A Penny for my Thoughts

Today was one of those days.  One of those magical days.  Brace yourself mom, I may "go all George Harrison" on you.

I was given the book Shantaram a couple weeks ago from a friend I had just met, Eugene.  The timing was impeccable.  It's like he knew what my mind and soul were craving.  Shantaram is a 933-page book; I am only on page 138 but I have already lost myself in it.  It's a story based on the life of the author, Gregory David Roberts, a robber and heroin addict who escaped prison and his nineteen-year sentence.  He fled Australia to the majestic country of India where he "came to find his humanity while living at the wildest edge of experience." 

It was a terribly rainy day in Melbourne so what better way to escape the dampness than to hit a cafe, sip on tea and lose myself in the words of a great story teller.  For the past few months, I have known that I want to go back to India and explore the entire country.  I have felt that a piece of my heart and soul are still there.  I have been trying to find the words to describe why India is the amazing place I believe it to be.  It always comes back to the people and the energy.  There is an excerpt from the book that struck a chord with me:

"You must be careful, here, with the real affection of those you meet. This is not like any other place.  This is India.  Everyone who comes here falls in love - most of us fall in love many times over.  And the Indians, they love most of all.  Your little friend may be beginning to love you.  There is nothing strange in this.  I say it from a long experiene of this country, and especially of this city.  It happens often, and easily, for the Indians.  That is how they manage to live together, a billion of them, in reasonable peace.  They are not perfect, of course.  They know how to fight and lie and cheat each other, and all the things that all of us do.  But more than any other people in the world, the Indians know how to love one another.  Without love, India would be impossible."

There is a magic in India.  If you can see past and just accept the hectic traffic, the sometimes awful smells, the rubbish and dirtiness in the streets, you too will fall in love.  It's a place where your mind is forced to open and embrace love for the people, the culture and just the enchanting place India is. 

As I walked home, I reminisced of my experiences in India.  I remember sitting on the steps at a beach in Kovalam with a couple of locals.  We chatted about life, love, yoga, India, and Canada.  I giggled as I remembered the older woman telling me to bring back some more Westerners for her younger friend and his friends to marry.  I remembered the little boy she had with her and how he wanted to touch me and hold my hand.  I remembered one man asking me if I had any Canadian coins for his son to bring to school.  I remembered eating a fresh pineapple the woman had just cut for me.  I remembered the smell of the Arabian Sea.  I remembered the feeling of true appreciation and the simple things in life that bring happiness.  Finally, I remembered that crow at the Ashram that flew over me telling me that I have made and am making the right choices and where my life is leading is exactly where I need to be.

I then began thinking about teaching yoga and the bliss I feel when teaching.  I had mentioned in a previous post how I was developing my own practise and how I wanted to take more courses before teaching asana classes.  It was the visit from my friend Gareth that changed that for me.  I realized that the aforementioned were just excuses and that ultimately, I was just lacking confidence.  He reignited the flame and gave me the boost and inspiration I needed.  It was a couple weeks after that a coworker had said to me that she always wanted to try yoga.  To her surprise and delight, I mentioned that I am a teacher; I now teach her and her friend two or three times a week.  And now that I am into teaching, I remember why I chose to pursue teaching.  The peaceful energy I feel among my students when our class is finished is what happiness and life are all about.

Melbourne has been an incredible experience thus far for a variety of reasons, many I have outlined already: the people I have met and the great vibe in this city mostly.  I suppose I should let you know that I have been working at a cycling apparel shop which allows me to talk about bikes and lycra all day long!  Along with that, I have working as a face-to-face fundraiser (which I have found a whole new respect for).  I've also been on my bike a lot and am starting to raise funds for my Ride to Conquer Cancer in October with two great guys I met when working for the Ride.  So basically, as I once proclaimed at the age of five, "Life is good!"

So do I know what is next for me?  No, should I?  All I know is that I continue to learn about the person I am and what life is all about - or at least how I believe I should live life.  To me, it's embracing every single day, never having judgment, appreciating the simple things, sharing my aspirations, listening to others' aspirations, inspiring others, turning negativity into positivity, and fulfilling my passions.

One other thing I am certain of is that I will return to India in the near future.  The compelling stories that fill up the pages of Shantaram have absolutely confirmed that for me.  Whatever else the future brings, only time will tell.  I'm just enjoying the journey.

Yes, today was one of those days.  Om shanti.

"...it unlocked this enormous big door at the back of my consciousness."                          ~George Harrison on India

Passing through a village in the state of Kerala, India on way to Neyyar Dam.

Thanumalayan Temple, Suchindram in the district of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.  L-R David from Galway, Aishwarya from Delhi, Tyler from Saskatoon and moi. Amazing, amazing temple. Amazing people.

A gorgeous autumn day in Melbourne.

The two Tracy's.  She is one person who has made Melbourne as awesome as it is. A friend for life.

"'Cause you gotta have friends..." Themed parties at their finest: Mafia.  L-R, Belle, Nina, Nick, Lisa, Damian, myself, Mick, Ingrid and Dev.

  

Be Mindful. Be Present. Be Happy.

What does one do when unemployed?  For some, they may get stressed, worried, frantic...but for me, I bloody well will enjoy it!

Yes, I am looking for work but I also know what I want in a job.  Or perhaps it is that I know what I don't want as well.  I am being picky when selecting which organizations and roles I apply for so that leaves me currently being sans work.  If I need to work in a cafe for awhile, I absolutely will.  But in the meantime, I am honestly in one of the most wicked cities I have ever visited and I am going to live it up to the fullest.

