Balancing

I've only been on one other yoga retreat - Aro Ha in New Zealand - which was amazing and very different from this one in Sansara. Aro Ha was a deep immersion into being unplugged. A full week without screens, texts or emails. It was also pure in other ways - no coffee, no alcohol. The food was entirely plant based and vegan (and delicious!). But while it was intense it was also gentle. Very calm relaxed yoga classes, a massage every single day (!), and lots of hiking in New Zealand's stunning Southern Alps, and periods of silent mediation. It was also very programmed, which (interestingly) was very freeing. An entire week without decisions, without planning or scheduling. You put yourself entirely in their hands, which was wonderful. Here it's really different. The yoga is really intense! After just one class my muscles were screaming, and continued to ache the rest of the week. It's also much more like a vacation. Everyone is drinking tropical cocktails, taking lots of selfies on the beach, and uploading their curated vacation shots onto instagram with alarming frequency. There are lots of choices to be made - what to eat, what to drink, whether to go surfing, whether to do yoga or swimming or stand up paddle boarding, and if trying to fit in all of the above, when!? And the group of people is really different too. In New Zealand there was the classic (wonderful) New Zealand humbleness. Everyone was very down to earth, kind, accessible. This group is all Americans and Canadians - many of them are into a practice I barely knew existed ('competitive yoga' - sounds like an oxymoron :)). There are lots of conversations about pedicures, hair treatments and workout regimes. And they are all extremely in shape, whipping through these difficult yoga poses! So readjusting my thinking took a little while. I still feel a very strong connection and preference for the Aro Ha version of a retreat. But I've started enjoying this one too. My huge cup of coffee while catching up on my phone on a lounge chair on the beach this morning was pretty wonderful. And I've embraced something else. I was ready to cut screens entirely here, but I'm instead moving towards moderation - something I think I could do better on in general in my life. I am so hugely behind with work (and nearly made myself sick trying to get ahead of my tasks in preparation for this trip). Instead of all or nothing now, I'm diving in a little each day. I submitted a manuscript yesterday, from this beautiful perch of an office. In between yoga, beach and pool.