travel

Separation exists in the mind.

Separation exists in the mind.


Hanging out in Bali after a photo shoot with some new friends. Yoga allows each of us to experience our true nature. Who are you at the center of your Self?
You are the experience of awareness experiencing itself. You are not the witness, but the experience of witnessing. You are not the lover, but the experience of loving. You are not compassionate, but the experience of compassion. You are not kind, but the experience of kindness.
Expansive. Beyond time and space. You are everywhere and nowhere. You are pure love. Separation exists only in your mind, and because of your ego.
Imagine, for moment, it’s as if there’s no you and no me. Just for a moment, there’s no separation.
We are travelers on a journey —home, to experience who we really are, underneath all the layers of who we thought we were.

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Fun Shiva Power class this morning at Baja Soul Yoga!

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Fun Shiva Power class this morning at Baja Soul Yoga!

Yoga philosophy teaches us that yoga is the stopping of the movements of the fluctuating mind. When the mind is quiet — in stillness, we experience the true nature of our Self. When the mind is constantly moving and distracting us, we never really get to see who we are because we are caught up in all the movements, and all the distractions. It’s like things are upside down. The senses are leading the mind, and the mind is dragging us along for the ride. Yoga is the practice of taking charge again. You are directing your mind to control your senses, and focus on the things you want to focus on. Every time you concentrate on something and hold your focus — you increase your willpower. Every time your mind wanders off and fidgets, distracting you — the pattern of distraction gets stronger. The greatest battle you will ever fight is the one with your mind. Concentrate! Without concentration there is no yoga

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Elysia Yoga Convention!

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Elysia Yoga Convention!

We left the 1st Elysia Yoga Convention in 2017 on such a high!

I enjoyed meeting so many wonderful presenters and students there. This pic was from a farewell dinner that some of us enjoyed together, in Athens, before going on our separate ways.

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The volcano Haleakala!

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The volcano Haleakala!

The volcano Haleakala! It’s been dormant for almost 300 yrs. Incredible! I love the girls jumping in their Shiva Yoga shirts. Great shot! Maui has so much to see and explore. And the different parts of the island are so different. I will definitely be going back to explore a little more. Not enough time in just 1 week! And it’s so close — I can’t believe I haven’t been already until now. Beautiful! This incredible planet we live on. Let’s take good care of her and try to leave behind something better than what we found.

Galapagos Islands - Day 7!

Galapagos Islands - Day 7!

This was our last day to explore the islands. The trip had started off feeling like it was going slow and then a few of the days just flew by and suddenly we were on our last day. We had bonded so much as a group. It had been such an amazing time together on the islands. I was going to miss this Galapagos Islands family and our home away from home at Semilla Verde.

Galapagos Islands - Day 6!

Galapagos Islands - Day 6!

On Thursday of our retreat we had a day off from excursions. I led the group in a late yoga class that started at 7:30am. The turtles were all hanging out in the turtle pond and we got to watch them during class, right outside the window of the yoga studio.

Galapagos Islands - Day 5!

Galapagos Islands - Day 5!

We started off with an early morning pranayama and meditation practice at Semilla Verde. Love watching these yogis transformation after these seated practices. Powerful stuff!

A quick breakfast at Semilla Verde and we were off to Tortuga Bay for some hiking, hanging out at the beach, and kayaking.

When we arrived at Tortuga Bay we hiked through this beautiful forest to get to the beach. The trees were all white and silver and it looked like they had been blanketed in ice. It was really beautiful!

Galapagos Islands Adventure Yoga Retreat! Day 3!

Galapagos Islands Adventure Yoga Retreat! Day 3!

Day 3 of our Galapagos Islands adventure took us to North Seymour Island.
We woke up early and I led the group through a challenging yoga class to get us ready for our day.

After class, we grabbed a quick breakfast at Semilla Verde and then took a bus to the port to board the Sea Finch.We arrived at North Seymour island and went exploring with our guide, Steve, giving us deeper insight into all of the animals we encountered.

Galapagos Islands Adventure Yoga Retreat! Day 2!

Galapagos Islands Adventure Yoga Retreat! Day 2!

This was our first official day waking up at Semilla Verde. I was up at a little before 5am to do my practice so I could lead the group through a morning session at 6am. We did a sun salutation practice, followed by a seated seedless meditation.

After a quick breakfast, we were on our way to the port to head to Bartolome Island.
Steve, a really nice, down to earth guide was to lead us on this journey. We lucked out with Steve as he turned out to be a walking encyclopedia.

Galapagos Islands Adventure Yoga Retreat! Day 1!

Galapagos Islands Adventure Yoga Retreat! Day 1!

We left from LAX on Friday morning. I was flying with three other students coming from Los Angeles: Amber, Alexa and Jaro. We flew to Panama City and then on to Guayakil, a small city in Ecuador. We met up with two more students, Peter and Tina, at the airport in Guayakil. They had arrived on a different flight but were booked at the same hotel that we were. We spent the night in Guayakil.

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