Just winding down into a slower pace after getting ready for the Eat Pray Love yoga retreat all last week, leading the retreat all weekend, and horseback riding in the mountains yesterday with a few of the EPL yoga girls turned cowgirl yoginis. To top all this amazing activity off, one of our retreaters was a friend from high school that I haven’t seen in over 20 years. So we had a lot of catching up to do. I’m looking forward to becoming a homebody for the next few days: cooking, hanging out with Morgane, and reconnecting with my own yoga practice after lots of teaching.
On our EPL yoga retreat we share parts of the book that really spoke to us, and if you’ve read it more than once (which many of us have), different parts resonate each time. My latest and greatest fave isn’t exactly super profound (I’ll save those parts to share with you when you come on the EPL yoga weekend next year), I keep thinking of it when my yoga practice isn’t exactly, well, consistent. One of my favorite things that I’ve told my yoga students over the years is that yoga will always be there. It’s waiting for you while you do whatever else might need your attention, like an old friend.
From Eat Pray Love, Book One Italy:
Here’s what’s strange though. I haven’t seemed to be able to do any Yoga since getting to Rome. For years I’ve had a steady and serious practice, and I even brought my Yoga mat with me, along with my best intentions. But it just isn’t happening here. I mean, when am I going to do my Yoga stretches? Before my Italian speedball breakfast of chocolate pastries and double cappuccino? Or after?…The culture of Rome just doesn’t match the culture of Yoga, not as far as I can see.
Well, we might not all get to experience this conflict in Rome, but most of us yogis can probably relate. I say, roll with it sometimes. The yoga is always going to be there. So I’ve stopped beating myself up for “skipping practice”, and instead look to find meaning in whatever practice I’m in the midst of – knowing that as much as yoga means to me, I’ll make my way back to my mat when I’m ready.
Here’s some pix from our weekend: the EPL yoga girls with their dog-eared and highlighted books; spectacular moonrise out back at the Big EZ Lodge (yes, it’s a full moon, and YES, I actually took this picture!); Warrior II at the top of our Beehive Basin butt-kicker hike, and sunrise mountain meditation. Namaste.