"Goodbye" v "See ya later"

I'm not good with goodbyes. And they're not uncommon for me. I haven't moved around that much, but I do live pretty far from my family and travel a lot. So between visits with my family and friends I meet on travels, I do have to say "goodbye" a decent amount. 

Sometimes "goodbye" really does mean goodbye. I remember when I found out my family was moving from Atlanta. I remember crying with my best friend on the playground while a teacher tried to comfort us. She reminded us that this was an exciting move for the family and that just because we wouldn't see each other every day didn't mean we weren't still friends. We could visit each other and write letters; keep in mind this was pre-Facebook. It was a comforting reminder. 

20 years later, I've moved again. Moving after college was difficult, but we all knew it was coming. (I've kept my two best friends as close by my side as possible considering I moved across the country!)  This time it's a little different. I'm sad thinking about leaving Colorado while I'm also just as excited about what the future of this move has to offer. I've made some amazing friends in Colorado. Friends that I tear up when I think about not seeing them everyday. Friends that I didn't know were possible: that love to be outdoors as much as they love fashion, dancing, and watching marathons of Modern Family; that I can tell absolutely anything to without fear of recrimination or judgment while also knowing they'll tell me the truth and call me on my s**t; that I can have deep philosophical discussions with and immediately dissolve into fits of hysterical laughter; that love to travel, to challenge themselves, and experience new things. 

It's that last characteristic that comforts me now. I may be ready for a life change, but Breck will always be special to me. Just because I can't live there right now doesn't mean I won't visit or don't love to ski or that my relationships weren't important. The community there is what makes it so hard to leave! That, and that it was a piece of cake to ski nearly 100 days last year. 

The relationships I've formed are true and lasting. Hence why it was so hard to leave. But also why I won't ever have to truly say goodbye. They'll be there when I go back to visit and they'll be there when they come to visit me. iMessage threads and phone dates will continue. And when in doubt, we'll always have Facebook.

A plan for every breath...

About three years ago, I arrived at MYS at 6am to teach my first official yoga class. I had my playlist, my notebook with my quote for the class, and plenty of nerves! I also had written down my plan for class. Not just general postures or areas of the body to work, but a list of each breath, pairing it with a pose or a transition. I was ready. And then no one showed up. 

Over the next couple of months, I planned each class out like this. Making lists of each breath of the class, and working hips or hamstrings or backbends, or working our way to a pinnacle pose. My classes were attended, but I hadn't found a niche yet. People in my ski town came to yoga to stretch out after skiing and mountain biking, not to work arm balances (my love!) 

I had a revelation during one such class. Our pinnacle pose was grasshopper, a super deep twisted arm balance. A prep pose for us was side crow. I had it all planned out. Except no one took side crow! I had to adapt. 

From then on, I always began each class by asking for requests and letting everyone know to please always practice what was available to them that day. I would loosely plan class, but always be able to adapt when things didn't go the way I planned. 

Over the three years of my teaching in Breckenridge, I developed a following. People came to my classes, especially hot core fusion, to work on inversions and arm balances, to do a million vinyasas, to laugh and jam out. I still modified my plan when necessary an asked for requests, but I learned not to create a rigid outline that would never go as planned. 

Off-the-mat application: when I moved to Colorado, I was taking a step away from the rigid plan I'd made for my life. I was going to go to law school, become a lawyer and be married by now to some stock broker. Cheesy, but by listening to my heart (and to the great advice from my parents), I took time to go with the flow. To ski, dance, travel, date...to just be. I've learned it's good to have a loose outline of things, to have goals, but to be able to adapt when necessary and to enjoy what's happening in the now! 

trials and tribulations of travel...for real this time

I came away from my latest flying experience with a lot of travel tips. Before I get to that, let me share what happened... 

I have a red eye to NC scheduled. So I make an evening of it in Denver before I leave: Shopping in Cherry Creek and dinner with my best friend. I had a time line all set up, and gave myself some cushion. Or so I thought. I've always gotten to the airport with SO much time (especially for red eye flights, I end up trying to fight sleep at the gate for an hour), so I figured I'd spend my waiting time with girlfriends rather than at the airport. By the time I left my friend's, reorganized my bag, parked my car at the satellite lot, caught the bus to the airport, saw the escalator to ticketing was shut down for cleaning so I had to cross the terminal to go up on the other side and then walk back to my airline desk, I knew I was "just in time." But I wasn't checking a bag, and it was 12:30 at night...no lines. However, as I go to the computer to check in (I don't know why but I've never checked in online), the attendant tells me I'm too late. The computer won't let me check in. Apparently DIA is one of the few airports in the country where they cut you off at 45 minutes instead of 30 because it's such a spread-out airport. And I arrived 41 minutes before my flight was scheduled to leave. She told me there was NO WAY to get my on that flight, rescheduled me for in the morning, and suggested I even just sleep at the airport since it's not that far away. 

