Yogic holiday

People often think that they have to go on a 'specialist' holiday (eg retreat) to get the benefits of a spiritual R&R. Indeed, we at Sun Yoga have organised some wonderful yogic retreats in the past, where acharya are woken up at dawn for sadhana, followed by yoga and more yoga and more yoga.

But really, anywhere can be a yogic holiday, it's all to do with attitude and intention....that's me exploring Northern Cyprus, living the humble life, eating traditional peasant food cooked in clay ovens and spending lots of time in reflection and giving my thanks for having so many kids and so much love in my life. There is no nightlife or fancy places here, but life is so much more meaningful in the absence of modern artifice. Life is so much better without the trappings that traps us in this sometimes mindless reality.

Try living simply, wherever you are.....start today

"Me-sa okay!" - Jar Jar Binks (Star Wars)

I came to yoga on a complete whim late one weekend afternoon – it had been only 6 months since my 21st birthday (and my initiation into the world of corporate-whoredom, doing in-house legal advisory for a local bank), and already I was looking for something more in life, something a little less ordinary.

I was welcomed into Sun Yoga’s bright and warm interior by Erin – and as luck would have it, the 30-day challenge was scheduled to start the very next weekend.

I remember what struck me the most during that first familiarization session conducted jointly by JK and Erin was the treatment given to the individual body parts which I had never previously given too much attention to before. Cues like “give each of your knees a kiss”, “let the eyes of your elbows always look to each other”, and especially “lead with your heart” during the Sufi grind brought my attention to thinking about these parts as being more than just parts.


I was lucky to become reacquainted at this time to a friend of mine from college – previously a wild-child party girl and now turned full-time yoga instructor – who further piqued my interest in yoga when she said to me: “Your body is the sum of how you think, act, and live.”

And that was when I became aware of my body and the self residing inside it, how each was so interconnected with the other. I have good flexibility almost throughout with the exception of maybe my hips and ankles. However, I am severely lacking in muscular strength - in the lungs, the legs, upper and lower back, pretty much everywhere there should be muscle, I’m lacking in it.

And my body – in its own complex language and composition of bend, flex, tension, release – reflects me as a person, my personality and outlook in life – I’m easy going, not-fussed, comfortable in almost every situation and at the same time lazy, apathetic, and easily swayed. I often find it difficult to stand my ground in tough situations, preferring to just pack it in and adapt to the circumstances, thinking “Well, why not try this other thing, I could possibly get into it eventually!”

And while I would like to have the strength to hold a balancing pose for more than 3 seconds a time, to have the conviction to stick to one thing for once in my life, I realize that I don’t have to feel bad for where I am right now, for what my body is capable of doing physically, or for what I’m mentally and emotionally able to bring to the table in a relationship.

So to put it simply without forcing you too much into a self-absorbed in-depth tour of my inner workings, my yoga journey thus far has been eye-opening – and it’s set the tone for what I’m seeking on the many, many miles yet to come: I want to be okay at every step of the way. Not good, not perfect – just okay will be just enough, thanks. :)