i wish i had a more “sunshine and bunnies” approach to share after 5 days of yin yoga and mindfulness meditation training, but i have to confess that i found it VERY challenging. sure, i didn’t expect it to be easy, but i certainly didn’t expect it to be this hard. and, to top it off, kripalu now has WIFI in their cafe so my “retreat” was really more like a “fit e-mail and phone calls in between sessions” kind of experience.

i have no one to blame but myself and my severe addiction to being connected, however this training and time away really brought my “problem” to the forefront of my consciousness. and, to top it off, my cell phone decided to stop downloading e-mails. maybe that isn’t a problem to a normal person, however i am distraught. ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but pained nonetheless.

sarah powers is an amazing teacher. she is full of insight and integrity. i was lucky enough to sit down with her for an interview today and i can’t wait to share her wisdom through a future podcast. she exudes a true state of tranquility and passion for the concept of mindfulness.

i am up early tomorrow and have three flights that finally land me home to oklahoma, my homeland. first time home in four years and i’m excited to return for a family reunion. considering my parents have moved out to the country where DSL is not yet available, i will be offline effective tomorrow. never fear, i’ll return with ALL sorts of stories on monday night.

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A is a hoot. i’m looking forward to connecting to some old friends, seeing my amazing gramma, sleeping in my parent’s new country home, and introducing louis and beau to my roots. mom says there is a tractor pull. um, i think i’ll skip that one. however, what i can’t skip is the new winery that has popped up. can you stand it? an oklahoma winery! i can’t wait to hear country music, go two-steppin’, and sip some fabulous oklahoma wine. yum.

i also plan to leave these 10 days of trainings with a deeper sense of connection to the present moment. how much of life is spent planning what’s next, not truly listening to the person in front of you, multi-tasking, and missing the moment? for me, too many at times. i’m naturally a pistol. my nickname as a little girl was “the white tornado” because i was in to everything. that hasn’t stopped, but i am learning to work with my nature and trying to do so without judgment. thank god for yoga.

i will search for more “extraordinarily ordinary experiences” in life. i will incorporate meditation into my day. yep, every day. hold me to this. i gotta sit still! i will try to take a deep breath before i speak so i do so with intention. i will do at least one yin pose every day, followed by yang (vinyasa), savasana, and meditation. i will try to take one full day off a week. you know what they say, telling others your plan makes you feel more inclined to do it. that’s what i’m doing here. thank you for holding me accountable. i look forward to finding mindfulness less hard in the future. namaste and humbly yours.