Ashram-alama-ding-dong!

Some day, I am going to go to one of the Sivananda ashrams in India, for a good, long while. I have decided that this shall happen, despite the general sentiment that, with my "odd" health, I'd be pushing up the daisies within a fortnight in such a tropical, third world location. Ha! Ha, I say to my nay-sayers! I will go and I will not end up as worm food, at least not there.... I have a special affinity with the Sivananda tradition, not just because it is one of the most honoured and classical yoga traditions there is, but also because one of my beloved teachers studied long with Swami Vishnudevananda, who, in turn, was one of the main disciples of Swami Sivananda himself. It is as quintessentially yogic, and Indian an experience as one can find. I include a pic of some ashram action, just to tantalise myself, and show the universe what will be mine one day. If I can just turn a bit of a blind eye to some of the conditions of animals in India, I will be just fine. I will embrace a sacred cow, and I will befriend an elephant! Jaya Krishna! Om gum Ganapataye namaha!

Off and Away!

Well, tomorrow Queen Fee goes off to the annual SOYA yoga retreat and conference in Naramata, B.C. Lee and the girls (and Georgie) drive out with me, and then get up to all kinds of camping shenanigans, whilst I am being yogic at the Naramata conference centre. I both look forward and kind of worry about this event each year. We all know that I am not a particularly good traveller; I really love my comforts of home, and have all sorts of anxieties whilst being away, mostly concerned with how my animals at home are faring. I also do not do well in strange beds. But, on the other hand, professionally, this is always a fab weekend, and I get to hang with a bunch of other cool, yoga teachers and we do our thing, en masse.

The Naramata Centre serves us stellar vegetarian food, and plenty of it, and the scenery around the Centre is lovely. I worry a little about my Lee, my girlies and my pup when I am not there to keep my watchful and beady eye upon them, but I know that they are pretty much capable of not killing themselves in the 2 days I am elsewhere. The drive home is bruuutal. But, there is not much way around it. In with all the driving, we have the usual road trip fun: a few nice walks, hitting the used bookshops and thrift shops, eating a roadside meal or two, grooving to our ipods and having fun chats and games.

So there you have it. QF is off and away. See y'all next week!