Adriana's 'Spring Cleaning' trip to Bali

Spring is always the season of bloom; it’s a time of rebirth. I guess that’s why I appreciate having four seasons. This winter was extra special to me. I reinvigorated my love for fitness in another form: Yoga. I had a great opportunity to do a yoga retreat in Bali this last month. It was quite refreshing to find that balance between strength and flexibility, between struggle and letting go, between what is pounding in my head when poses get hard, and the ease of letting go in my heart when I just surrendered and stopped trying so hard.
It has been almost two year since I did a side crow, and it happened on my last day at the Yoga Barn in Bali. My instructor, Murni, wouldn’t let it go until I did. It had been hard getting back into hand balancing of any activity since my surgery late 2013. But it’s time. I just had to travel almost 10,000 miles for it! But it’s what I’m working for so I just have to do it!
Bali was so refreshing for me in many ways. I got a chance to unplug and recharge my energy. I got a chance to focus on a department of fitness I hadn’t devoted a lot of time to even though I had been doing it for about 9 years. I traveled alone so I missed my family and they missed me. And most importantly it help me find that balance in life. I realized I had been working too much and so hard. They say in yoga, “when you have balance, you are powerful and grounded. When you lose balance you are thinking about it too much and get stuck in your head, literally.” That happens in life too. 
I got a chance to visit some of the world’s sacred temples and celebrate my birthday with early morning yoga, had a full moon, was purified in the holy springs of Tampak Siring (for 2hours since it was a hindu celabration).  I ate a great vegetarian meal and finished with a Tibetan gong meditation. It was very memorable.  It helped me really find that gratitude I was missing and allowed be to feel that connection with other people that were seeking the same thing, so the energy was great!
It’s funny how you can come from so many countries, backgrounds, and religion, yet you can share a sacred space called “self care”. It makes you a better member of your family and your community when you return to your normal life. That is what this spring will give us.
So my challenge during this season of spring, or break it down to one or two month or 40 days: How every you want to break it up so they can insure that you keep these new goals and you can measure them. I want to take out a habit and replace it with something else that better serves me. It can be small or big. The intention is to find out what I have been using to substituting for a well developed human spirit whose strength is bases upon a deep regard for one’s own self esteem, personal dignity, spiritual principles and self love.  We all have had to stuggle to find our inner road to self empowerment. I’ve had so do it when I was on my own at 14, when I left my families’ house, when and decided to leave a secure job to follow my passion. It happens about every 5 years so my habit is to give up some time and replace it with doing some of the challenging yoga poses: 20 mintues, 4 times a week. (Pincha, and twisting poses). I mostly did strength poses but I’m uncomfortable being on my elbows and loosening up my obliques and hip flexors. To sit still for 10 minutes a day in meditation. If you’re Catholic, you can use this time in Lent as your timeframe, but don’t just take a habit out replace it with something healthy. Whatever you believe, pull that into what you need to do for you this year. What’s it going to be?