Breathing through the rest of the day.

I am learning more and more everyday. I can barely drink the knowledge as fast as they are pouring it. I do not have much free time this week, so excuse this blog for NOT being lyrical, dramatic, nor spellchecked (with all my new yogic power I can hear inside my dad's head, "are any of them spell checked?" )

After my morning pranayama and asana practices (which I have now preluded with a 30 minute solo meditation/ concentration session on the beach) brunch is ready. The food here is gorgeous, I think I already mentioned that in a previous post... fresh, healthy, delicious, full of life, etc. I grab a fresh juice of the day (anything from Pineapple coriander to watermelon ginger to cucumber celery) and head to my room. Some people eat immediately after practice but I do not enjoy eating in a fully sweat saturated outfit... so I head to the shower, which is inside but has an open roof- so fun :) I hang my clothes to sun dry on my balcony, enjoy some of the little "me time" I can find with this schedule. I eventually head down to meet friends for brunch and to sun myself for 20 mins by the pool! It's a pretty hard life here.

I could write a book on all the items available at brunch... but they already did and it's a cookbook and I bought it so...

The brunch break flies by and class begins at noon. Usually Yoga Philosophy or Anatomy start our day, In Philosophy we talk about ancient texts, mainly focus on the Yoga Sutras. "A profound set of 196 sentences that guide the practitioner from the mundane to the sublime." Basically it is a classical explanation of yoga from a couple of thousand years ago using poetic statements to describe ultimate truths. I forgot how much I love philosophy. Anatomy is even more gripping.

We have studied all the major systems in the body and how yoga is healing in more ways than "Uh, my hamstrings are tight and my knee hurts." The nervous system, circulatory system, lymphatic system all improve their biz-niz (scientific term I picked up) which relate to and enhance our mental, emotional and spiritual states. (Reason #1 why yoga rules.) We also focus on joints, muscles, bones, ligaments, etc. The men who feed us spiritually and intellectually are incredible teachers and beautiful souls, inspiring and educating with each word and every movement!

This class ends at two, giving us a half hour break to wiggle and giggle a bit. My favorite thing to do in this break is go to the juice bar and enjoy a fresh coconut. At first, I refused to purchase these coco's because they seemed wildly overpriced compared to the coco's in Mysore, India! But $1.50 isn't that bad for all the minerals they replenish and Oh- how delicious and refreshing! Damn, that half an hour goes by fast, and we are back in the shala. My body took a few days of training before I could sit up straight, cross-legged on a small cushion on the floor for most of the day with out fidgeting around- that is how a girl finds her Mula Bandha for sure! (yoga term for one of the four muscles contributing to your pelvic floor)

Anyways... the next few hours are spent learning poses in the Ashtanga Primary Series. We focus on two poses a days, learning exact alignment, pose benefits, and how to adjust someone properly in that pose. Needless to say we get to move for the last bit of class, pushing and pulling a variety of body types and sizes. These classes are meant to improve your understanding of the poses for your own practice so that explaining it verbally to students will be second nature. All so very rad...

Class ends at 5 p.m. but we always seem to go over. Sometime we have mediation or chanting scheduled at 5, but usually it is free time with an herbal steam room and/or Restorative Yoga class available. Although all that will come to an end tomorrow- when we start out teaching assessments! I lead a class on Thursday and I can not imagine it being the most graceful hour of my life. I have a teacher with a clipboard evaluating my every word, adjustment, and composure while I am teaching advanced yoga students a beginning class... please send me positive teaching vibrations from where ever you are!

So dinner is at 6 p.m. and is equally as delicious and creative as brunch. As I write this, it is nearing 9:30, so I am just getting ready for bed! After dinner sometimes we have a scheduled educational film or meditation session, but three nights a week we are free. This time is usually spent talking with all the lovely girls I have met. I promise I will start snapping photos so you can see some of the characters in this chapter of my book. I imagine they will play lead roles throughout my life, for together, we have really grown, and a few of us seem to be on a similar path...

With all the education, I have been improving in my morning practices, and with all the practice I feel as if life is becoming a bit more of a moving meditation! I am excited to share all I am learning with anyone who will continue to learn with me. My dreams have been getting more intensely vivid and since I love dreaming so much- I am off to bed. So goodnight loves.

Tomorrow's Mantra (repeated phrase that affects your nervous system and remodels your constitution through thought vibrations) "Take Photos Of Friends." and "Document Where You Are At."

It's in the bag. Photo's are on their way, but I won't write for awhile because all the tests are coming up (practical, oral exam, and written exam). Love you all so much, wish you could be here learning and growing with me! Om