Namaste Series: I'm Teaching

So the hard work and challenge of Yoga teacher training came to a close upon leaving Austin, TX, and I have to admit, I had a strong mix of emotions at the conclusion. I was sad not to have our close group training sessions, I was anxious at the prospect of leading my own classes and I was uncertain as to what the next step in my yoga life would even be with this experience under my belt.

Upon arriving in Santiago, of course I scouted out local yoga classes for my own personal practice. After discovering there were virtually no classes to be found in the city in English (thank god for YogaGlo), I started trying various styles at local studios in Spanish. After a visit to a class at my favorite vegetarian restaurant, El Huerto, I met with the teacher who told me he was in need of some extra help during the week due to his shift in schedule. Que Suerte! I thought, how lucky to find an opportunity to begin my yoga teaching career. After a test run of teaching the teachers, I was hired for Mon/Wed night classes, with the intention of teaching in English while incorporating as much Spanish as I could. And that's when it sunk in….holy Sh*t!  What am I doing? I don't know if I'll be a good teacher? What if I mess up? I don't even know how to speak fluently in Spanish, how can I teach in another language? thoughts, nerves, anxious worrying swirled around for a bit, until I came to terms with my options. I could be scared, say no and go on about my day. Or I could be brave, face my fears and jump in.

It's hard as a beginning teacher to think about the teachers you respect and learn from and try and picture yourself at that level. And I finally convinced myself to realize that I'm not at that level yet, and hopefully I can be one day, and that every teacher had to have a first class. So with that intention, I started the journey of creating my own yoga community in Santiago.

Now, 6 weeks later, I am amazed at how enriched this experience has been for me and, I hope, for my new students. I have grown in confidence, I am taking risks in the studio and I am making new friends along the way. This opportunity has allowed me to aspire to grow my own yoga community, and specifically English speaking yoga community, here in Santiago. I've created a page for us to collaborate on this adventure, so share the love and give it a like! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Community-Yoga-Santiago/101018096757664?fref=ts

I'm looking forward to the journey ahead in my yoga career. I can only my own positive intentions, spirit and challenges are impacting my students each time they step on their mat. Namaste.

Namaste Series: deepening Ashtanga practice in Thailand

During my practice of yoga in the last 6 years or so, I have found teachers I have been drawn to and types of classes that suit me best. Personally, I like a challenge, so getting sweaty and utilizing the class as a workout is definitely a plus. On the other hand, one of the reasons I grew to love yoga is because of its inherent relaxation properties and meditation work. The ideal for me is to find a challenging, invigorating class with an energetic and helpful teacher. Ashtanga yoga, in simple terms is a set series of yoga popularized by K. Pattabhi Jois and directly responsible for the western craze of "power yoga." Typically, the class is 90 minutes to 2 hours and quite challenging involving a majority of vinyasa flow and deep asanas. I had never specifically practiced at an ashtanga class, however, many of the studios I have attended over the years adopt a modified version and I was always interested in learning about this style in greater detail. When I came to Chiang Mai, and met up with some old friends from home, they could not stop talking about this intense ashtanga class at a nearby studio, Wild Rose, with a kick-ass instructor.  I was totally sold and had to check it out. The 2+ hour session certainly did not disappoint. The instructor, Vari (a former New Yorker), had both the skills to teach for all levels as well as the positive energy and words to motivate all the students. His class was a modified version of the exact Ashtanga series from India, however, I definitely noticed differences from previous classes and was very happy to take on a new challenge. One of my favorite parts of Chiang Mai is the laid-back, community atmosphere and Wild Rose Yoga certainly fits right into this. Following the intense class, everyone was on a serious high and hung around together for fresh juices at the restaurant next door. An ideal afternoon if I've ever experienced one. I can certainly see how one might come to Chiang Mai and stay for awhile….Namaste.

Namaste Series: Eka Chakra

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After sampling a taste of volunteering and staying at the Hare Krishna yoga park in Argentina, I thought i would try and inquire about volunteering at one of the affiliated community farms in Chile on my way back to Santiago. The Eka Chakra community welcomed me with open arms for my 4-day stay. During this time, I helped in the community cleaning and helping to prepare for an upcoming festival, tending the organic garden and building new walls on the living huts and kitchen. In exchange for my work and a small fee, I stayed on the property and enjoyed the most delicious vegetarian meals, as well as joined the evening hatha yoga classes. 
Unlike the community in Argentina, there weren't as many traveler volunteers, during my stay only a girl from Seattle and a family from Norway, however there were many more members, even entire families, of the community living at this farm and it was nice to practice my Spanish and learn more about this way of life. The farm, set in the town of catemu in a valley in the Andes was the perfect setting to relax, feel healthy and prepare for my final days of traveling in south America. Namaste.