After I discuss options with the US Air ticketing attendants, and rail about how awful the airlines are and how I can't believe this happened on the phone to my mom, I decide to try to race to the gate anyways. I end up literally sprinting down the terminal (of course my gate is the very last one) and make it in time! When I ask the gate attendants if I can please get on my flight, they say they can't change me back from my new flight in the morning, and then proceed to seat nearly all of the stand by flyers. Seriously. 

The attendant later tells me that she could have charged me a flight change fee of $200 to go back to my (original) red eye flight, but at that point she didn't have time to process the transaction. Um....and here I thought there was no way I could have gotten on this flight. If only the woman at the FIRST desk had told me this was an option, and I would have gone straight there. 

I'm not excusing my fault in this. I cut it way too close. I know this. It was just such an infuriating travel experience since anything as small as if the escalator hadn't been broken or the bus hadn't been late could have saved me those FOUR minutes, and then saved me a night of sleeping in the airport. And given me an extra day at the beach.

So...I came away from this experience with a few tips. Even after a lifetime of traveling, I can still always pick up some new things... 

1. Always travel with a sweater and a warm scarf. I like lululemon's Vinyasa infinity scarf since they're so soft and you can practically swaddle yourself in them. A sarong and neck pillow don't hurt either. You never know when you'll have to crash on a gross airport floor overnight. 

2. Always pack an extra toothbrush. You never know when your's will fall on the floor of an airport bathroom. 

3. Never expect the people of the airline industry to be reasonable. (Four minutes people!) Most were sympathetic, but couldn't really help. 

4. At the end of the day, just like in any service industry, these people are just doing their jobs. Whether it was the woman at the check-in counter who told me there was nothing I could do, or the woman at the ticket counter who told me she could have switched my flight for a fee but didn't have time now and sat the stand bys, or the cleaning staff of the airport that vacuumed around me as I tried to sleep (or a hostess of a busy restaurant who tells you a reservation isn't available for a few days when you try to walk in during high season on a Saturday night with a party of 8)...it really doesn't do any good to yell and scream and stamp your foot. It's a tempting reaction, but it won't change anything and you'd be yelling at someone unneccesarily. 

5. Train up for your travels. Never know when you'll have to SPRINT to the end of the terminal with your bags to try to beg to be let on your flight. 

6. In a 24-hour airport, it's always bright and there are always people and noises. So do what ya gotta to get it dark and quiet to sleep. My new friend Jesse built a fort under a business center desk that night. 

7. Check in online. Especially if you're carrying on your bag. Why not. (I even thought this as I was walking through the airport to ticketing, wondering why I hadn't. Foreshadowing like whoa.) 

8. Lastly, realize your mother was right. She used to travel for business all the time, and I too grew up plane hopping. She raised me to get to the airport 2 hours before a flight (3 hours for international). The one time I didn't, and it turns into the ultimate s***show of a slumber party. In my mind, my timeline worked out. Dinner and hang out with the girls, drive on the empty roads to the parking lot, check in with ease since I carried on my bag, breeze through no-line security, and stroll up right before boarding. It seemed I had plenty of time. And little things just ate that time up: reorganizing my bag, driving a little slowly, passing the first bus and having to wait for the next one, the bus having to make some data-recording stops, the bus dropping me off on the baggage claim level, the closest escalator being closed for maintenance, and having to walk to the furthest end of the terminal to get upstairs to check in... Next thing I knew, I wasn't allowed on my flight. Always always always give yourself EXTRA time! 

At the end of the day, you'll get where you're trying to go. It'll be great. And you'll just have some travel-war stories to tell over margaritas. 

crazy how time flies...

This weekend marked my 3 year anniversary of moving to Breckenridge! I'm still not quite sure what triggered my decision my senior year of college to delay law school to go out to be a ski bum. A big part was my attorney father (and my mom too) encouraging me not only to take a year off (during which I was planning on interning at a law firm), but to take some FUN time off! I'd grown up skiing out West on spring break, so I was familiar with the idea of people working in ski towns after college before entering the "real" world. 

Although it is really bizarre to see peers from childhood and college finishing grad school, getting career jobs, and getting married, I am SO glad I came out here. I feel like I am a completely different person than I would have been had I followed the path I'd laid out for myself during college. I became a yoga teacher (which greatly helped with my stress level that I felt as a student in school), worked in a restaurant (everyone should totally work in a service industry job at some point in his/her life!), skied/hiked/ran/biked all over Colorado, and had the freedom from working in a resort town to travel a ton! 

