Yoga Beyond the Mat

Since leaving Canada, our momentum has kept us pretty busy as we’ve winded our way south away from the snow. Yet the Arctic Blast has followed us and the need to continually empty our water lines each evening, avoiding burst pipes, has been a constant reality. slaDE~s been really diligent about making sure that this is done. Our plumbing encounter last year with a water leak keeps us conscientious and on our toes, and makes us fore-go the option of boondocking (dry camping). Having a backup heat source beyond our propane furnace is a good thing when it dips and dances below freezing each night. Our Airstream is certainly not ideal for winter camping, I believe. The consistently cold temperatures has meant sleeping with PJs (at times with socks and multiple layers) and a hat, and learning to breath through the rigidity that tends to creep in to my body as soon it gets cold. An attempt at yoga off the mat perhaps? Yet my body rebels and stiffens, an automatic response that blows past any conscious thought willing my body into a different state of action / reaction. I’m learning to dress for the cold, even if that means surrounding my self with blankets and wearing layers and long johns. How I managed to live comfortably in Canada through the harshness of our winters, for so many years, amazes me with the onset of each cold spell! This also explains why I travelled and leaned toward warmer climes at the first sight of frost.

Part of dealing with discomfort is learning to find comfort and joy through other means, by taking our yoga off the mat. You might ask, how does one do this?? Through: Experience, Awareness, Self-reflection and Choice. Choosing to release my anxiety and look towards a more nurturing form of breathwork and experience, we opted to have some bodywork done whilst here on the Outer Banks. Blessed with amazing health benefits through my husbands work, we take full advantage of such luxuries with each passing year. And today seemed like a perfect opportunity to pamper a weary sore body. We booked an appointment with David Henderson, a highly recommended massage therapist on the Outer Banks. He works out of the Outer Banks Yoga and Pilates studio in Kitty Hawk where we attended a beautiful evening Karma Yoga class this past Sunday (led by Ticia). We spent a glorious warm afternoon surrounded by warmth and incredible yogic energy as each of us experienced a 2 hour hot stone deep tissue massage. David is extraordinarily talented at connecting with his intuitive sense of healing touch. I highly recommend his services if you ever make it to the Outer Banks.

Not only did we experience a blissful state of meditative healing, we made a wonderful connection with David. In getting to know him, during our session, we discovered that he and his lovely wife would be in Belize the same time we’re exploring that very same country (Belize is considered to be part of Central America, South of Mexico and East of Guatemala. It’s also considered a part of the Caribbean). Funny how the universe brings together kindred spirits.