First, big thanks to my friend, Kristin Burns for capturing this moment. We both attended a 7 day yoga retreat in Bali, Indonesia. If you've never been on a yoga retreat. I highly recommend it. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or an advanced yogi. You will walk away stronger and happier, and with a sense of accomplishment and peace.
So, out of the blue, my friend, Joe told me a spot opened up on his retreat to Bali. Someone had dropped out last minute, and he asked if I wanted to go. "YES!," I immediately replied. So I booked a last minute flight, and the next week, there I was in Bali with 15 strangers/insta friends. We breathed, meditated, posed, ate, and laughed our way through seven days of sweat, determination, and bliss.
The retreat center was a spectacular setting nestled high about the beaches and craziness of the crowds of tourists who flock to Bali from all of the world. It felt like the food was prepared with love, as it was truly divine. The massage were other worldly, and the hospitality was second to non!
I'm feeling my purple yoga shorts in this photo, and so much more...
Even though I'm in what looks like a weird and potentially uncomfortable pose, being in the highlands of Bali, listening to the birds chirping and wind rustling through the lush greenery behind me, this will always be one of the most peaceful and relaxing moments of my life.
One of my teachers always says, "are you breathing or are you posing?" Because yoga isn't about making weird shapes with your body. It's about how you get into those shapes. Your breath. Your thought process. And, the belief that you can do it. And, with that belief, you will do it.
In this moment, I am breathing.