I have made it to Bali and right now I am sitting on my couch in the house I am renting in Ubud. I had no idea what I was stepping into when I agreed to this, but I am seriously in a little slice of paradise. Surrounded by rice paddies and coconut trees, I have a private pool, living room, huge bedroom, huge outdoor bathroom, full kitchen with blender and wheat grass juicer, and yes…..the hammock is up. I seriously couldn’t be happier.
Tomorrow I will teach my first public yoga class overseas. And as that legendary Khazikstani once said, “I very excite!” The weather is warm and there is a nice breeze in the air. I may not be able to leave.
There is something magical about practicing yoga in foreign lands. I always feel like I am living my purpose when I am doing this. Today’s practice was especially sweet, overlooking the rice paddies and egrits in the fields. Towards the end of the practice, I entered into Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (pigeon pose). This is a pose that has always been much easier on my right side than my left, but today when I practiced it, instead of trying to get my left hip to release, which I have done for 15 years now with very little success, I started opening my right psoas instead. The results were magical. My left hip released, my lower back lengthened and I hit the pose like I have never done in my life. Full right angle with my left leg, extended and lifted thorax, puffy chest like the king pigeon. It was very very insightful.
Things are so often not quite what they seem. We get stuck, we only see one way out, and often it feels like we are a hamster in a cage. I know this has been my experience a lot, especially when I get negative and start beating myself up. But there’s always different perspectives and different avenues for insight. We just have to be open to them.
Enjoy your lives, people! Celebrate the beauty you experience and when you suffer, feel stuck, etc., remember to soften, listen to your body, be courageous……There is truly a great wisdom there.