Travel.yoga.surf.
A few days ago as I was winding through the mountain roads of Guatemala en route to the magical lake I felt a smile grow across my face as everything began to slow down. The essence of why I travel. Which is the same reason I surf or practice yoga. It brings me peace and joy of the tender bliss of living in the moment -In my proper Cali beach slang, it makes me stoked 🙂 It takes me out of my comfort zone and brings me into present- it is the opportunity to savor and enjoy life as it’s unfolding. It separates me from the agenda that is conformity and creates an experience that represents all of eternity. It is in these moments that I feel most alive. They are without a time stamp -these moments deepen the perspective of relativity. And confirm the reality that life is happening all over that planet- and you are only relevant, only important, only as connected, complete and whole as you choose to show up. And these
moments are what life is all about.
The more I dive into my yoga practice, the more I learn- about love, about life, about spirituality – the more I learn to let go, the more able I am accept and adapt to all facets of life. Yoga, my friends, has very little to with the shape of your body- and everything to do with the vibrance of your soul….
Yoga -surf -travel – and not in any particular order have shaped me more than anything else (with the exception of my wonderful goddess of a mom of course)
These 3 things also have also been especially relevant to different phases of my life.
Travel
When I was young the wanderlust was infused into my being. I spent quite a bit of time with my mom (and/or/solo/brother) on the road; headed out to nature- new campsites, fun adventures to hike mountains or across continents to the ghettos of Brazil and Mexico to learn about others, and the value of service and loving one another. Receiving the gift of perspective and learning that barriers are man made and we are all inherently the same.
Surfing.
Surfing has been the newest adventure – Its a passion I have learned later in life but has no doubt profoundly affected my plight of my existence on this planet. It is unquestionably the single most task I have dedicated my time to over the last 3 years. Honestly, as soon as I found a surfboard everything else took a back seat and I’ve genuinely not spend too much time doing anything but chasing waves and warm water since then ….Knowing the ocean and waves have such a consuming effect on me Im actually quite happy that I didnt find surfing Until later in life. i feel confident in saying I would not have done the amazing things I have done, had I grown up with the ability to surf. The ocean has always been a constant in my life, the salt is in my blood but a powerful love affair with waves is fresh. It’s crazy actually how everything works our just the way it’s supposed to, and Im so grateful for all the landlocked experience, that lead me to the salty sea, that have lead me to here (which is currently the Tijuana airport waiting for a red eye to Guatemala ) which has become a palatial lake side estate perched aside lake afilan. Before all this tho, the love of surf…
Around June I realized the tropical jungle daze and salty Central American adventure had to be put on the shelf for a bit. It was time to come back to San Diego to explore my own landscape: the wild universe of my dreams. It was time To create more magic, to get grounded and rooted, to reconnect to self. Although returning has brought so many challenges my simple minded self didn’t anticipate, after quite a bit of stubborn resistance I am now accepting. I’m learning being grounded does not mean stuck. It simply means growing deeper roots to grow a bigger tree to spread my love as far and wide as possible, all while staying connect to the nurturing earth, but allowing the wind to float the seeds where it may. My time is San Diego is a wonderful opportunity to feel safe and secure. To manifest and plan ways to finance this wanderlust, this gypsy mermaid lifestyle. Cause wether I like money or not, seashells I love to discover I the sand are not a currency that will pay for my dreams.
On a side note and the more I think about the period of my life ( Los Angeles living) where none of those things 3 things were present, I realize that was quite possible, the most shallow and empty times of my life. That’s not to say I wasnt growing or learning, I just perhaps wasn’t fully present. And I believe whole heartedly that time period, that pain, that lack of substance or depth despite the excessivess of “things” needed to happen in order to be here today, it’s just an interesting realization to come to in Hindsight. I doesn’t negate how grateful I am for that time, just like all the others…
Getting back on track-
let’s talk about yoga-
Yoga which is most dominant in my life right now is a teacher of so many things. When I began to learn about yoga philosophy it shifted the paradigm through which I see the world and how I experience life. It opened up Pandora’s box to vast exsistence I was unaware of. It compliments my already positive disposition by teaching this….
Yoga philosophy is magic- it says that everything is good. People are good, experiences are good, pain is good because in traversing all of these things you become the best version yourself. And all of these things the highs and lows have to be present in order for you to learn and expand and experience bliss. Even the bad is good- because it is. Experience can be neutral. Yoga encourages you to be a witness. Feel every moment as fresh and new and it allows life to be as tender. so perfect. Full of abundance and oozing with gratitude. I don’t mean yo dumb it down. But it really can be that simple. If you are looking for some books that share this info 2 of my faves are Bringing yoga to life by Donna Farhi. And The Yama and Niyama book by Deborah Adele. These two pieces of literature take yoga practices that you may have seen as peculiar or outdated and apply to our lives right here in the 21st Century. The qualities it teaches of how to live the largest life available are something that are times. I mean really, who doesn’t want to experience a life with as much joy and as little suffering as possible.
So that brings me back to now. My skin is no longer brown. I’m slightly sunkissed at best. And When the waves at home are good. They are FIRE. Like 4-5 straight days of pumping barrels, but the air is crispy, the water is cold, the tan lines form around the cozy edges of a wetsuit. And then, the swell passes and magic mother ocean goes flat. Knee highs waves, singles fins, and wavestoms. After the spoils of the tropics Im still challenged to percolate enough stoke to charge early mornings with booties or frozen toe nugglets. For a girl who believes life is better in a bikini, or naked at that, all this necessary neoprene is a serious task. I’m learning though, my need for the ocean is greater than my distaste of the cold. Im also learning however, the beauty of balance and less surfing is an opportunity to dive into other things that feed my soul. Perhaps this is the universe telling me balance is possible as she gently grabs my hand and leads me into an energetic, spiritual and physical place where I can surf, travel, do yoga, teach yoga and profit from it all at once. I know Nicaragua is not far away. And when the times comes it where I will be.
Patience. Trust. Surrender.
I’ve got some exciting business (surf-yoga-service retreats) and some bi-country living in the works.
Although leaving Costa Rica felt devastating at the time. I’m now able to see it was necessary. All the growth I went there to do was done. And it was time to return.
And so I will let the winds blow me south again. Even if it’s just for a short while. My heart feels excited for the adventures Guatemala continues to offer. For me on this trip no waves. A little bit of yoga. But mostly a gypsy soul in search of the unknown – traveling to new countries, with artisan food, deep culture and beauty that extends beyond the visible eye.
Ultimately the lessons from the ocean, the breath and traveling the planet have all been the same, they have just come about in different ways. These lessons confirm my belief in benefit of living beyond our fears. That there in fact a plan a greater matrix working beyond our control- but we have to show up. Buy the plane ticket, paddle out, sit still in nature- whatever “it” is to you that brings your right smack into the center of it all.
In my modest experience I have learned to follow my heart, stay humble, practice gratitude and live with love. lifeand from here life continue to reward me for being willing enough to take the risk, to embrace the challenges and live the life I dream.
With all my salty and sunkissed love
we’ll chat soon 🙂 complete story on Guatemala travels will be up next week!
xo
The mermaid.
Salty and Sunkissed 