Michele Ford Yoga

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in seeing with new eyes.” –Marcel Droust

After the potluck gathering in Hillsborough Friday evening, we hit the road for Charleston, SC to make a quick stop at the Jivamukti Yoga Center. Brandon began training the night before for this late night drive.  We got in at 3 am to Allison’s, a fellow Jivamukti teacher, rolled out our sleeping bags on the living room floor and settled in for a good 4 hours of sleep.  9:30 am yoga! What an energizing class taught by Polly! The Jiva fam, Allison and Polly, took us to the farmers market for a picnic lunch in downtown Charleston. Our 12 hours in Charleston left a good impression on me…except for the 10 mosquito bites in 5 minutes while out eating breakfast…I was breakfast!

Alter @ Jivamukti Yoga Charleston

We hit the road again…headed to Savannah to meet up for dinner out on Tybee Island with one of the directors of the Ashram Savannah Co-op, Lynne, and our hosts for the evening, Will and Betsy. Out of pure tiredness, Brandon finally relinquished the car keys to me, not before putting me through a verbal driving test and making a phone call to bequeath his stereo:)

After dinner we ventured to the beach…sunset, dolphins, shells. There was a point at the bend of the island where the waves crossed, crashing in on one another.  This made me think of our own lives and how they constantly crash into one another’s…nature makes it seemless, blending the waters together…why do we resist? Why do we try and stop our wave mid crash, limit its power, its freedom, when we all have the same intention…to be who we are for the pure joy of it and to grow and expand that joy….to crawl as high up that beach as we can.

The sun rises...the sun sets...the tide comes in...the tide goes out.

After the sun set, a peaceful calm flooded in with new colors and subtle vibrancy. With the changing sky and high tide coming in, each moment brought about new beauty… there was no end to natures creativity…

Night on Tybee Island

Our evening hosts, Will and Betsy, entertained us with great generosity and conversation that night. They exemplified the above quote and though their eyes have seen much, they sparkled with a fresh vibrancy for life.   The sun rises…the sun sets…the tide comes in…the tide goes out. Ahhh…the journey and the destination are one…

The next morning, in the rising heat of the sun, Brandon and I ran on the beach  and then seeking refreshment, dove into the cool embrace of the Atlantic. The same beach was even different now from the night prior.  We honored the sun’s radiance with yoga asanas and then prepared for the afternoon workshop at Ashram Savannah.

The energy of this group was amazing…subtly intense and undeniably present! Together we sweated through an invigorating exploration of Free to Be, followed by delicious food and community.  Thank you to all that joined us and the many students that came from a good distance away to share in this exploration, which magically continued into the evening with a kirtan lead by Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band.

Ashram Savannah workshop