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Wow! A whole week. It’s a weird feeling of feeling like I’ve been here forever and it only being a week. Forever in a good way. It’s become a form of home. Peaceful and easy.

I can’t believe how much I’ve learned and grown in such a short time either. There’s so much more to Yoga than most see or think.

We weathered a tropical storm mid week, it was great fun. We all had to leave our tents and move to the furthest pavilion from the beach. Our things were bagged and tents were dismantled and tied down with large tarps and such. We had a massive sleepover for two nights and it was a blast. The first night was like being 11 again at a slumber party. Hair braiding, massages, movies. Epic bonding. Night two we made essentially a giant bed and all laughed so hard we got a “noise complaint” (not really) from one of or teachers who thought there was a party going on! What a way to bond 13 people quickly. I suggested they make a sleepover a part of training for bonding purposes. The storm is over and passed and cooled off Baja in the process. The days are still quite warm, but the nights have gotten cooler. We’re all back in our tents and in exciting news I have a new tent, no more bandaid and duct tape tent.

Today we had our half day off. It was great fun to go into the little town about 20 minutes away called Todos Santos. 6 of us went and explored, ate and shopped. I needed hypoallergenic washing detergent and that was an ordeal. After about 30 minutes of searching and attempting to get help or translate bottles on my own and having friends step in who speak Spanish we finally found a bottle hidden behind random stuff. The only one without chemical fragrance being for babies, but hey sensitive skin matters, and of course it was one of the huge multi load bottles. It was only $5 American so I can’t complain too much besides it was heavy to tote around town. Yandara will get a gift of laundry soap when I go. 😂

We went through the little marketplace where locals had goodies to sell. I got some mementos and gifts and was super excited to find that one store had authentic Mexican blankets which we use here in our yoga practice. I was thrilled to find one that called to me in it’s gorgeous color patterns and excited to have one of my own.

I’m absolutely loving it here and I can’t imagine any other place or people to get certified for teaching with. I know I’m making bonds for life and learning so much.

I’m really enjoying the philosophical side to Yoga and being exposed to all the forms it exists in and the various practices. I can’t believe how much I enjoyed kundalini yoga and that I was able to meditate, for me that’s unheard of! I plan to delve into this field further and also that of Bhakti. I do know that I really don’t like Yin yoga, (conveniently we had a 2 hour Yin yoga class tonight 🤦🏼‍♀️😫). While I love understanding the philosophy and practice of Yin & Yang, the actual Yin Asana practice is not my cup of tea. I appreciate learning about it, but I will def not be joining a Yin studio anytime soon. I could teach it I guess, but as long as I don’t have to hold the poses with my students for 5 or more minutes each 😂👎🏻

It’s getting late here and I’m eager to dive into a book I found in the beach pavilion about the chakra system and psychology.

As I limit my time on the web due to being very busy here and unplugging a little, I will hopefully have a new post up in a day or two.

Thanks for reading!Namaste!

Successful first day here at Yandara. I would have to say the best words to describe this property would be rustic and natural.

Got the shuttle with a few of my course mates after landing in Cabo, it was about an hour to here. We had a tour and then got to choose our tents. Mines quite literally as close to the ocean as is allowed. It’s very big and I spruced it up to feel more like me/home.

We had the afternoon to ourselves to explore, some of the ladies and I explored the beach and then enjoyed a rest in the hammocks before dinner.

Everyone arrived around dinner time and we had our first meal. It was a delightful plant based meal of a warm grain dish with fresh veggies and cashews served with a salad.

After dinner we all joined together with some of the true locals who help run Yandara for Satsang. It’s a gathering of the community here to come together and express oneself and open their hearts through music. Musical yoga, who knew. It was a different experience, but enjoyable!

After Satsang we all made our way back to our tents and as I was opening mine it ripped 🤦🏼‍♀️👎🏻😱! Right along the bottom above the zipper! It was not cool, as there are many creatures running about here. They said due to extreme sun exposure and salt air the tents don’t survive as long as usual. Go figure it would be mine, night one. BUT, Luckily my new friend and across the way tent mate, Tonya sprung to action and taped up my too large (anything could come in) hole in my tent door with giant bandaids!! (So clever) We quickly went off to the office and found help getting duct tape which is now plastered all over my tent to make sure it’s sealed. I owe her one…. big time. Especially because we saw both a mouse 🐭and a snake 🐍on our way back! 😬👀

Now I’m sipping some tea, writing and trying to get used to my new bed. I’m also pondering how/if I will be brave enough to venture out to the bathroom if I dare need to go. It’s complete darkness here. (And the snakes and the bugs and the scorpions 🦂!!!!)

