And Away We Go...

It seems as though when we have some plan sitting off in the future that it will never get here...and then-BANG-it's here!



Ed and I leave this week for Australia and then onto India. After setting our feet on Aussie soil, we will spend some quiet time adjusting to the time zone by staying at a resort just north of Cairns. Then the days that follow, I will be teaching at Sanctuary Retreat in Mission Beach, a magical place that seems to be sitting within an energetically healing vortex.



From Australia we then fly to Delhi, India...a maiden voyage for both of us. It's taken months of planning, emails, vaccinations, packing and re-packing and we hope that the pre-trip effort will make for a smooth and of course, adventurous journey. We spend 20 days touring India, fly back to Sydney, Australia for a stop with friends and rest before arriving back in the States September 29.



When people hear how long we'll be away, their jaw drops. It's quite unusual for Americans to take more than two consecutive weeks to vacation. Aussies and Europeans on the other hand see it as being quite normal. We are taking this time because we can...we are in good health, have gratitude that we can afford to go and more importantly still have an unquenched thirst for adventure and a curiosity to explore. We didn't want to look back and say, "I wish I would have done it when..."



So, away we go...to see more of this incredible planet, to taste things that are unfamiliar, to see a culture that birthed yoga, to meet people that are different to us and be fully immersed in each and every moment.



Love

Light

Peace

&

Namasté

Continuous Flow

We recently returned from a short camping, yoga, music and white water rafting trip along the South Fork of the American River. It was the perfect combination of connecting to things that light my fire...the fire that resides not only deep in my heart, but within my soul.



The river was a metaphor for life. As I sat in early morning meditation, listening to the ripple of the rushing water it reinforced the ever-changing moments of our ordinary lives. It reminded me that nothing in life is permanent, but is constantly facing change and transition. As the river flows, it comes up against obstacles...often huge exciting rocks that create power and white water. When we're rafting, we face it head on most of the time, but sometimes hit them sideways or even backwards giving our hearts a rush of adrenaline, an instant of being completely absorbed in the moment with absolutely no distractions. Paying attention to anything other than the river could mean a harder journey, falling into the current and being at the mercy of something greater than ourselves.



The river gave the opportunity to simply let go. To allow its grace to carry us along its path as well as giving the gift of being able to absorb the beauty of the natural environs. The journey down the river provided contrasts of hot summer sun and cool river water. Of still pools and roaring rapids. Of peace and the deafening sounds of nature.



It is said that we never step into the same river twice. When your foot enters the water, if you were to remove it and step back into the exact location, it would be a different river than the moment before.



The river is life. It is our life.



It was a blessing to be with Mother Nature and realize even more deeply who I am.