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!

When, Where, What, Who?

I've already answered "Why?" in my previous post so now I am going to address the other W's.  That is, I will be giving the details of where exactly I am going, for how long, and all the other details of what my Yoga Teacher Training entails (well at least what I know).

I fly out from Vancouver at 11:00am today!  My route is as follows: Vancouver to Chicago, Chicago to Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi to Trivandrum.  The journey is about 28 hours including layover time. So for those of you in B.C., I should be touching down in India about 3:00pm tomorrow (November 9th) your time.  It's a 12.5 hour time difference which means arrival at yes, 3:30am (November 10th) India time.  Gross, but I'll survive.

The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre is situated in Neyyar Dam.  This is about an hour taxi ride from Trivandrum (in the state of Kerala).  Click here for a map!  I actually arrive two days before my training starts as to acclimatize myself to the environment.  During this time, I will be relaxing on the beaches of Varkala (look north of Trivandrum on your map) with a girl from Ireland and a girl from Mexico.  I have connected with these two through the Ashram; we will be travelling together to Varkala and then to the Ashram for our training.

The training is a total of 200 hours in a four week span.  The daily schedule is as follows:

5:30am - Wake up

6:00am - Satsang

8:00am - Asanas

9:00am - Anatomy and physiology

10:00am - Breakfast

11:00am - Karma Yoga

12:00pm - Bhagavad Gita or Kirtan

2:00pm - Main lecture in philosphy or anatomy

4:00pm - Asanas and pranayama

6:00pm - Dinner

7:30pm - Satsang

10:00pm - Lights out

What does this all mean?  Well, instead of regurgitating everything, please check out the website by clicking here.  Definitely peruse around the site as you might find some useful information (and inspiration!) for your own yoga practice (eg. five points of yoga, etc.).

Because the website outlines the details of the training, I have a general idea of what to expect but I know that nothing can really prepare me for the experience I am about to have.  The only thing I can do to prepare is to have an open mind.  It will truly be a trip of a lifetime.

As much as I would love to keep you posted on how things are going, this will not be possible as electronics are not allowed at the Ashram.  Thus the next time I post, I will be in Australia.  So please forgive me for my MIA-ness (yes, that's a word).  I would still love to receive emails:) 

I leave Trivandrum on December 13th and arrive in Melbourne on the 14th.  Until then, peace, love and happiness to you all.

Namaste.

And a big P.S.  I want to thank Brenda Wowk of Kelowna Hot Yoga Studio for being an amazing inspiration and encouraging me to go to the origin of yoga: India.  Much love, beautiful lady!