YOGA IN THE JUNGLE

I'm baaaaaack!  I've been traveling.  My husband and I went to the Big Island, Hawaii, to attend the World Elder Gathering of the Mankind Project, an organization he/we have been involved with for a couple of decades.  Most attendees were from the U.S., some from Europe and the U.K. and a bunch from Australia.  There were keynote speakers on a variety of topics focused on elder years and activism, health, personal growth.  Some sessions were for men only, some for women only.   The event was held at Kalani, a retreat center south of Hilo on the wet side of the island.  We lucked out.  The weather was clear, hot, and steamy (it's in the jungle!)  Dark nights gave us wondrous star displays with the Milky Way arcing across the sky.  I also appreciated the deep dark since I felt more comfortable using the "clothing optional" pool under the starry, rather than the sunny sky.

Kalani offers a variety of programming focused on health, separate from any conferences that might be going on, and yoga is one of their main offerings.  It's a "go to" destination for yoga retreats and they offer a variety of yoga classes every day.  The one offered to us free of charge was from 6:00 to 7:00 each morning.  I had such good intentions of going every morning, but found it so hard to crawl from my comfy bed in the Treehouse Lodge (a large mostly screened suite up a flight of stairs, so with an expansive view from about tree-top level -- very cool!).  So, as the days ticked by one night I realized I had only one more chance to attend.   I set my alarm and in the morning I flung myself into the early wet dawn, pulled on my yoga pants and Yoga Circle T-shirt and set off for the Rainbow Room where the classes were held.

I've reported here in the past on the less than stellar experiences I've had with Yoga while traveling. I'm happy to report this one was a good one, although at first I had my doubts.  I walked in to find a substitute instructor, a woman who was actually a conference participant rather than the young Kalani instructor I was expecting.  (Perhaps she was worn out from leading a group of women, including me, in a Yoni Steaming ritual the previous day.  Curious, aren't you?)  I grabbed my mat and blanket noting there were only three other people there.  I sat in the front so I could see better in the indoor gloom of the drippy, rainy early morning.  Soft music was playing from the leader's I-Phone and I settled into a few moments of meditation.  When I opened my eyes, I looked around to find we'd been joined by about ten more participants.  Not bad for 6 a.m. I thought.

I thought our instructor might be someone with an "interest" and some experience as a yoga practitioner.  For some reason it didn't occur to me that she was a certified and very experienced instructor who had been asked to fill in because she was the real deal, even if not on the payroll.  She agreed and led us through a lovely practice built around the elements of Fire (Honoring Goddess Pele), Earth/Land ('Aina), Water (the Pacific Ocean) and Air/Sky (Wakea).  Breath of Fire, Mountain Pose, Fish, Tree....she chose a variety of poses that had at least some connection with the elements.  It was a slow, intentional, sweet practice keeping us grounded in the beauty of the place and also allowing us to take into our hearts, minds, and spirits the movement of body and breath that reflected our experience of Hawaii and Kalani.  I liked it.

And today I returned to Yoga Circle, gratefully yielding to Karen's welcoming hug, happy to be home.  When we stood in wide-legged Mountain Pose, though, I thought of our trip to the top of Mauna Kea to watch the sunset; our trip to the crater of Kilauea and the glowing lava from which Pele rules.  We are of the elements.  Blessed and blessings. ©

Namaste,  donnajurene