Bienvenidos al Mexico!

Well here goes adventures in Mexico!!!

On top of Piramide de la Luna, Piramade del Sol in the background.

 Today I ventured about an hour and a half outside of the city to the largest pyramids outside of Egypt, Teotihuacan.  And they were impressive indeed. Hard to imagine that around 2,000 years ago this was the largest and most populous urban center in the New World, especially with the new urban center of Mexico City so closeby.  But the pyramids were remarkable indeed, and absolutely worth spending my only full day in DF visiting. Either way, being in a place of ancient tradition and majesty such as these makes it hard to believe that I was in Montana just yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday, oh man was I sleep deprived and challenged by the end of it!  I took the metro from the airport, and let´s just say that navigating through one of the world´s largest metros, during rush hour, transferring lines 4 times, and having a huge pack on.. well after a long day of traveling I was completely spent by the time I got to my hostel, La Catedral, in the heart of the city.  I was determined to take the metro to get the full experience, since my time here is so limited, and to save money as well. Let´s just say I´ll be taking the taxis (I know, I know, everyone told me how cheap and worthwhile they are) from now on when I have my pack.  Regardless, by the time I got somewhat situated, I still felt so disoriented and spent. At my wits end. I seriously had to reaffirm to myself why I left the wonderful comforts of home to find myself alone in one of the biggest citites on the globe, far away from everything familiar. A challenge in bravery indeed!

Yoga a la terraza.

Well the light of day, a good night's sleep, some morning meditation and rooftop yoga put me right back on track (see grounding exercises & tips below).  In meditation I realized why I was so drained - because nothing was there to fill me up.. the airports, the detachment of big cities, the emptiness.  Makes me grateful for where I live, you can just look out your window or take a walk and let nature and cheeriness fill you up.  Also why I practice yoga, I like having the best of myself to give and in cities where there is no foliage, no instant access to the sense of belonging and fresh air, yoga is a godsend!

Find fresh perspective anywhere!

But already I am getting back into the groove of the travel mentality and loving every minute of it. Immersing myself in Spanish fills my spirit with such joy and I not so secretly wonder how the people traveling throughout LatinAmerica without Spanish can do it! Seriously, I admire your bravery! I´ve also already started to enjoy the benefits fresh scenery and perspective can bring.  In pracitcing yoga this morning, I had a new revelation in why my crow pose has been so challenging lately.  I had lost the focus of the gaze.  As much as I say it correctly in teaching, I wasn´t practicing it true to for.  What can I say, we´re creatures of habit.  And it took a complete change of perspective and surroundings to make this insight available to me.  Now I´m off to finally meet up with my couchsurfer, it´s been difficult to meet up with other couchsurfers here so far.  Big city and lack of cell phone make for difficult communication.  But in the mean time...

I ask you, where can you find fresh perspective in your life?

 Where can you bring to mind a limiting habit or trait, and decide to look at it with a fresh and freeing lense, without even having to leave your home?  Think about it, it´s so very refreshing and worthwhile.

Other things that have ´filled me up´ since leaving home:

• that first bite of Mexican food. Oh man was it worth it. So flavorful, so rewarding after a long day of travel.

• the 2 hour long conversation I had with Herve (lives in Houston, from Morocco, works in Mexico) on the plane to DF yesterday. He stuck a conversation with me and told me of his desire to take up yoga and spirituality in his life. We talked the whole time, sharing incredible story after story. Afterwards he had a renewed passion towards taking the reins of his being into his own hands (and he also thinks I should give a Ted Talk about energy work and the powers of metaphysics-something to consider!). He said he'd come to Montana to study yoga with me if I started something or did spirituality retreats. Again, fills me right up and gives me ideas!

• Fabiola.  She approached me on top of the Pyramid of the Sun and started asking me all sorts of questions. Come to find out she´s been trying to find a way to pick up yoga and start experiencing it.  She´s from Peru and when I go down there, I am going to share yoga with her!  I swear she was seeking me out! And funnily enough, she had met the man she was with at Macchu Picchu and then found me on top of ancient pyramids. Guess she likes to bring people into her life in some pretty spectacular places.

 For grounding anywhere:

Sit comfortably. Bring your attention to your breath. Just notice it and start exploring inwardly. 

Release anything not serving you into the earth through your roots and sitz bones.

With your right hand, use your thumb and pinky to practice alternate nostril breathing.

Begin by exhaling deeply.  Plug your right nostril, inhale deeply through the left. 

Plug both nostrils and pause in your fullness.  

Release through the right and exhale the right side. 

Plug both nostrils and pause in your emptiness.

Inhale right, exhale left.

Repeat 3-10 times.

For extra grounding, hold use your left hand to hold a grounding mudra.

Extend the pointer and pinky fingers, placing the thumb on top of the middle and ring fingers.

Simple, easy, and amazingly grounding and balancing, no matter where you are.

Enjoy & Namaste.