yoga on skype

skype yoga for the first time last night with my awesome group in istanbul was a great experience. after a teen helped us all get connected and that too we had to do without video we did a good ole session as though we were together in one room. i miss my yogini partners and i am grateful to them and technology for bringing us together. may the skype-ing continue!

alismak, baglanmadan

yeni bir hayata alisma donemi kolay olmayacagini biliyordum ama bu kadar zor olacagini da tahmin etmiyordum. unutmusum...cekilen izdirap, baglanmanin getirdigi endiseler, hep unutuyorum. kendimi gelistirmek icin boyle bir yol neden sectigimin cevabini da biliyorum, alisik olmadigim seylerle mucadele etmeden yasamak benim en buyuk zorlugum oldugu icin kendimi birakmaya ogretmek icin yapiyorum. cunku her seferinde- pakistan'dan ayrilirken, amerika'dan ayrilirken,ankara'yi arkamda birakirken, ve bu sefer istanbul'a veda ederken- sifirdan yaratip birakmayi seviyorum, yep yeni bir heyecan, kendimi yeniden kesfetme firsati, ve yillar icinde neler degistigini yalin bir gozle bakabiliyorum. hic birseyi varsaymamayi ogreniyorum...yeniden. her degisiklikte is arama kosusturmasi...evet is bulmadan atiliyorum degisime. baya delice. ev duzenini kurmak, uykumu alabilmek, tutsuler yakip evimin kokusunu yerlestirmek, komsularla tanismak, mahallede yuruyup ne var ne yok nerden ne alabilirim, hangi duvara ne asilir, bunlarin hepsi zaten yerlesiyor ilk ay icinde. ama duygusal destegi veren aile ve arkadaslarim skype, tango, viber, whatsapp gibi seyler evet bir cok seyi kolaylastiriyor ama uzun suren alisma donemi burda. onlarin yoklugu. o kadar ozluyorum ki arkadaslarimi...geldigimden beri herkesle konustum, gordum agladim...yinede ozluyorum. o kadar cok baglanmisim yani. yoga'nin en buyuk dersi de baglanmadan yasamak. iyi ki tatli bir esim var, yoksa turkiye'ye ilk geldigim aylarda tam olarak 9 ay sadece egsersiz icin kostum, kitap okudum ve telefonda konustum. evet degismisim :) simdi yuzuyorum, farkli yemekler pisiriyorum, yoga dersleri veriyorum, ev projelerini tamamliyorum ve resim cekiyorum. eylul sonu yagmur sezonu baslayacak...8 ay. onun alisma sureci nasil olacak onu gorecegiz.

shifting energies in a home

i love renewing things around the home and office to freshen up my world, and yes it invites new energies too. during mercury retrograde throwing and giving away what hasn't been used or does not work and cannot be repaired was done with success. now with a big move to a brand new environment, stu and i decided to start making a new home with what there was already plus a few extra pieces. we ripped out the old crusted paint off the deck chairs and table, sanded it to a baby's bottom smoothness and re-painted it a driftwood colour that has brought out the grains in the teak. just gorgeous! and it has lit up our terrace and therefore our view.

the benches stu got made for the wedding, we converted those into a library, we have so many books and pictures to put up, we sanded, dusted, wiped and put on a hardy coat of polyurethane....and now we have a beautiful library in our upcoming study. doing projects together and having zone out time TOGETHER tightens our relationship. its the yoga during daily life, the breathwork on the mat that can be brought to your loved ones that makes yoga a lifestyle. the mantras one learns in yoga school or the one that your guru gives, that's not the only way to enlightenment, it's the love that you generate by just saying 'i love myself' has the same effect. stu does not do yoga but he said this yesterday 'this chair needed some love and painting it is giving it attention'. this too is yoga.

connection for life

getting married and embracing the committment to grow together is a sacred vow. we make that vow with our closest friends and it is a default committment with our family members. we shared our vows at sunrise on Casuarina beach in Darwin Australia on 28th july a few days before the full moon. waking up at 4.30 am was no big deal because one does anything for the person they adore and the view was breathtaking. here is my vow to Stu: you are the person i have been waiting for; you are my best friend; you are my teacher in love and loving; you are my example for integrity; it's time to begin our journey together; i am thrilled to grow together with you; i am surrendering to the flow of love between us and ready to live the path we create together; i love you honey