28th of August 2022 – Peloponnese, Greece.
My summer was long which allowed slow time. Time to be, and time to reflect. I hardly did any yoga on the mat. I am never harsh with myself when this happens. I detached myself completely from the outside pressure that doesn’t serve me. I listen to what I need at that time and in this place. At least my years of yoga practice on the mat has taught me to go within, to listen, to be. To experience yoga outside of the mat.
My routine here in Greece was different. Late nights which meant tired mornings, hot weather which gave very few little windows to practice comfortably. There was 12 of us sharing a house which left little space for quiet time or private space.
But maybe my yoga this summer was somewhere else. Maybe it was about living all together again, the exchanges, the sharing. Maybe it was about moving at a different pace and allowing ourselves to be. I open myself to my new surrounding and what I have in front of my eyes. I watch, I observe, I listen, and I feel. My yoga is just everywhere. Everything I long for all year round is just right there in front of me. There is no routine and with that comes the ability to be in the present.
YOGA WAS EVERYWHERE
Some of my yoga was the good old helio-therapy as they would call it in Greece (aka sun therapy) That sun that I longed all year round living in London. Like a cold-blooded creature my body charges up in the sun. I had this sensation that I could store the heat in my body for the coming months.
And also some chroma-therapy (aka colour therapy) My eyes would fill up with the bright light. I forgot the sky could be so blue the sea so beautifully clear and turquoise. All the colours are vibrant and sharp. The fuchsia of the Bougainvillaea in Greece is my favourite colour, each time my eyes come across one my heart fills with joy. My senses are somehow numbed by the heat, or maybe put on slow motion….Ready to absorb and feel the instant benefits of the surroundings.
Thalasso-therapy (aka therapy from the sea) Diving in the warm crystal clear sea. Floating and just witnessing the immense beauty. Being in the water gives a great way to connect with our body. Using the low gravity to do things that are harder on the ground. I have found tremendous pleasure swimming butterfly with ease as the salty sea carries my weight more than in a normal swimming pool. I am able to explore butterfly with ease and undulate slowly and deeply before I can easily come back to the surface to take a fresh breath of oxygen. This fully nourishing breath that will then unable me to swim further. I fully open my eyes under the water, the sea is so clear. It’s just magical.
Earth given Reflexology: Walking bare foot on the pebbled beaches. Challenging for some feet that are hardly ever barefoot all year round and have lost all their agility. I enjoy the pressure under the feet and enjoy feeling some discomfort before my threshold grows and it all become just natural all over again. How can we lose this? The ability to walk bare feet? Family therapy. I haven’t read this summer. I had my own story to live. We spend hours talking, exchanging, discussing, debating, and also arguing.
Taking the time catch up, to talk lightly and to talk deeply. Family transmission – What we keep, what we don’t need to keep and what we create. Showing my kids where we got married and where their grandparents got married. A visit to the cemetery and paying our respect to those we miss.
Play and fun, kids have it in them naturally. Watching my kids play and have fun is my favorite hobby. I get so much pleasure in it.
Watching them play in the waves, building rock castles, skimming rocks, trying to stand up at at five on a paddle, Jump off the roof of a boat into the deep sea. Stroking strayed dogs and cats.
YOGA, mindfulness and being in the present moment: This summer was also: filled with “Volta”, Greek for a walk with the family when the sun goes down. A boat trip and trying to not be sea sick while crossing to the other coast line - Meeting old friends and meeting new friends - Watching the sunset everyday- Star gazing – Waiting for a shooting start to appear – Seeing a shooting star when not looking for one - Taken by surprise by the Moon rising while having dinner on the beach and watching its perfect reflection on the sea - Taste and smells, Eating freshly picked sea urchins and sea potatoes, sipping café frappe all morning, eating ice cream while walking along the beach at night. And journaling daily while high on café frappe, this sacred space and practice that allows me to introspect. Take distant, digest. Time travel Coming from London and travelling to Greece is also travelling back in time. It’s not unusual to a see a family of four ride a vespa with no helmet. The fruits and vegetables pick-ups drive along the beach to sell its fruits and vegetables, making his presence known with a megaphone. The baker stops in strategic spots to sell what he has. Greece is also where the locals fish by the seaside and eat it for the next meal. Where the women gather outside of their house to peel vegetables together for the next meal while having a good chat therapy.
I cannot see it right now, but I know that I am moving forward. I may not have made any progress in strength or flexibility. But I have lived all of the above. My body didn’t just store the Greek heat. It also stored those memories. They are engrained in me. They are me. So yes, no yoga on the mat for me this summer. Tomorrow we are flying back to London, for another year. Saying goodbye is always hard. I know yoga on the mat will come back naturally and I will find joy going back into a regular practice. I will continue to explore my practice and re-feel those sensations I felt this summer. This summer was heaven, my heart was at peace, and I was able to make the most of it. Is this not yoga? Having made space in my head I will be looking forward to holding space for my students and sharing again my experiences off the mat and be able to translate them on the mat.
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