my new home

my first week in Darwin has been pretty full. putting aside the undertaking of leaving Turkey, a place i called home for 10 and a half years, saying goodbye was not easy. to be detached is not an easy feat for anybody...but when there is support and belief that change is ultimately a good thing, the process has more flow. i have been doing my 'youth turns' as i call it, the tibetan ritual of youth. joined a yoga class with Sanjit Das at a scout warehouse in Darwin and did a hour and a half of pranayama. learned something that i thought was reviving- he had us do kapalbhatti facing south doing one exhalation per direction, left right up and down. he had us do it for around 2 minutes starting with the intention of honoring our breath in all directions. it was good fun and i felt great. Stu and i went to deckchair cinema to watch 'Yogawoman' an inspiring documentary about how women have shaped the yoga industry in the past 40 years. deckchair is an outdoor cinema where people can have vegetarian food and listen to the trees rustle while watching a movie on a massive screen. Stu at one point turned to me and said 'Don't panic, there's a possum' and wo and behold there he was big and furry with a long thin tail shuffling about through the deckchairs looking for a nibble. over the weekend Darwin had a Beer Regata where people collect their beer cans throughout the year and make a functional boat. pretty awesome! some make it some sink but it's a fun festival by the beach and folks come from all over. i loved watching the thong throwing contest, basically people throw their flip flops real hard and the one that goes the farthest wins a hefty prize of 250 aussie dollars! i am enjoying the atmosphere of taking it easy here, such a turnaround after istanbul! going to go for a quick swim to get the blood flowing.