Just BE in India
I'm amongst a group of twenty with my favorite yoga Goddess, Andrea Marcum, who's leading an International Yoga retreat through India. I've taken 3 flights, a rickshaw ride, several hotel cars, two long bus rides, a few boat rides, one wood canoe ride and the journey isn't quite half over. With limited wifi access and so much internal travel, this is a place to unplug often and I'm loving it. After spending the night in a lagoon houseboat in city called, Alleppey Lakes in South India I'm filled with inspiration and appreciation for being here.
2 days ago: I step onto our 3 bedroom floating bungalow and I immediately fall in love with it's charm and for obvious reasons I realize this is another great day to power down from the laptop and devices and absorb where I am. We are set to cruise the vivid backwaters of Kerala, India, which is the delta between the Arabian Sea and water coming down from the mountains. With a crew of three quickly preparing an authentic Indian style lunch, aromatizing smells of turmeric, coconut & ginger are in the air and I'm ready to sit back, relax and take in all the picturesque views.
It's in these moments where our senses truly open up and India has been doing that for me since I arrived. I take in deep breaths of gratitude as I feel very alive. Visually stimulated by the color pallets of women in saris, wooden canoes sporadically lining the shore, school children's wide smiles waving to get our attention and beautiful palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze has my attention to say the least. You could certainly capture something beautiful through the lens no matter which direction you point it.
I sip a coffee in between snapping a photo here and there and stretch out my legs to catch the rays of sunshine, the humidity creating that little bead of sweat above my brow and enjoying the stories that already are beginning to permeate as my mind absorbs it all.
To see this body of water being used by villagers as a place to bathe, wash their dishes, brush their teeth and transport themselves, I witness the cultural importance of staying close to mother nature in a ritualistic way.
Dusk starts to settle in and the light is creating such serenity across the lagoon and I'm reminded that living in the moment is spiritual, it's an opportunity to connect to something bigger and embrace right where you are and just be.
“Wherever you are, be all there”