Living in a small, remote town in the jungle has provided a
unique lifestyle. Part of that lifestyle is a constant quietness and calmness.
Don’t get me wrong I am very busy, at my own doing, and there are some pretty
loud, large heavy machinery at times but here there isn’t the chaos of traffic,
angry drivers, drive-throughs, street lights, shopping malls etc. so when I
returned to Denver the chaos and bustle of Western life was truly overwhelming.
A funny moment was when we got our rental car and my hubby was driving on the
highway after a year of driving on the opposite side of the car and street at
max speed of 25 mph. He was freaking out a little trying to keep up with the
determined drivers at 65 mph, it was cute and funny. That panicky feeling never
completely resolved especially for me as I had to re-attain my driving
abilities after a year of not driving at all!! And man there are a lot of cars
and everyday run-ins with people who don’t have any patience – always in a
hurry.
My visit back to the Western world made me realize how
important my yoga practice is. Our two month visit was so overscheduled and
exhausting that I didn’t get to practice my physical yoga as much as I would’ve
preferred but my mental/internal yoga became very important. My practice of breathing
and reflection was immensely heightened. I just felt blissfully happy, all of
the time!! A very fulfilling experience. My sound mind and body connected like
never before. (However, I must admit, I do appreciate the calmness of the
little jungle town a little bit more now.)
We so totally enjoyed our trip back to the States,
overindulged on food and spirits, played hard, and the kiddos had an amazing
time with their cousins and Grandparents. There really is no place like home.
After returning back to Indonesia, just 8 weeks or so later
we were out again. This time headed to Fiji. I have experienced some amazing
countries and cultures but Fiji has the most beautiful people and culture
(despite a history of cannibalism). This trip I was able to practice some
physical yoga. I mostly tried yoga underwater while snorkeling in the bright,
clear, gorgeous ocean. With fish and coral as my surroundings the poses we fun,
easy and hard all at the same time as my buoyancy brought me to the surface. It
was comical as my husband watched and joined in while our kiddos played on the
white sandy beach. A great experience – it was a refreshing twist to my yoga
practice. My yoga practice on the beach was unique as well as the wind whirled
around me as my toes sank into the sand in Dancer pose. Fiji was a refreshing
experience for me with my yoga.
My commitments in our little town massively collided upon
returning and I had a few moments of feeling like I was going to lose it but my
new found level of connecting my mind and body with breath and reflection have
helped calm and re-center me.
As I am typing this I am thousands of feet in the air headed
to Australia for a long weekend. Mike and I have a few agenda items to achieve
1) attaining our scuba certification and 2) buying Christmas presents and
groceries that are not available where we live. I hope to try some yoga again
underwater this time with controllable buoyancy. To be continued….
And now I am back in our quiet home in the jungle already
two weeks after writing the first part of this post and, again, I am so
thankful for yoga in my life. My breathing has become even more important as I
was faced with a respirator in my mouth surrounded by water I cannot breathe in
and drown from. It was a moment where I was forced but easily calmed down, something I learned
from yoga. A moment that reinforced my mind and body connection.
Yoga isn’t just about physical practice, it’s more than
that. I am so thankful to have deepened my practice and look forward to continuing
that connection!
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