History's most relaxing travel experience, this is not. Despite the bright-eyed, smile for the camera appearance you see in the photographs, our lives here can get stressful. Last week I was drenched from head to toe in dirty street water by a passing bus as I was wandering around the streets of Merida in the rain. The Laundromat has lost half my wardrobe (which actually just means….more room in the suitcase for souvenirs!). I've lost count of how many times I've been whistled at, hissed at, or followed down the street by creepy Mexican men. (Isn't it enough that I've stopped combing my hair, ceased wearing makeup and pull out the ugliest clothes from my closet in efforts to deter them? I'm telling you...these guys can smell a foreign woman coming from miles away, even one who looks slightly like a refugee emerging from a war zone). And while we love all the tacos, empanadas and enchiladas, the truth is that sometimes you just really need a bacon cheeseburger.
We're nearing the end of the term, and at the beginning of this week, I was in need of a serious dose of relaxation. Right on cue, along came Claudia Guerrero, Iyengar yoga extraordinaire. In reality, it was me who went to her. Phyllis has been taking classes with Claudia at
Semilla Yoga for months, so I tagged along Tuesday night. Light on the hippy-dippy stuff and heavy on the physical aspects of yoga, Claudia teaches the art of letting go.
With the moon shining through the screened window and the scent of night jasmine blossoms wafting in and mixing with the faint, crisp smell of chlorine from the tiled pool that borders the practice space, we saluted the sleeping sun. Claudia employed a series of props and constant personal attention to work her pupils into poses that give the brain a rest and push the mind completely into the moment. After closing with meditation in the dim, candlelit room, I finished the class focused, loose, and ready to take on the world.
History's most relaxing travel experience, this is not. Despite the bright-eyed, smile for the camera appearance you see in the photographs, our lives here can get stressful. Last week I was drenched from head to toe in dirty street water by a passing bus as I was wandering around the streets of Merida in the rain. The Laundromat has lost half my wardrobe (which actually just means….more room in the suitcase for souvenirs!). I've lost count of how many times I've been whistled at, hissed at, or followed down the street by creepy Mexican men. (Isn't it enough that I've stopped combing my hair, ceased wearing makeup and pull out the ugliest clothes from my closet in efforts to deter them? I'm telling you...these guys can smell a foreign woman coming from miles away, even one who looks slightly like a refugee emerging from a war zone). And while we love all the tacos, empanadas and enchiladas, the truth is that sometimes you just really need a bacon cheeseburger.
We're nearing the end of the term, and at the beginning of this week, I was in need of a serious dose of relaxation. Right on cue, along came Claudia Guerrero, Iyengar yoga extraordinaire. In reality, it was me who went to her. Phyllis has been taking classes with Claudia at Semilla Yoga for months, so I tagged along Tuesday night. Light on the hippy-dippy stuff and heavy on the physical aspects of yoga, Claudia teaches the art of letting go.
With the moon shining through the screened window and the scent of night jasmine blossoms wafting in and mixing with the faint, crisp smell of chlorine from the tiled pool that borders the practice space, we saluted the sleeping sun. Claudia employed a series of props and constant personal attention to work her pupils into poses that give the brain a rest and push the mind completely into the moment. After closing with meditation in the dim, candlelit room, I finished the class focused, loose, and ready to take on the world.
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