Travel: Kripalu

Seriously? Again?
Yes, again.

It's spring break, and where else can two teachers go, when they have no expandable cash flow, but very over-extended minds that need reprieve.

They go to Kripalu. And get their yoga on.

This time, as always, the trip was different. It's always different, each time I go. That's why I keep going back. Disney world, it ain't.

But here's the thing about me. For some odd reason, I don't like yoga. But I like yoga retreats. Funny, huh? I like the setting, the food, the environment. I like the intentions of the yoga mindset. I like the outfits and I like hearing people talk about the results it's had on their lives. But what I don't like? The boringness of it. I get BORED in yoga class. I get all, "how many minutes do I have to hold this and pretend I'm into this?" in yoga class. That bothers me. So I don't go to yoga. Except when I'm on retreats.

But this week, my dear friend pointed something out to me. Something along the lines of, "Why do you keep taking beginner's classes?" Huh? I don't know. 'Cause I assumed that's where I belonged, I guess.

So this week, my friend, she showed me the light. "We're taking the vigorous classes," she said. And so there I soon found myself, in a room full of intense, sweaty, upside down, inside out, hot, way into it, yoga people. Woah. Now this is where it's at.

I'm no advanced yoga person. I tried a headstand in yoga class once. Years ago. And yes, it was fun. And yes, I added it to my list of "things I've accomplished in my life just for fun". But for some reason, I didn't get the sense that I would do it again.

But this time, years later, older and wiser, I found it was SO much more fun being around people who were doing headstands again than it has been just exhaling for an hour or so, as I'd been doing in various attempt-to-like-it-one-more-time yoga classes. I got into it. I liked "vigorous". I liked this form of movement that was faster and tougher than the thoughts in my head could keep up with. In other words, I didn't have time to look at the clock; I was too busy doing a side plank for the tenth time off my left arm. I found myself balancing on limbs that aren't meant to be balanced on. I found I can bend in ways that should be illegal. And... I can hold still while doing so.

I was into this.
And so, potentially, hopefully, begins a new chapter in my life.

I'll keep you posted.

But right now, my abs are still hurting. From yoga!