Namaste Series: Eco Yoga Park

This week I had the privilege of experiencing a truly unique and spiritual experience at Eco Yoga Park, a type of yoga monastery just 1.5 hours outside of Buenos Aires. Originally, I had read about this place and was interested in visiting for the day during my last week in BA to get a break from the city and enjoy some quiet relaxation and yoga. What I discovered was an amazing community I hadn't known existed and one that I wish I would have been able to stay at for an extended period. Eco Yoga Park is an eco-village run by members of the Hare Krishna movement, a religious community based on the principles of the Bhagavad-gita scripture. It is a movement originally from India including the practice of bhakti yoga, spiritual chanting, prayer and a life dedicated to these beliefs including, but not limited to seeking unity, peace, consciousness and truth. As a yoga enthusiast and one that has a general interest in studying religions, I have been fascinated with learning more about the Hare Krishna community, life and principles.

view of the property

At Eco Yoga Park, travelers are able to come and volunteer on the property, and with an additional small fee, in return receive room and board and participate in the yoga classes, musical thereapy/chanting sessions and other activities; a type of work/volunteer exchange. The community  that Eco Yoga Park receives truly make it such a magical place. I met fascinating people from all over the world that were living at the park for as little as a few days and as long as a month, creating a true mecca for open-minded, curious and adventurous travelers.



working in the garden

During my day I was able to join the others for breakfast (all food is home-cooked and completely vegan on the premises and of course mostly everything comes from the on-site garden, could it get any better?) After breakfast, volunteers head back to work (the first working session is before breakfast beginning at sunrise) for a couple of hours before a yoga session mid-morning. I took a tour of the property. After our mid-morning hatha yoga class (taught on this day by a teacher from Minnesota who was visiting the property) we had some relaxation time before lunch. Later in the afternoon, we could participate in a mantra-therapy session led by the Swami (monk/priest) followed by a meditation session. In the evening we had a sit-down session with the Swami who answered any and all questions about the Hare Krishna way of life and his own personal path and engaged in discussion with the group about the various spiritual beliefs. It was both a unique, eye-opening and educational experience that is hard to put into words. The most impactful words of wisdom for me  he did share were about their reasons for leading a vegetarian lifestyle and how the treatment of all living beings is really at the core of their beliefs. In addition, his thoughts on how we can only control ourselves, our bodies, our actions and our beliefs and that in and of itself is one of the most challenging things we will deal with our entire life made quite an impact. I had only come to the park for the day, but since the discussion with Swami ended so late, I opted to stay the night and depart early the next day, which gave me an opportunity to enjoy another delicious vegan meal, get to know the other travelers more deeply and participate in garden work the next morning. There is nothing quite like connecting with the earth at sunrise in the middle of beautiful farmland in Argentina, I feel truly lucky I was able to experience it, if only for the short time. 

Inside the temple where we practiced yoga

What I also learned during my visit is that Eco Yoga Park is affiliated with a network of ecological farm/yoga monasteries across the continent called Eco Yoga Villages. There are many similar communities located all around Central and South America, in an effort (according to the website) to strive to establish a synthesis of the need of mother earth and the thirst for harmony in all of us. The goal was to take the yoga lifestyle as discovered in India and spread it across South America to estabish these ecological communities; a beautiful and peaceful concept in my opinion. My small taste of the community created such a thirst for more I might try and squeeze in a visit to the village in Chile on my way back to Santiago in May. Namaste.

Namaste Series: Om is the same in all languages

The other day I realized it had been nearly 3 weeks since I had practiced yoga and it surprised me, why had I not experienced my usual craving for the practice. When living in New York, I often found I would experience a craving, almost like a human need, that I had to get to a class...why not here, not now? I took some time to think about this and realized that the driving force behind my feelings of need to practice yoga primarily came from the fact that going to a yoga class was like therapy for me; a mental break from the day, a time to focus on myself, relax, unwind, perhaps bring up any feelings that might be bothering or affecting me in that moment. Since I´ve started my journey abroad, I think that this whole experience is similar in many ways to the mental side of my yoga practice. Selfishly, I am devoting a lot of time to myself right now, I´ve been able to relax, unwind, open my mind to new experiences and relationships and I have the luxury of time each day to reflect on all of it. Whatever is going on with my head though, my body definitely missed it, so I decided I would need to find some alternative intentions for my practice and seek out a studio before I left Santiago. Luckily for me, there happens to be a yoga school within walking distance from my house which is great since it offers many classes per day and is super cheap!

