but they were knowing tears. Nostalgic, grateful, but prepared tears. I was ready for the long road home.

Last days in Bali

My last days in Bali were wrapped up with trying Bintang beer for the first time and continued exploring. On the last day, I’d planned on visiting the popular Tirta Empul water temple for a water purification ceremony. But when the day arrived, it seemed like it would be crowded and far, so I caught a ride to the smaller, quieter Gunung Kawi temple.

This decision process was common in my trip to Bali—quietly going with the flow and altering the plan if something didn’t fit the moment. The driver and I were some of the only ones at Gunung Kawi early in the morning. I got to enjoy views like these all to myself:

The trip was a much needed reconnect to my spirit and practice. It’s hard not to feel spiritually inspired in Bali—every family has a temple in their backyard and they make offerings to their gods at multiple points throughout the day. Chickens, cats, and dogs roam on dirt and stone streets, and nature is abundantly all around you. Physically, I started moving and feeling good again after taking some time off to rest my back and joints. It was a joy to experience another enlightening and stress-free trip to the magical land of Ubud.

Yoga Workshop Day 5

I really left you hanging in Bali, and I’m sorry for that! I found the whole trip to be perfectly rejuvenating and exactly what I needed. I had been feeling a little lonely from months of solo travel and brand new friendships, but visiting Ubud reminded me of the joys and freedom of traveling on your own. I spent so much quiet time in nature and in the city doing the things that I wanted to. I learned even more about the yoga practice and connected with many friendly faces.

The fifth day of our yoga workshop with Kino was the closing ceremony. As usual, we kicked off with our daily discussion of the yoga sutras. We learned that in all of the 196 yoga sutras the word LOVE is never mentioned. Still, Patanjali hints at it, with references to pranidhana (devotion), maitri (friendliness), and ahimsa (non-harming). The feeling of love is infused into his words, and any act of hatred would be considered an act of self-harm. He recommends that whenever negative thought forms appear, as they inevitably will, the seeds of the opposite thought should be planted.

In the Ashtanga yoga closing mantra, we ask that all beings be happy and free from suffering. Kino had us take it a step further in a seated metta meditation. In metta, we first call attention to ourselves—if I’m not happy and free from suffering, how can I fully wish it for others?—then to the ones we love and feel close to, and finally (the hardest one!) to those we dislike or the people who frustrate us. As spiritual seekers, we liberate ourselves from wishing ill upon others as we do our best to free the rest of humanity.

The closing ceremony was held at the studio and hosted by a Balinese priest. He chanted and blessed us while we lit incense in our traditional flower baskets. Sometimes I roll my eyes at myself for being an American practicing yoga in a studio with American teachers in such a magical foreign country with a rich spiritual history. The traditional closing ceremony was a way to tie it all together and it helped me feel more connected to the local culture at the end of the week.

Yoga Workshop Day 4

Day four of the workshop focused a lot on physical practice. We learned more about backbends from an old skeleton who hilariously happened to be losing some limbs during Kino’s discussion. We hoped that wouldn’t happen to us when it was our turn to try! By the end of the session, I had learned even more about a safe backbending practice that I think will help me on the road to recovery from a long-ago injury. One of the main reasons I enjoy going to workshops with different teachers is to learn little techniques that have a tremendous impact on my practice. Sometimes you can hear a few people teach the same thing, but for some reason one teacher will say it in a way that finally clicks and stays with your forever.

For anyone who isn’t lucky enough to practice at a studio with a teacher for whatever reason—and this has been me pretty often lately— here are some pieces of advice from Kino on establishing and maintaining a home practice:

• Practice at the same time every day— This will help you stay consistent and avoid potential excuses or distractions.

• Attend a public class once a month— Or, if that’s not possible, attend a workshop once a year. Try to do it with the same teacher every time so they can get to know you and your practice.

• Choose only one “project” per practice— Focus on one key thing each time you practice. For example, this could be an intention or your breath, or something physical like keeping your core engaged during forward folds.

• Guard your energy— Your practice shouldn’t leave you 100% drained and unable to do anything else for the rest of the day. It’s nice to challenge yourself, but yoga should leave you feeling empowered and energized, not completely spent. If you find yourself with too much energy after a home practice, it could be time to attend a public class to get some new ideas.

Our yoga sutra discussion was short on this day. We talked about the popular 2.46 which tells us that a yoga posture should be both strong and comfortable. Once that is achieved, we can let go of unnecessary effort and focus our attention on the infinite (2.47).

The following sutra was new to me—what should we expect to happen when we do the asanas (physical poses) correctly? Number 2.48 says that we no longer become influenced by opposites or duality. In making the asana both strong and comfortable, we balance two opposites: sthira (strength) and sukha (ease). In the same way, we begin to balance other pairs of opposites in life such as like/dislike, mine/yours, pleasure/pain, etc. We are become free to remain steady without the constant distraction of running towards what we like and away from what we don’t like. We clear up space to focus on the higher limbs of yoga— pranayama (breath work), pratyahara (sense control), meditation, and, perhaps, transcendence. Finally, we find a lasting peace that is not impacted by the ups and downs of life.