Blah

Abandoned Towel

In many ways, Monday night yoga continues to be good for me and helps ease the re-entry into the work week but, physically, yesterday's practice was a little intense and I found myself annoyed and wanting something more gentle but I guess no one can have what they want 100% of the time.

Patti asked me how I dealt with going swimming in the fall/winter and I told her that the pool deck is usually nice and warm and that I just bundle up afterward. She must have believed me because she went swimming today and loved her time in the pool.

Most of my pool people were prompt tonight. Dale gave a pep talk about pacing and I explained to Sean that Dale doesn't do laps and is, therefore, joking. David and I shared a lane and, about 13 laps in, I knew that Sean would be finishing up and after he got out, David moved over into that empty lane so I was able to stretch out a bit.

Swimming, thankfully, put me in a more peaceful state. Tried to play around with my DBPower but couldn't get it to turn on. There's something about the waterproof case that's off. At any rate, here are a couple of pictures that I took from inside the Blue Hole while in Negril. The pictures are not bad. I just hope that I can figure out what's wrong with the waterproof situation.

A.K.A. Paradise or Yoga Retreat in Review, III

When I was in San Diego, the weather man said It's going to be another gorgeoussss day. Felt that way about day seven in Negril a.k.a. paradise.

We went to The Cliff Hotel on Friday to practice yoga and to have breakfast. I had been thinking about getting a massage at another hotel but it worked out for me to get one at The Cliff.

Outdoor Massage Space

The last yoga practice was sweet with equally sweet music. Joy did a Thich Nhat Hanh meditation that I like.

I am a flower; I feel fresh. I am a mountain; I am solid. I am like the (Caribbean) breeze; I feel free. 

Most of us were so serene after practicing yoga in such an awesome surrounding, that we tended to sit in complete silence after practice. You could really hear a pin drop...or the waves.

I found an opportunity to take pictures of my fellow yogis which I had been itching to do for quite a while without being disruptive.

The Conductor

Post-massage, I swam a few laps before it started to rain. Three children didn't care about the rain and it wasn't an issue because there was no lightning -- almost joined them.

At some point I remind my fellow travelers that they should check in with their airline but I had issues. I write down necessary information on the back of a Ganesha (remover of obstacles) card that I have in my wallet and when I get back on WiFi, I'm able to check in and I'm in Group B which is great...

Later on, when we meet for our final dinner, Joy makes a super sweet toast thanking us for coming and telling us how appreciative she is and how amazing we are... I'm totally registering at the high end on the warm and fuzzy meter at this point.

Photo Credit: Lorenzo from Lorenzo JAM Tours

*Love the picture that I took of Joy conducting class and also love Lorenzo's picture of us at the breakfast table.

Teleportation

Returned to work after two weeks away and had not adjusted the kitchen calendar since Nov. 4th.

Isn't there a Frida Kahlo painting with a broken clock??? The hands don't work or something like that...

Felt like a stranger going back to work. My immediate colleagues were certainly happy to see me and it felt like they were welcoming the beast of burden back.

I came bearing modest gifts and notes:

Even monkeys fall out of a trees -- a Japanese proverb for my colleague who likes all things Japanese.

Asked for reusable bags for my birthday and said colleague gave me bags with Gudetama, a lazy egg, on them. Hilarious!


The note for my other colleague:

Those mountains you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.

A bit presumptuous on my end to give someone that note but...

I miss Negril or, as I like to say, I have a Jamaica hangover. I want to get down on the floor and throw a tantrum that will possibly transport me back to the island...

Four people asked me about the 'Fugee who is off the grid but it just goes to show how we a.k.a. people are connected. The people can't get to her so they get to me.

It's Jamaica OR Yoga Retreat in Review (Day Two)

Sunday, Nov. 6th

It's the official start of the yoga retreat with no yoga on tap but a welcoming circle.

I'm the only returning person from last year and it just goes to show how things change. One woman thought that she was returning, for sure, but her dear childhood friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she stuck by her side during the summer and, as a result, had no more time to take off from work. Another sign that you never know what's going to be in store for you or the people that you love. Carpe diem...

I did a superb job of packing since I had been mentally packing and purchasing stuff months ahead of time. My suitcase weighed 32.5 pounds and my carry-on bag with a tablet, snacks, paperback book and action camera was not heavy either,

Next time I will purchase and carry Teva sandals with straps. I like my Ahnu's for walking but when they get wet the sands clumps and they don't dry as quickly as advertised. When my Ahnu's were saturated, I wore my Teva Mush which I typically wear for house shoes but they don't feel supportive enough for walking about.