As I make plans to maybe move on, and as excited as I am to start out somewhere new, the life I've developed here in Colorado is one that is near and dear to my heart. The people in my town are extremely educated and have decided that lifestyle (being able to bike and ski amazing stuff everyday) comes before career. It's a similar mentality I found in my month in Costa Rica: work to live, not live to work. I am wanting to develop a career, something I enjoy and that challenges me. But I've learned to love traveling and having a flexible schedule at work. Other than my love of outdoors, the best thing about my life in CO are my friends! I've made friends that will go camping with me for days, and then will dress up in heels and diamonds and go dancing with me. They're friendships that eptomize "the best of both worlds" mentality that I love and live. Now I'm just trying to find the "best of both worlds" when it comes to...everything else in my life. 

Colorado: your people, mountains, snow, trails, resorts, openness... You've changed me. My three years here has helped me think about what's important to me and what I want in my life. It's all helped me become who I am today. And I'm so excited to see how it'll help me become who I will be in the future!

trials and tribulations of traveling...NOT!

I had the absolute pleasure this spring of spending a month in Costa Rica. I went by myself, but ended up hanging out not only with some "ticos" (locals), but also some amazing fellow Coloradans. I spent the majority of my month in Nosara, Costa Rica. As it was the beginning of the rainy season, it was a wonderfully sleepy surf town experience. Every day was spent running and doing yoga on the beach, surfing, eating local/fresh/organic fruits and veggies and fresh-caught fish, and spending time with great people. The one time I left "my" town, two of my friends from Colorado and I drove down to Dominical on a surfboard retrieval mission. Being Coloradans filled with wanderlust and traveling abroad in the same place at the same time, we had fantastic discussions on the 6-hour road trip (on Costa Rican roads, I'd like to add), especially with regards to travel...

Some people don't have the travel bug. Whether it's Texans on their horse ranch or Costa Ricans in their jungle/beach, I've met all kinds of people that have the opinion "why would I ever leave here, I have everything I want." Absolutely valid point. Some are so content with where they live that they have zero desire to leave. For me, I've always loved where I'm from, but I always felt the need to explore and travel in order to be sure that's the place for me. Leaving my hometown for college wasn't enough, and neither was studying abroad. I needed to move across the county, and spend significant amounts of time away. While returning home to alleviate homesickness pretty often, of course. And apparently moving to Colorado for a year wasn't enough either, since I've now been here for three years and am still loving being a ski bum that goes to Costa Rica for a month. I am, we all are, only small blips in this world. Leaving our comfort zone reinforces we are all a part of this great big world, and that there is oh so much of it beyond our little piece. 

The major part of our discussion during our road trip was all of the benefits of traveling. You can learn SO much about yourself when you get outside your comfort zone, not to mention accumulating incredible new experiences. I've eaten all manner of foods, made friends all over the world, and seen some of the most amazing sites (famous and secret alike). I've learned to compromise when traveling in groups as well as to be self-sufficient when traveling alone. I've learned the benefit of planning ahead as well as the benefit of P.I.B.E.-ing (play-it-by-ear-ing) things (before he calls me out, credit to Kyle for that phrase). Knowing I can handle a situation, a confidence that has in and of itself come from traveling and going outside of my comfort zone, has enabled me to let go of the reigns I was attempting to keep a tight hold of and to become a little less rigid. Reigns to what, I'm not quite sure. Life I suppose. 

We also discussed the many purposes of travel. There's a time and a place to sit on a beach with a book and drinks with toy umbrellas in them, just as there's a time and a place to backpack with one extra pair of underwear through the wilderness or a third-world country, or to be at a cheesy resort for a friend's destination wedding, or... There's no single or right way to travel and experience the world. This trip for me was about staying in a single place to get to know the area and the people, to surf, to have a little R&R after a long season. Hence I didn't get to see too much of the country, but the trip served the purpose I needed it for. I met amazing people, establishing actual relationships in town, got myself rested and healthy, and gave myself "me" time. And I even got back on a surf board!

My intention was to get on a surf board every day while I was in Costa Rica. However, on day 2 I injured my foot and was out of commission for anything beyond walking to the beach and doing core work for nearly the rest of the first week. When it came time for me to start my lessons, I had nearly talked myself out of them. I thought I could gladly spend my time running and doing yoga and reading and swimming. Why would I need to surf? However, the root of all that was that I was nervous about truly starting something new. I hadn't tried a new activity in quite a while. I didn't want to suck. Thank goodness I sucked it up and got out in the water with Adrian, my instructor-turned-friend (oh, and also rode on the back of his motorcycle for the first time!). Surfing in Costa and hanging out with the surf school guys absolutely made my trip. I now have a wonderful new activity that I'm in love with (literally am planning my next trip to get in the water ASAP), and have made some connections that I can't wait to go back down to keep up. 