Well, I’ll let yall know if I survive the night, especially if I head to the bathroom at some point.

Thanks for reading about my wild adventure!

So I’ve spent the past 5 days under the weather again, but I’m on the mend and headed to Baja! I’m officially on the plane and somehow managed to pack everything I could possibly need last night after a very crazy day. Car troubles took a chunk out of packing time, but I was done and in bed by 12!

I think I officially may own more yoga/athletic wear than I do regular clothes, and for once I only packed maybe 2 regular outfits. (This girl plans to live in yoga clothes.) I packed all the essentials from my list and added a few extras, like a battery operated fan for sleeping, flash cards for studying and assorted other materials the internet thinks will help me master my first level of being a yoga teacher.

This was an early morning, but good practice for the next few weeks. I’m not a morning person… but, I got a super cool (pray it works) battery operated alarm clock that promises to make “sleep sounds”, we will see Amazon China vendor… 6:30 tomorrow will come early!

I got a super cool yoga bag that I was able to use as my carryon, so I’ve got my mat stored above my head in the overhead.

I’m eager to get this plane going and get to Baja. We fly to Cabo San Lucas and then I will hop on a shuttle sent from the institute which is about 1.5 hours away on the other side of the peninsula it appears. Then I will see my new home for the next bit.

My new home will be a tent on the property that happens to be gorgeous, open ocean in front with mountains/desert behind. Yes, I’m living in a tent. It does have electricity and a real bed.

Well now all that’s left is to take off and land in 4.5 hours in beautiful Mexico and start this journey! Wish me luck!

This is not a blog of Ads, I jut felt like I should share some awesome deals I’ve found and some products I’m obsessed with.

Anyone looking for a new sticky mat, B MAT! I’m obsessed. I felt crazy spending $80+ on a yoga mat, but man is it worth it!

Also, amazon is my best friend (pretty sure I help keep them in business 🤣) so if you practice hot yoga, Yoga Jaci towel sets are the best and they’re half the cost of some others you may see in your studio! Hot Yoga Mat Towel – Non Slip and Skidless – Sweat Absorbent – Perfect for Bikram, Hot Yoga (Blue, 1 Mat Towel 24″x72″) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RSNHMHQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_d2oeBb7N56T56

My current favorite deal of $20! for simple yoga pants are on Amazon. They fit great and have pockets!!! I love my fancier and more stylish ones, but having a basic color with pockets to wear is so good and practical.

ODODOS High Waist Out Pocket Yoga Pants Tummy Control Workout Running 4 Way Stretch Yoga Leggings,SpaceDyeCharcoal,Medium https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0756C3L8H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xQweBbDXY17SC

If you’ve got an Off Saks near you, go check out the athletic wear! Holy moly they’ve got good deals on super awesome brands lol Alo, Beyond Yoga, Designers like Puma, Calvin Klein and more.

I’ll post more awesome finds soon.

The headline says it all. Ugh. No good.

It’s going around so no shock it finally got me; sore throat, aches, loss of voice, general feeling of bleh.

I Had to take off work today which sucked, I’m trying to work as much as possible before I leave and spend time with kiddos since I won’t see them for 3 weeks!

I’ve spent the day in bed sleeping and consuming liquids as suggested by everyone whose ever been sick. I’m so grateful for #instacart and #wholefoods for being able to deliver me all the healthy essentials I need to recover.

On the agenda was a wheat grass shot, power C shot, immunity water, all the immunity defense juices possible and of course tea and vitamins.

It’s killing me that this is keeping me from yoga and prep for Yandara Institute. It is however reminding me that we aren’t invincible and can’t keep going without taking care of our bodies.

A very busy Memorial Day weekend full of amazing memories and fun, but likely not enough healthy habits and sleep. It’s easy when people are in town or you’re celebrating to forget how important it is to take care of your body even in the simplest ways like not sleeping enough!

Catching this bug has set me back on track to health and has reset my path to my journey to becoming the best Yogi I can be. The house is full of healthy juices and vitamins and when I’m feeling a bit better will be focusing on a fish/lean poultry and plant based diet along with my daily yoga and supplement of Pilates or Barre. I think I’ll work to add my #ardensgarden 4 shooters (wheatgrass, lemon, ginger and cranberry) to 3x a week and add a juice full of vitamins and supplements for breakfast or lunch.

I’ve already started eliminating caffeine pre Yandara, so I’ve got that to continue.

Hoping tomorrow I will feel more like myself and make it to a class!

I’m still gathering all my goodies for my retreat, but plan to post on specials and great deals on Yogi goods.

Off to bed with juice full of vitamins, antioxidants and all the Echinacea, ginger, turmeric and more.