While waiting for the others to arrive, I had breakfast at the Rockhouse Hotel then did the farm tour.

Cilantro

Papaya

Kale?

Scotch Bonnet Peppers a.k.a. Scotty Bons a.k.a. Bonney Peppers

I did other things and though that the others should be back but it took a while for 10 people to make it through customs et al.

I get word that we are meeting in the lobby to go to dinner. One of my new buddies is starving but I warn her that dinner will take time. It's Jamaica and we're a big group. I had a very decadent and big plate of jerk chicken pasta, yum...

Giving Away The Festival or Yoga Retreat In Review, Day One

Saturday, Nov. 5th

It's the day before most people arrive and a day before the official start of the yoga retreat. 

Three of us touch down before 1:00 p.m. in Montego Bay then have lunch at some place by the sea.

View During First Meal in Negril

I try to, unsuccessfully, weasel out of being in a photo and I am super self-conscious because one of the travelers is super-thin. I channel Turia Pitt and also remember the importance of being your own guru.

I have jerk chicken and give away the festival that came with it.

After lunch we drive up to a fruit stand where the owner cuts up mangoes and prepares coconuts.

Fruit Stand

We check in at the hotel then head to the beach and walk toward the sunset. 

Jill and Mark

Things I Miss

Whenever I travel by plane, I try to get my important papers together in case I never return -- my slight unease about airplanes, I suppose.

Of course, any day could be my last day...

The yoga retreat was amazing -- with the exception of the election results and it didn't matter whether I was in St. Louis or Negril, I was going to have to deal with that reality. Haven't read or watched much news but probably should not rely on that strategy for four years but it's hard to watch a troglodyte in action.

Before I left, part of my tribe at the pool told me about Errol Flynn's love for Jamaica which was not on my radar at all. I had no idea that Flynn had set aside money to conserve some of the land. One of the guys remarked that it was a pity -- God had given Flynn a good body and gifts and he had destroyed them. Looked for information about Flynn and came across this article in Vanity Fair.

I'm still processing my vacation, big time.

Still indulging.

I miss traveling around with 13 other people...makeshift outdoor yoga studios...warmth...the Caribbean Sea.

"Feel The Riddim In The Palm of Your Hands"

My Nikon Coolpix has been having battery door issues from the get-go as far as not closing and now part of the battery housing is actually coming off. I'm going to treat myself to a new camera -- one with wifi. I like taking pictures too much not to have a proper camera and I already regret not getting the sixth generation iPod with the better camera.

At our last dinner I ordered an ice tea that tasted sour. I kept trying to adjust to the flavor but finally decided to walk myself up to the counter and tell them that the tea didn't taste good. I asked for a fruit punch and when it arrived, it looked more like an alcoholic drink. I was about to give it way. Before I tasted it, the young lady next to me said You need to get what you want. I'm still learning not to settle and hope that it doesn't take a ton of lessons.

Somber Morning

The sound you heard in your neighborhood this morning was the sound of me sobbing in Negril.

Headed to get water from a cooler and didn't want to make eye contact with a Jamaican worker who was watching election results but when he managed to catch my eyes, he hissed Motherfuckers. I was embarrassed to be American at that moment.

Pulled myself together and headed to the lobby where Crissy handed me a note. She had given me a sweet note yesterday and explained that she was a second grade teacher and one of her parents was in the habit of sending her notes.

My Note

Joy hadn't watched the news and someone told her the results and I started sobbing again. Karen rubbed my back and told me to come and talk to her when I was ready. Debbie held my hand and Courtney, the other Black woman on the trip, gave me. a loving but firm pep talk.

Joy said something, including life goes on and we headed down the street to do yoga.

Joy immediately addressed the election and acknowledged that many of us were sad but also acknowledged that someone might also be happy with the results. She also talked about compassion for all including DT and how something good might come out of this situation in the end.

I cried in class as did Debbie who later told me that she thought about all the women in her family from her grandmother to her granddaughter but she also acknowledged that many in her family,  because of Catholicism, had voted for DT.

The class was exactly what many of us needed -- the right music, essentially oil, tone etc. Joy ended class by saying Don't fall for the habitual sidestep of your feelings. Feel. Absorb. Heal. Move on. Hold space for yourself...

