House of Ashtanga Easter Newsletter

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Ashtanga Yoga Confluence

On our last day in Maui, we practised (possibly the best practice yet!), had breakfast with our friends, said some goodbyes and hit the beach (or the waves, in Helen's case) - one last time. We flew overnight from Maui and arrived in San Diego early in the morning to attend the Ashtanga Yoga Confluence here at the Catamaran hotel. We stay here for four days, attending mysore and led classes, practical workshops and panel discussions on all things Ashtanga. In other words, this is heaven!

Eddie Stern held a puja ceremony and we all had a buffet dinner. We shared a table with Nancy and her daughter Vanessa; very happy to be able to see her again. Petra, whom many of you remember from Newcastle, is also here with us!

More confluence news coming up here. For now, bed (one for each of us for a change!) and hopefully a full night's sleep! Tomorrow morning, led primary series with Dena Kingsberg.

http://ashtangayogaconfluence.com

Here at last!

The beach is opposite the hotel. 

England in our minds and hearts..

There are parrots, budgies, a duck pond and a fish pond at the hotel. I have never seen anything quite like it!

Haleakala Crater

I had signed up for an afternoon of volunteering at the magnificent Haleakala crater. Unfortunately, when we reached the top after driving up the steep, winding roads with some stunning views, it was raining and misty at the top and we couldn't see anything. Or pick the invasive plants we were meant to pick. Apparently, that often happens in the winter.

Here are some pictures I took at the visitor's centre which is around 7,000 feet high. After that the battery died in my camera. Just as well we couldn't see a thing from the mist....

House of Yoga and Zen

It's been three weeks today since we arrived on Maui. This last week, it's been raining relentlessly in the North with some local flooding and heavy winds. Some days we've escaped it to the warmer climate of the South and West, other days we've stayed in and stuck with it. Every day, we've braved the weather and gone to practice.

Here are some snapshots of the shala, quickly and discreetly taken at the end of our practice. Nancy's last day was today. She's gone to California to visit family and to prepare for the confluence (stay tuned in here for some confluence updates!). We have Casie on our case for few more days till it's time for us to pack our bags and move on.

So, here we go.. House of Yoga and Zen:

Some spare mats in the corner. 

The light shines beautifully into the shala.

Francesca in Savasana

Pictures of Guruji are everywhere.

Finishing.

Outside the entrance.

Welcome!

Looking out for Turtles!

After a day of whale watching, we really didn't think it could get any better. But it did!
Pictures taken by Mileva.

Looking out for Whales!

Saturday - yoga day off. Helen hit the sea on her surfboard while Mileva, Meri and Francesca went on a whale watching trip.

What a wonderful experience! We were practically surrounded by whales; mothers and calves and hopeful males. We could even hear them sing with the help of a hydrophone. This time of year is great for seeing whales as they crowd the Maui shores to mate and calve. After this season they make their way to Alaska to feed and the females to bear the calves, only to return the following year.

Someone even proposed to his girlfriend on the boat! She said yes (I guess under the circumstances you couldn't really say no). We thought that was very sweet.

On the way back, we even saw.... A Double Rainbow!

I couldn't manage to take decent photos of the whales on my teeny weeny camera but you can just about make out the fluke of one here!

A rainbow hanging over the volcano.

Lahaina is a home to the biggest banyan tree in the USA. They look magnificent with their entwining roots and branches.

Happy Little Yogis!

Francesca whom most of you will remember from Newcastle finally joined us late on Monday. More yoga, surfing, sights and resting on the cards. We are ticking off beaches we've visited along the coast in search of sheltered sun bathing spots, good but not too strong surf and the most delicious coffee. Surfing has proved a bit tricky but coffee is excellent pretty much everywhere. 

Taken outside the Buddhist mission in Paia. The little jar on the right is almond butter someone has left as an offering.

Meri, Mileva and Francesca being blown about on the beach.

You see board fences everywhere in Hawaii!

Waikamoi Nature Trail

A quick drive down the Hana Highway. Winding roads and tight curves - but incredible scenery! And a short walk along the Waikamoi Trail, surrounded by trees, plants, leaves, green..... Pictures cannot capture the beauty of this place!

Very little news...

Days slowly unravel, one following the other. If it wasn't for the yoga, we wouldn't know which day of the week it is. We know when we're expected to do a led practice (Sundays, Tuesdays, sometimes Thursdays), when to do mysore style (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays). We know tomorrow is Saturday, day off (and to celebrate, we went out for breakfast and shared a brownie between the three of us). Everything else is wonderfully irrelevant. 

Practice is starting to change for all of us. We are all feeling more free in our bodies. There are no schedules, plans, obligations. There is heat, there is freedom to do just as much or as little as we feel each day. Life couldn't get better than this..

Maui Dharma Center, in Paia, blessed by the Dalai Lama when it opened in 2007.

Ho'okipa Beach Park. There is a lookout point where people can watch and admire the skilled wind, kite and board surfers defy the strong winds and high waves of the north coast.

We eat in most days. Fresh produce, fresh fish and vegetarian food is readily available everywhere (though it's not cheap). This meal is dulse seaweed patties, salad, avocado and cooked vegetables. 

Another day in Paradise...

This is the view from our little abode. The front door and window are facing north so we can see the sea from the balcony. There is plenty of sunshine every day but also light showers and gusts of wind. Maybe because of the geographical distance or the different way and pace of life we are all feeling quite free and removed from all worries of the reality back home. Just what we needed and came here for!

Today was practice number 4 with Nancy, Casie and Keiko. It's hard to tell what may change for each of us during our time here. We all have something we wish to work on, challenges and blocks that come up from the practice. Right now, we're just taking all the beauty and wonder in and taking it EASY!

Rainbows are an everyday sight due to the frequent light showers of rain (the paradise needs plenty to drink!)

We pick up a couple of these outside our pad every morning to go with our breakfast porridge/muesli.

House of Ashtanga Winter 2013 Newsletter

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The latest Newsletter can be found here:

House of Ashtanga Winter 2013 Newsletter