Paying Homage to the Past

Back on the road for a 3rd year with Kashi. I'm overwhelmed with excitement. It just keeps getting better year after year.
I've been super busy this winter, always happily. Knowing that I would be back on the road again allowed me 5 months off without the worries of finding a new job and moving into a new apartment only to lose it after a few months again.
I spent the first half of the winter in complete peace and quiet, living with my father in harmony. We enjoyed our irregular educational dinners about the US Presidents in preparation for Obama's Inauguration and our frequent movie nights while sharing a little black kitty cat that clawed at our hands, begging to be stroked with our love and care. I couldn't have asked for a more calming and gentle entrance into the winter and release from a busy year with the Kashi Tour '08. My father was sweet and the room he provided me was vibrantly glowing with all my colorful belongings in one place, even if just for a few months.
Mid-January rolled around and I headed to DC to lead a tour with EF Smithsonian for Obama's Inauguration. What a powerful and riveting event! Every single person in that vast audience was at peace, even if for just a few hours. The energy I felt during the day was so high, so peaceful and so positive. On the way out, a couple of my students and I were literally stuck in the middle of a road on foot with hundreds of people unable to move for an hour and not a single person pushed, yelled or swore (that I could hear, that is). We all patiently waited in quiet and calm. It was shocking. I've never seen people behave in such a kind and accepting way. I hope we can all remember how easy it is to just be until something or someone can help move us forward one step at a time.
The second half of the winter, I became curious and somewhat restless, as usual. With just a few clicks of my mouse, I was headed to Paris to spend some time with my big sis. We walked the streets of Paris, Pisa, Florence and Morocco. What a thrill! Spending 10 days in Morocco opened my eyes to a whole new culture and belief system and created a deeper bond between me and my sister through conversation over dates, figs and bread and our walks through the enormous labyrinth of streets in Marrakesh and Fez. The Sahara Desert was gigantic, red and superb. We rode camels into the desert with a caravan of tourists, watched a few breath-taking sunrises and sunsets over the dunes, pushed our stay back multiple times and learned a few things about the Berber way of life. The people were extremely hospitable. And my Yoga practice was stronger than ever in the desert - the combination of warm sand and utter silence. Ah, the desert...
A few days after returning to the States, I headed into a month-long 200-hour Yoga teacher training at Kripalu in Lenox, MA. It would take me far too many words to give this experience true justice; I'll just say this. "I graduated from over-achieving/over-doing and graduated into acceptance." I found my home. And the love in my home is enormous; no end in sight.
Ah hem-- speaking of my home, I have an announcement. I placed an offer on a condo in Cape Cod a few months back, and just a week ago, plus a few counter offers later, my dream became a reality. My new home is in Brewster, MA, and I feel ready for it. I'll be renting it in the summer while I am on the road, and living there in the winter while I teach Yoga and cook. How wonderful is that?
Finally, I directed one more tour with EF Smithsonian; a group of British students from Portsmouth Grammar School in the south of England. They toured DC, Williamsburg, Gettysburg and NYC. The students were thrilled to be in the States, loved Americans, and begged to learn anything and everything about the American Civil War. So exciting for me to spend some time with high school students that were incredibly enthusiastic about America and life in general. What a breath of fresh air.
The night before I headed out to St Louis for Kashi Training, I spent with my dear Grandmother and Mamacita. I truly connected with my Grandmother for the first time and felt more love for her, which defaults to my maternal family, than I've ever felt. We discussed death, religion and love, and I learned more about her than I'd ever even considered I would know. Her response to our discussion with my mother after I'd left: "I'm so glad Sunie went to that Kripalu place." The space Kripalu allowed for me to open up gave me the ability to create space for others to open up as well. I'm ever grateful to Kripalu, myself and my roots (aka. my Grandmother).
I am such a lucky individual. To live in my shoes is to live in true happiness. Even when times are "hard," I find I am content and free. I will continue my Yoga practice forever and find peace wherever I go.