(I tried to publish this post a couple of days ago, but was having technical issues. Don't you love when you can troubleshoot your own issues! If Yoga is anything, it's discovering how we are a cause in our own struggle.)

I have returned from my trip to Costa Rica...and it was increible. It was such a treat to be able to go on this retreat, especially with all that has unfolded in my life recently with the passing of my father.

It was awesome to get to spend time away and be able to absorb such positive energy from the incredible Force of Nature all around me. Costa Rica is completely gorgeous. If you've never been, you must go. We went to a fantastic place called Montezuma, which sits at the tip of the Peninsual de Nicoya on the Pacific Ocean. It is a small town and still surprisingly untarnished by tourism. It has managed to maintain its quaint and charming character in the middle of a tropical paradise. We stayed at the Hotel Los Mangos, which is surrounded by lush rainforest with an ocean view. We saw and heard the monkeys sitting on the front porch of our bungalow. We practiced Yoga in the open-air pavilion overlooking the ocean, and we dined at a fabulous, organic, vegetarian restaurant called Organico, where we met and connected with many other Yoga enthusiasts. The group of us who went shared a magical experience together and it touched each of us in a life-changing way. I thank Kate, Lisa, Sarah and Jill for sharing in this incredible, uplifting experience with me and being there for themselves and for one another. What the culmination of these changes and awakening experiences will be, nobody knows, but it ignited something within each of us, and once lighted, this fire awakens a burning desire to live life to the fullest, and to not take one day for granted waiting for some better tomorrow to come.

That reminds me of lyrics from a Dave Matthews song called Cry Freedom where he says...the future is no place to place your better days.

So, what's next? I am thrilled about the inspiration I am experiencing in my Yoga practice. Yoga has opened me up to the power of its healing potential. It's amazing to come to my mat with whatever tension I am experiencing physically, which usually originates on the mental/emotional realm, and to know I can turn to my practice for healing and positive change. The practice is not really what we do on our mat, but how we allow the gentle insights and guidance we receive from our Yoga practice or meditation to translate and transform into our life. Following that guidance and inspiration is our Yoga practice. The rest is just poses, breathing and tools to put us in touch with big mind, as Erich Schiffman would say. We also watched the Y Yoga documentary while we were in Costa Rica. It was awesome. In it they talk about the purpose of Yoga being healing, and that this is what we each truly need now.

So, I am inspired to be on this journey of healing and transformation we are on together. It is a time of positive change and healing and we are ready to align with the intelligent Flow that already knows exactly where we need to be.

Om shanti!

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