Got an email from Alison telling me to enjoy the rest of my vacation and got another email saying "we're doomed" and yet another saying that it was really scary that DT had gotten elected. I also had someone ask me about the Negril situation and maybe we could do an EatPrayLove thing for a couple of years on a limited budget.

Later on, another yogi told me "All good things come to an end and all bad things come to and end." We also talked about how HC possibly could have done more by, say, going to Wisconsin or how we could have done more by campaigning or donating more money.

Someone also said that maybe DT's presidency might be like a Ferguson, MO moment. We also talked about how many pro-life people voted for DT but we also talked about how being pro-life covers a wide swath of lives.

I keep thinking about June Jordan and Sonia  Sanchez's poems about sadness. To quote Jordan, My sadness sits around me.

Stone I picked this a.m. -- supposed to help with bouncing back from sorrow etc...

The Day Later Post

Currently in Negril and had to get up before dawn cracked in order to get "the wanna get away" fare.

Couldn't sleep before taking off. My body was so tense and I kept telling myself to unclench and relax but never really slept until I got on the Orlando to Montego Bay flight.

We stopped to eat, checked in, settled in then headed to the beach to walk and watch the sunset. 

The other yoga retreat participants arrived today but I wanted to get to Negril earlier so I could recuperate from traveling. Like IKEA, traveling requires stamina.

My hamstrings were pulsing this morning so I did yoga in my room for twenty minutes since the official yoga games are not slated to start until tomorrow.

And, oh yeah, I was so emotional when I woke up this morning. Gratitude, I suppose, for reaching my destination and starting my relaxation regimen.

Since Joy was on airport duty for the other participants, I decided to visit a hotel up the street. Had breakfast then went on a tour of the farm where I sampled sea grapes, argula, cilantro, peppermint and was told a ton of stuff about Mother-In-Law's-Tongue et. al that I can't remember. 

The sea grapes were amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on them again.

*Wifi in room is spotty.

Flipping the Page or Month-End Review, November

Looked at my calendar yesterday and was surprised that it was time to flip the page. Hadn't even thought about the month-end review because there's been nothing to mark on the calendar for a few days but November was beautiful and memorable.

I keep track of my exercise with iPod Notes and I have entries like Walk to the lighthouse...Walk on the beach... Walk to the Rock House... Hike (short but steep).

One day I went for a walk down the beach and this Jamaican said Where are you running off to? It was funny to me because I never run. Plus, I knew that he wanted to chitchat about wares and whatnot...

Looking forward to walking again at my regular pace whether or not I'm perceived as running or strolling.

10 Minute Solution: Fitness Ball Workouts
*Upper Body, 1 x

10 Minute Solution: Knockout Body
*Knockout Body Blast, 1 x

Country Line Dance Party!
*Ride 'em Cowboys, 1 x
*Scoot Them Boots, 2 x's

Dance It Off & firm up!
*Rock It, 1 x

Just Walk: Mix & Match Walk Blasters
*Light Walk

Just Walk: The Tone Every Zone Walk
*Upper Body Circuit, 2 x's

Leaf Raking, 1 x

Swimming, 6 x's

Walking, 21 x's

Walking on Unknown Jamaican Beach, From Shared Album (Unknown Photographer)

Yoga, 15 x's

Zumba, 3 x's

March of the Yogis, Negril-Style 

Joy a.k.a. Boss Lady, Carol & Whitney at the Lighthouse

Your Best Self Now

Baltimore

As I reminiscence about the yoga retreat, repeatedly playing Diana Ross's Love Hangover and Nico and Vinz's Am I Wrong and Another Day, I also think back to a yoga session in Negril when Joy said It's easy to be your best self now...

I especially think about this sentiment since returning to work. Took two weeks off which is a good thing in general but especially since I had an allergic reaction to something and had to take Benadryl for a week and, later in the game, stronger medicine.

Let's just say that I was itching so much that my dermatologist asked if I needed something to help me sleep.

At any rate, my musings remind me of messages making the social media rounds like Be in love with your life. Every minute of it -- Jack Kerouac or My goal is to build a live that I don't need a vacation from... 

Even as I try to fall in love with my life for the umpteenth time, I know that the "rat race" is going to test my resolve. As Joy said, It's easy to be your best self when on vacation but, knowing that, I'm going to work on filling my well and try to be my best self outside the parameters of vacation. Of course, yoga (energy work etc.) helps with that a lot whether or not I'm on a retreat or in a studio.

Beach-Side Fruit Market

Sunset At The Resort

The Stormy Yoga Session

Just got back from a super relaxing class. Thank you to Annie who started off class with one of my favorite phrases Let's start on our backs. 

