 photo credit: yoga by the sea Please don’t let it be yoga….I silently prayed as we made our way along the beach at 6am on our last day in Australia.
B had told me prior to leaving for our trip that he’d secretly planned a mini activity for us and I wasn’t to know anything more until right beforehand. I asked Noodle about it, he said excitedly, and she gave me the thumbs up! {Side note: Noodle = my gal pal Nicole, our lovely hostess while down under}. I’d had a hunch leading up to today that we’d be taking a sunrise yoga class by the water and at first I was overjoyed at this suspicion—it means so much to me that B has begun to show an interest in the practice (he took his first class last month at Weebly!), that he would be so thoughtful as to research options for our vacation and that he supports me in a if it means a lot to you, it means a lot to me kind of way. But when the alarm went off at 5:50am all of my good feelings on this little surprise were MIA. I was beginning to feel very anxious about going back to work, B leaving for the east coast, our long flight home, etc etc…Frankly, I just wanted to keep sleeping. Please don’t let it be yoga, I prayed, followed by a sigh of submission to seeing the class just ahead and a plastering on of what I like to call my best “Republican smile” (closed lipped, forced and mildly crazed looking). Feeling crunchy and cranky I unrolled my borrowed mat, looked over and snuck a peek at B settling into a seated position as best as his long, grasshopper-esque legs would let him. Tricia, I thought, this is a beautiful moment – get the eff over yourself and breathe deeply, gratefully, fully for the duration of the practice and just feel what you feel. Lean into your crunchy-cranky discomfort you dizzy broad and see what happens… After some sea-air filled deep breaths, cat-cow stretches and a few more mental grumbles at the harsher-than-I’m-used-to-instructor (I missed you, Lindsay!), I began to open my eyes and my heart to the moment. And then, as the rising sun slowly moved upward away from the glittering waves to greet the pink skies above, we began our sun salutations. We are all made up of water, light and vibrations of energy…Practicing in nature helps us to connect deeply within, especially as women, the teacher said. {Insert B awkwardly grinning amongst a class full of chicks—my main squeeze, wearing a cutoff, bright orange, Flyers t-shirt, getting in touch with his feminine side. What could be cuter?} Bring in the sunlight, she instructed; welcome it, let it feed and heal you. Hold it in your third eye for the duration of this practice… Sun salutations. At the beach. In Australia. With my boyfriend. To an actual rising sun. I mean…damn, right? After class we walked to a used bookstore in town called Gertrude and Alice that I’ve had my eye on all week for a bit of brekky (totally stealing this Aussie word for breakfast) and work. So here I sit. A cup of chai tea (the best I’ve probably ever had) in my hand, B flipping through his study flash cards to my left, used books stacked high all around me and a humbled, grateful heart beating in my chest. Sometimes we just need to get the eff over ourselves, you know? To accept exactly where we are in order to allow any negative, crunchy or cranky-ness to pass. To acknowledge we may not be where we want (ie cuddled in bed vs. walking to work out…total #whitegirlproblems, I know) but if we open ourselves to the moment and practice expanding our hearts in every experience, we are essentially allowing the peace found in accepting shaky groundlessness (ie stop fighting so hard for solid ground/footing—it never truly exists) to wash over our days, bringing great blessings along with it. Time to go soak up the last bits of Aussie sun, mates. See you back in the states…. Love and light, Trish
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