The past month has been full of friends, food (and so much cheeeeese), bikes, swimming, wine and heaps (yes, I am speaking Aussie these days) of inspiration!  If there is anything I have learned since India, it is always to surround myself with positive people.  Positive energy is contagious but negative energy can have effects as well.  I try to turn the negative into positive but sometimes it just drains my own spirit.  Therefore, I have sought out those people that are naturally upbeat, that make me laugh, that spark my creativity, and those that I can just be my (very open) self around.  As a result, the past few weeks have been dinner parties, comedy shows, bike rides, swimming lessons, painting, yoga-ing, dancing in the streets, and just a whole lot of laughs.  Thank you to the awesome people I have met!

And now, I have been asked why am not teaching yoga right now - isn't that what I set out to do?  The answer is simple: I am still developing my own practice.  While I felt so much passion and love teaching my classes at my training, I personally want to learn and develop more.  I read an article the other day about the best jobs for people who love to travel.  A yoga instructor was on it.  The pro is that the demand is high but the con is that so are the number of inexperienced teachers entering the yoga world.  I will agree with that.  To me, yoga is not just about teaching a class; it is about teaching and inspiring a way of life.  While I am confident that I could teach a killer Baptiste-inspired class (thanks to the wonderful teachings of my yoga teacher, Brenda), I would not feel right without the appropriate training and a lot more knowledge. I am eager to take more courses on various styles and anatomy/physiology but of course this is going to take time and it will be something I work on over the next few years.  But while I am not actually teaching asana classes, I sometimes feel that I am sharing a yogic way of life anyway.  It's about taking the energy off of my mat into my daily life and if once a day I can inspire, spread a little peace, or make someone smile, then I have achieved what I have set out to do.

"The future depends on what we do in the present."  ~ Mahatma Gandhi ~

Emma, Jason and I.  The three of us met in Dublin three years ago and here we all are again in Melbourne celebrating St. Paddy's and both Em and Jason's birthdays again.  This just shows how amazing travelling is. You can meet people from all over the world and it doesn't matter how much time has passed but you have that one city or that one adventure in common - and you are friends for life.
  

Easter Sunday.  Myself, Alex, Pants, Belle and Karen.  Belle cooked us an amazing dinner!  Being of Ukrainian heritage, I wanted to contribute some traditional dishes that my family always enjoys at Easter time; however, my Paska (a sweet bread centerpiece) did not turn out!  I tried three times and it failed every time.  I do believe it was the yeast in combination with my oven :(  BUT I did make nalysnyky (crepes with a dill and cheese filling) and they were a great success!  Oh, I might have introduced the vodka shot tradition too...

My new bike!  So as I was saying about enjoying my unemployment in Melbs...this is a big part of it!  As most may know, I am participating in the Melbourne Ride to Conquer Cancer in October but I also developed a love for cycling from my Ride last year.  Life just wasn't the same without being able to cycle.  Cycling is awesome exercise, a great form of meditation at times, a great tool for networking, and just pure fun!  Cycling has brought me to some fantastic people here in Melbourne and it will definitely always be a big part of my life.

Check out my Ride to Conquer Cancer Personal Page

Home Away From Home

They say there's no place like home...well as much as I love my family, my friends and British Columbia, I have found somewhere that feels like home as well: Melbourne.

The past couple of months (holy, time flies!) have been really fantastic.  As soon as we returned from Bali, I started working at Melbourne's Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.  Yes, that's right - the Ride is here!  It's the first year in Melbourne and second year in Australia and it's having a great response.  I was working as a Ride Guide "recruiting" riders and aiding registered riders with their fundraising and training.  I say "recruiting" because what the job really entails is telephone sales to interested people.  Anyone who knows me, knows that this would just not fly in the long run....eight hours a day on the phone.  Where is the challenge?  Where is the creativity?  As much as I enjoyed speaking with riders (being a past rider myself!), my motivation decreased with the ongoing pressure of meeting quotas.  Ohh, the ongoing debate of quality vs. quantity.   

Melbourne's Ride Guides!  Niamh, Tracy and myself.

I explored further opportunities within the company including a Volunteer Coordinator but sadly, the nasty politics of the (virtual) office took over.  I know what makes me happy and this was not it. 

The people I worked with directly in the Melbourne office are all amazing.  Niamh (pronounced Neve), Tracy and Nathan (my manager) - much love!  I have much respect for the Ride and what it stands for.  The fundraising model they have created is brilliant and I really did learn a lot about how an event of this magnitude is put together.  Also, now I get to ride in October (see my personal page here)!  One more bonus: the friendships cultivated.

I said that Melbourne has felt like home and a big reason for that is the people I have met.  It seems that the friendship network keeps growing.  It started with Dev and Christian and meeting their friends, then meeting the friends of their friends, and so on.  Everyone is so open, friendly, and welcoming.  In fact, Dev's friend, Pants, was moving here from the UK so being two people new to the city and needing somewhere to live, we decided to find a flat together.  We are living in a highrise just outside of the City Centre (ten-minute walk) in the Southbank suburb.  It's very convenient to all the necessities and my favourite stop(s) of the week - the market.

View from our flat.  Melbourne sunsets make each evening wonderful!

My first cricket experience at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) - probably my last too!  It's no hockey!

A night out in Melbourne.  Myself, Damian, Pants and Jason crossing the Yarra River.

So while I look for the next opportunity, I am also exploring Melbourne, hanging with friends, and mind-mapping some aspirations (and working to make those happen).  I have made some awesome connections and great friends in the past three months and life in Melbourne continues to be exciting.  I know there are great things to come - the crow in India was absolutely right :) 

Melbourne: My home away from home.

Tracy taking me on my first mountain bike lesson.  Now I get why Sheila and Stacey have 3+ bikes! Bikes are so fun.   

My first spill. Brush yourself off and try again!  I had a blast and can't wait to get back on the mountain!