Fresh New Day

'If you start your day falling into a habitual pattern, you immediately lose the freshness of the new day, the wonder and the unlimited potential'

We started the day with those words or something similar during our morning meditation at 6.30 am. For sure, this day had not started like every other day, going through patterns and habits.

I had woken up in a yurt, a circular tentlike structure with 3 other other occupants. A little space heater and light bulb working off solar energy the only electricity, the outhouse sporting a compost toilet (look it up) and a sink that emptied on the hillside. A quarter of a mile away along an unlighted mountain trail from the main house, yoga room and pool (with the nearest showers). I am staying at http://casabarranca.com/estate/. Last night the almost full moon had lighted the trail but at 6 am the moon had passed over the horizon and it was fully dark with just a hint of a lightening sky over the mountains in the east. Stars everywhere: Orion, Big Dipper, even the Pleiades were clearly visible. I got me a cup of tea in the main house and made my way over to the yoga room. The big glass doors were also facing east and as we started morning meditation in the barely lit room the sky colored a deeper shade of orange. Definitely not my average morning. At 6.45 am Saul David Raye led the first yoga class, gentle, rhythmically moving but very aware and energizing. I am hoping I'll remember some of it to take home with me. I got hungry halfway through but told my stomach it would get fed later, so to hush for now and that helped.

After yoga we had breakfast and I took a shower. Then we gathered for our second thai massage class. Yesterday we did the feet, today we did the leg lines. First we watch Saul demo the techniques on a willing assistant, then we practice on someone else for an hour or so and we get practiced on for another hour. This is no hardship, believe me. The average Thai Massage session is reported to be about two hours, and that already seems short.

Lunch was at 1 and now we have a break until 4.15. I volunteered for clean up duty after lunch. The cook is a fellow Dutchman, from Limburg of all places, named Caspar. He spotted me as Dutch immediately because I pronounced his name right. I know what that is like. It's amazing how many people assume you are pronouncing your own name wrong. The food is vegetarian and vegan and what not, but so far so great.

Almost time for our next class, more about those and the other people later!