All in all, my life would not be the same if I didn't travel, if I hadn't been the places and met the people and done the activities I have. They've given me the confidence I have, and the desire to, yes, set down roots and have a family and decorate a house, but also to continue seeing all the world has to offer! 

adventures of a wannabe nomad

Before some of the most amazing things I've done in my life I was an anxious, sweaty, nauseous mess. It's one of those things where all that disappears once I get to my destination. But those few days before traveling somewhere new and exciting are usually pretty miserable, and filled with anxiety and sleepless nights and many  many lists. As I was preparing to leave for the airport last night, and was starting to freak out a bit at the thought of leaving for a month, my friends expressed surprise that I wasn't a calm traveler. I'm generally pretty calm once I arrive, but the anxiety before leaving for college, studying abroad in Spain, going on my NOLS course, traveling to Alaska to fly for a week with a bush pilot, and  moving to Colorado was considerable.

It would be a lot easier to stay last home and watch the Discovery channel to see these places. It would be a lot more 'comfortable.' However, pushing myself out of that comfort zone has led me to the most amazing places and experiences. As much as I loved Anthony Bourdain's Andalucia episode, nothing compares to seeing the gypsies dance flamenco in the caves of Granada and eating tapas and asking for directions in Spanish when I was lost myself. Even though the proliferation of amazing backcountry footage is abundant and watching go-pro footage makes you feel like you're with the skier flying through the powder, none of that could replace hiking to the top of a huge snowy and rocky mountain in the back woods of Idaho with a 50 pound pack on without seeing anybody but our group for a month. Or getting 85 days of skiing in this year, from amazing powder days on the resort to skinning back country with only a few peoples' tracks for company and feeling in the best shape of my life. Gaining those summits and views by the strength of my own legs and a LOT of sweating feels so damn good! None of those feelings and experiences would have been possible had I not persevered against the anxiety that bubbled up with the thought of leaving what I felt comfortable with.

So as I wait in JFK for my flight to Costa Rica, I'm actually not as nervous as I thought I'd be. When I think about the logistics of being gone a month to a foreign country by myself...yeah, the butterflies start fluttering. However, when I think about waking up every day and being able to speak Spanish, run and do yoga on the beach, practice my horrible surfing, meet amazing new friends, get some sun on my incredibly white legs and booty, and get some much needed solitude and mediation....I'm only filled with excitement! I relax at the beach in a way that I simply can't anywhere else. Plus, the amazing freedom of fearlessly playing with handstand on a wide open beach is utterly irresistible!

Pura Vida!! 

PS, get ready for a ton of yoga (and selfie) pics! :) 

To "gram" or not to "gram"...

A lot of people now associate me with my love of taking yoga pictures. For example, I asked a friend in the coffee shop in town the other day to take a picture of my girlfriends and me. As I handed him my phone, he automatically said, “Time for a yoga picture?” As hilarious as that is, it’s actually pretty true. To me, yoga pictures are a great way to “spice” up what could be a plain ole scenic picture as well as an artful expression. I have tons of pictures from travels and day-to-day life that are either solely scenic or where I’m standing awkwardly smiling in front of some mountain or shop. Popping a yoga pose in there instead of a posed smile makes it more fun and interesting! As a student of art history, I love envisioning a composition; I enjoy playing with the pairing of colors and patterns to my surroundings and picking an appropriate posture for the image I’m seeking to create. It doesn’t always come out the way I see it in my mind, of course. But I, along with as many people as I can recruit to join me as possible, have fun trying. And that’s the most important part.

The Instagram yoga community is expanding exponentially. There are so many ways to share inspiration, between the hashtagging system and all of the pose-of-the-day challenges. These challenges are a great reminder to try to practice every day and to try to capture a shot or two of that practice, whether it’s of a quick pose at work or while on a beautiful exotic vacation. I’ve found yogis and yoginis through these social media pathways that are all over the world, and I’m lucky enough to be sharing tips, “likes,” and inspiration with them. The creative representation of such great physicality in various locales (again, whether in the grocery store or on an exotic beach at sunset) never gets old to me. I find it simply beautiful and I love starting my day with a scroll through my Instagram newsfeed. I love being reminded that there are always new places to take my yoga practice: not only literal geographic locations, but also new variations of poses that I’ve been practicing for years. Taking yoga pictures and interacting through them on various social media sites is an exercise for keeping my creative juices flowing and for keeping my yoga practice fresh. Not to mention I really enjoy playing around with filters!

Pictures are also a great way to see what you're feeling. I know in my pinchamayurasana scorpion my toes feel like they're an inch away from my head. However, in pictures I see that I'm about 2 feet away! They're a great way to track progress in a posture as well as a way to coach yourself in a pose. You can see the tweaks you need to make for the posture.