So, I know that I am a little behind in my blogging. And I still have one after another experiences to share but time to do so is the obstacle. Most of you know…I think… that I headed back to Dallas this past week for a few days to host Rod Stryker for another one of Living Yoga Dallas fabulous yoga events. I also came into Dallas a little early because I was invited to teach at a convention at the Four Seasons. Hail Merry that is owned by my good friends in Dallas is an awesome healthy organic delicious snack company. They wanted to offer 6am early morning yoga to a group of high level woman executives in the food and restaurant industry in for the convention. It was a great experience for me and I realized that I am inspiring and can make people comfortable just by being real and inclusive and sharing my own yoga life experience.
I was a little worried about leaving Jake the first month at a new school and as a new resident of Mexico with our routines and the stability and consistency of me… the mom… being there but I had no choice. So, I convinced Jake’s dad to come down and trade places with me. Since I don’t have a car anymore in Dallas (amen) Bud left his car at the airport and I left mine at the Cancun airport and we literally switched places. We text each other at the time on where we hid the keys and parked the cars. It was kind of like a burn notice episode (remember our favorite tv show) We just needed black clothes, silver briefcases and sniper rifles.
The entire visit, workshop and weekend was a huge success and I returned Sunday night to Playa and all was in order. Even the cat box was cleaned! Monday I was making breakfast and asked Jake about two empty pitchers on the counter. We don’t have a dishwasher here so we do dishes the old fashioned way by hand…And Jake replied oh yes Dad did all the dishes.
He said, “Mom I didn’t know Dad knew how to do dishes or make a bed”…
A great observation for sure!
Sunday we were supposed to take our good friends Misty and Greg to Akumal for morning snorkeling and then an afternoon in Tulum. But Misty woke up under the weather and wasn’t able to make the trip. So we just hung out at home and decided to whip up whole wheat pancakes and ask Ellen over for brunch. We sat on the roof top and enjoyed our pancakes( from Blair’s book and recipes) with nutella and fresh fruit, chai and an awesome view.
Note to self…we should eat every meal on that terrace.
We let Tiger… I mean Tigre hang with us for the first time on the roof and he loved it. After Ellen left… Jake had a long Skpye call with Bud and then my parents and I got sucked into working on Living Yoga Dallas stuff and answering emails etc. About 3pm Jake says Mom aren’t we gonna still go to Akumal. Normally snorkeling is best between 3 and 4, but I said get your swim suit and snorkel shirt on… grab your gear and we were in the car headed to Akumal in 10 minutes. It’s about a 30 minute drive south and off to the west it looked like it could storm..but we missed it and arrived in time for an excellent snorkel. Jake had not been back to Akumal in over a
year. And Akumal did not disappoint us.
We saw three turtles.. one super big… It’s just s0o peaceful and sweet to swim quietly behind watching them eat the grass off the bottom and occasionally pop up for air… We saw three sting ray, two were just little babies, a school of cuddle fish, a giant barracuda, tons of tropical fish and just had a great outing.
We finished the day at Carlos for langostinos and fajitas and one of the best meals you can get in the Yucatan. Now how is that for special, spontaneous and terrific?
Recently our good friend Ali and his son Omar were in Playa for a visit. Ali is the husband of my dear friend Betty who owns Stil Yoga in Boston and also has a way cool apartment close by us here in Playa. Omar and Jake are great buddies and we all met for lunch the other day…
I gave Ali a flyer for my Awakening to Mantra class offered later this month at Yoga By the Way. It prompted Ali to ask me how I found meditation and the practice of yoga. Ali is also about to embark on his first Vipassana retreat.
Jake quickly interjected, let me tell the story. I didn’t say a word but I was struck… Where is my 12 year old going with this??? …Well…my mom used to scream and beat me all the time and then she found yoga so now she only screams and beats me some of the time.
Jake proceeded with the story and he said my Mom was in the hospital about to give birth to me and she had some complications. At one point my heart beat slowed and pressure dropped and they discovered I was turned the wrong way to come out. My Mom did not want a c-section so she asked the doctors to leave her alone for a little while… In that time alone my Mom practiced breathing slowly and talking to me internally … And through visualization, relaxation and breath got me to turn the right way.
According to Vedic astrology there is no accident that Jake is my son and that he brings me great fortune. Which doesn’t necessarily mean monetary but also in experience and in growth. One particular reading told me I should name a business after Jake or go into partnership with him at some point and we would be hugely successful. I heard him tell that story to Ali (from his own memory and from hearing me tell tell the story years ago) and with his own conclusion that I learned to meditate then and there and I don’t think I had realized or had brought into consciousness until that very moment, that he was right and that I had taught myself to breath and relax and draw inward so my baby could come out into the world.
Our teachers come in all ages, shapes and sizes and hopefully never cease to surprise and enlighten us.
I think most of you know that David Romanelli and I are hosting a yoga and culinary experience here in Playa Nov. 3-7. We are sold out and I’ve been having a blast planning the food, catering, etc. David and I wanted to offer one eco-adventure/ excursion for our guests and while the Mayan ruins in Tulum are great we wanted something a little more unique.
A few years ago Jake and I went with our dear Belguim friend Thierry, his wife, son and a friend to Muyil, which is about 15-20 kilometers south of Tulum. We had such a great time that it came to my mind as an option… immediately… when David and I were brain storming and planning. Well…it was a few years ago so I thought I had better make a trial run again and make sure my memory served me right. The friends we took (this past Sunday) were the perfect focus group as they had never been to Muyil…even though over half are residents of Playa. ( This excursion so goes with our intention for this retreat… which is… being in the middle of everything and and yet getting off the beaten path)…
Muyil is one of the earliest and longest inhabited Mayan sites on the eastern coast of the Yucatan Pennisula. Artifacts found on this site date back to 350BC and it’s located on a former Caribbean trade route once accessible by a series of canals. Way back then…they traded Jade, obsidian, chocolate, honey, feathers, chewing gum, and salt on this route. And it is said that they had strong ties to Coba which is another Mayan ruin (city) over 45 kilometers away.
It’s setting…the Sian Ka’an lagoon… a name meaning “where the sky is born” is absolutely gorgeous with multi shades of blue and green. Part salt and part fresh water …you find natural Mayan ruins, canals that you float down on your life vest, wild orchids, bromeliads, butterflies and just magical peace.
Everyone ages 2 to over 60 were thrilled with the adventure and we ended our day with homemade oatmeal chocolate chips cookies, Tulum beach for tacos and boogie boarding… and in… all smiles.