Got to practice next to one of my yoga retreat peeps tonight. Laura introduced me to two of her peeps and I felt a little bad about not being more sociable with my fellow yogis... 

Tonight's special class got me to thinking about my favorite classes during the yoga retreat and I have to say that the very first practice was meaningful to me because I was discombobulated from traveling and that first class made me feel grounded and let me know that everything was going to be good.

My second favorite class is what I like to call the stormy weather yoga class. We hit the mat and it was breezy and the sky looked dark.  

Storm Clouds, Negril (Nov. 2015)

Alison let me borrow her Manduka travel mat which is pretty lightweight and it totally turned into a magic carpet trying to fly away. That class almost became a laughter yoga class as we tried to anchor, mostly, our mats. Several yogis came over to place things on my mat because it was all over the place and twisted. 

During the stormy class, I also liked it when Joy said, during savasana, that she was on the lookout and that we could go ahead and settle into corpse pose. I love a good guard...

What I learned from the stormy yoga session was to not rely on a travel mat. A travel mat blows away easily but it also doesn't offer very much support and if you're on a yoga retreat, you might as well have a worthy mat. I also learned that in addition to the universe having my back, my fellow yogis also have my back.

My Mat; Cup, Book & Journal All Belong to My Fellow Yogis

How It Looked After We Practiced Yoga That Day

Sitting with Feelings

My first instinct is to apologize for all of the Negril posts -- as I get it out of my system but why should I apologize and why should I try to get it out of my system?

So, I'm just going to sit with the feelings of enjoyment and longing...

One of the other lessons that I learned while in Jamaica:

You are not going to read all of the books on your must-read list.

I almost took another book. Instead, I downloaded Why Not Me? and The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. I also read several iBook samples including Humans of New York and Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things. In addition, I downloaded several magazines from Zinio which didn't seem to work without wifi. I also took a Health and Yoga Journal magazine. And guess what? I barely made a dint in my book and barely listened to a podcast.

It was also interesting to note that despite the electronics everyone had, people brought real books. Here are some of the books that I spotted my fellow yogis reading:

My Book Choice: Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi

You're An Adult...or Negril Moments

1). Stop tagging me in your photos. I don't want to be a part of your vacation.......... A member of the wedding party on the flight from Baltimore to Montego Bay

2). OM is a uniter........... Joy during yoga practice.

One of My Fave Pics of Yoga in Negril

3). Yoga clears yo head.......... Bruce (hanging out in the water in Negril)

4).Thanks for the moment..........

Kyng Sharlo to Carol and me after he told us about his CD and his Rastafarian cooking class.

5). Stop hiding yourself....The moon needs the darkness to shine.......... Joy

6). The universe has your back.......... Joy

7). We got exhausted saving our own lives.

Laura about the choppy water that we played in for an hour or so.

8). You're on vacation and you're an adult.......... Whitney

9). Quiet..........

Joy to the young men at the Blue Hole who joined us for yoga practice. They giggled like crazy at the beginning but, at the end of practice, there was a respectful silence.

A Blue Hole Jumper

More Blue Hole Shenanigans

10). Today is going to be a peaceful day...Don't talk on me........... Jaycee, gift shop clerk

11). Oh, we're going to talk on her..........

Laura after finding out that Jaycee had bamboozled us.

12). You have to work like a parrot.......... Shane about how tough it is to eat coconut.

13). I know what I like.......... Whitney

14). Respect..........Typical Jamaican greeting

Me and Joy

This moment didn't happen in Negril but made me laugh out loud.

@andreamw chattn' w Sarah & she said you were in in Jamaica. And I said, "at a yoga retreat?" #neversayidontknowyou

— Melinda Frances (@TheMelinDUH) November 7, 2015

Another Sweet Day

Blue Hole Mineral Spring

One of Many Divers/Jumpers

View for Yoga Today

Pre-Dinner Relaxation Row

Quick post since room WiFi doesn't work and I'm in the lobby and I've already been devoured by mosquitoes.

Everything's been wonderful and I can't believe that tomorrow is the last full day. Still, I remain grateful for the wonderful time that I've been having and the phenomenal women that I've been able to share the experience with. Didn't know a single one of them except yoga teacher so bonus, bonus, bonus...

We went to a farm today and followed that up with a trip to the Blue Hole Mineral Spring. Had a mineral massage and followed that up with yoga then dinner. Another sweet day in Negril...

Beach Dog