Academia Chilena de Yoga

The school follows a Hatha yoga style of practice, and although I prefer more of a vinyasa style, it was great to get in a studio and stretch it out...not to mention doing the whole thing in Spanish of course!  I definitely took for granted how much I rely on the guidance from the instructor. Although I could understand body parts and simple directions in Spanish, and I had experience in all the poses before, I really missed hearing the thoughts and wise words that I´m sure the teacher was sharing. It wasn´t the most difficult class physically, but it certainly was probably one of the most mentally challenging classes I´ve had in a while as I was completely alone with my thoughts and had to rely soley on myself to stay present. One thing I did love was that the class ended in, what felt like, a 20 minute shavasana which we did in a restorative pose with lots of props. It was super comfortable and relaxing and I definitely left the studio feeling clearer and more refreshed. Namaste.

Namaste Series: Zen Yoga, Nica Yoga

During my stay in Nicaragua, I had the pleasure of practicing at two different, but equally special, spaces. Zen Yoga is located in the center of town in San Juan Del Sur. They offer daily classes, multiple times a day very similar to an American style studio. The space is peaceful and calm and is run by ex-pats so most students seem to be travelers or local "gringos." The first class I took here was a fairly standard vinyasa flow led by Kristin, an American originally from Philly who has lived here permanently for about a month. She led the class of 8 students (a mix of Australian, American and British men and women) through an hour of challenging poses and flows. Kristin spoke about the Sanskrit terms which translate to Strength and Surrender and how it´s important to find the balance between these two forces both in our practice and in our everyday life. I really connected with these thoughts as I view part of my journey as the discovery of how I can better let go and accept what is around me, while still pushing forward, showing strength and taking a clear direction. The yoga palapa was open on 3 sides lending itself to a gentle breeze in the afternoon heat as well as a view of the rooftops of town and the mountains beyond. If I lived here, I would probably practice at Zen Yoga daily.

The second space I took a class at was a retreat center just out of town called Nica Yoga. Nica Yoga is a yoga resort and studio with a wonderful yoga palapa overlooking the residences on the property and the beautiful saline pool. This class was also led by Kristin, the teachers in town tend to bounce from one studio to another. Since it was a morning class, she slowed things down a bit which was perfect for waking the body up. These past few days have been perfectly hot and sunny, but there is definitely a strong breeze which was blowing mats and items around quite a bit. I can´t complain though as the wind felt amazing! The best part of the class was probably when the roosters started squawking at the end of our shavasana, it was like as if they knew they were supposed to wake us up..only in Nicaragua.

 Namaste.

Namaste Series: flowing over the ocean

My next yoga practice I'd like to include in the namaste series also took place in Belize, but this time over the ocean at a spectacular property, Ak'Bol Yoga Retreat and Eco Resort about a mile north of our hotel on Ambergris Caye near the town of San Pedro. I definitely recommend checking out their website for information on upcoming retreats. My sister and I had seen this beautiful property while taking a water taxi into town and inquired right away about community classes. Luckily for us, they offered a morning class every weekday at 9am so we set out on our last full day in Belize to experience it for ourselves. Although I personally enjoy a little humidity and heat while practicing yoga, I have to admit it was quite breathtaking to practice while listening to the waves softly hit the shore and the breeze blow calmly across the palapa. The picture-perfect weather, combined with an energetic community of yogis and a well-traveled instructor proved to be one of my favorite experiences on this vacation and one of my favorite yoga classes I've ever participated in. Namaste.
Note: the image above is taken from the Ak'Bol website, as we didn't have our camera with us that morning.

Namaste Series: zen in the jungle

Since deepening my yoga experience is one thing I would like to accomplish through this journey, I wanted to create a series of posts discussing my various yoga practices around the world. The first experience of the namaste series took place on the palapa at Black Rodge Lodge in the Belize jungle. Although the practice was self-led, involving the basic sun salutations and warrior poses to the tunes of MC Yogi, nothing beats looking out into the vast jungle while the body easily flows in the temperate, humid air.   I look forward to continued shavasanas around the world and sharing these experiences. Namaste.