intentio

The funny thing about fairy tales, is that we forget about them so fast
And we grow up, we buy things, we build up fences
We sell our innocence and forget our dreams
We forget who we are in order to be something we're not
And we'll keep believing in this so called truths, until we forget how to live
Or until we open our eyes, and wake up.
(Loic Wirth)

Intentio - Trailer from Loïc Wirth on Vimeo.

the laws of nature

it's amazing what you wish for. even more amazing when you get it. today the sun shone, the blue skies came, the icicles around my heartstrings melted and just like that, it is summer once again.

i read somewhere that we don't only need to follow our dreams, we also need to have the faith that our dreams are moving towards us. the universe has a beautiful way of responding the minute we begin to crack our hearts open. the moment we begin to recognize the truth in our lives, surrendering to nature is a choice that we can no longer ignore. like stepping into summer's golden light.

it is now night. the sky is filled with stars and they stare at me, all at once warm, distant & unfamiliar. there's a mix of sadness and excitement breathing in the wildest corners of my soul. a dream begins to come alive, a bright new constellation unfolding in my universe.

wanderlust wednesdays: India

contrary to popular belief, they are generous with their smiles in India.
this one right here brings me back to this amazing country each time.

wanderlust wednesdays: i dream of japan

i started wanderlust wednesdays last year as a way of revisiting the places where my wanderlust has taken me. this year i had the idea of posting photographs of places where my wanderlust wants to take me. while i have been to japan in the sakura-filled spring of 2009, i long to go back and visit this lovely country once again. these are photographs of a quaint little japanese restaurant tucked in a quiet corner of my island. where i, as i was dreaming of japan, enjoyed a nice tasty bowl of tempura donburi.

trusting grace

Because of a great love, one is courageous. - Lao Tzu



i used to question everything and trust nothing. i used to be a person filled with so much doubt & distrust. coming from a place of fear, it was hard to see things any other way. there was always the threat of being scared, of not being enough and not having enough. but i'm grateful for this fear. it has led me to dark places where i only longed to be free. it's brought sadness into my life where i learned how to heal. it's brought me to my mat and to realize that this is the place where i want to serve from.

when we begin to look inside ourselves, the first things we usually see are the gunk - all the ugly habits & stories we've acquired through the years that have made us feel bound & limited. yoga has taught me to release each one at my own pace. Anusara has taught me to do so with grace. it's shown me how i can create change and heal. this process of transformation has become such a gift in my life. it's brought me to finally understand why the things that have happened in the past happened the way they did. everything truly has a purpose.

some people are braver, they go after what they want right away - well good for them. i had to learn the hard way and in no way do i resent this. i had to know fear, look at it straight in the eye before i learned about love. the more afraid i got, the desire to overcome it grew deeper. i learned to love and look after myself first no matter what fear has told me. i spent so many years trying to put others before me, trying to make them happy & just trying really hard. it is only when i learned to just let go of the distrust when trust happened. to finally be able to surrender that deluded sense of control and trust grace is one of the very best things that's happened to me.

love transformed me and it continues to do so. love has made me trust life, to trust that things do work out... everything in its own time. love kept me grateful even in my darkest hours. somehow love seems more apparent, more expansive when all the limitations of a relationship has fallen away. a year ago i wrote how loving someone so deeply & being loved greatly in return have given me courage to trust my path and the strength to walk it. i am so deeply grateful for this great love. it continues to break the boundaries we've set for ourselves and lead us to explore a different possibility that's out there waiting for us.

change is inevitable, no matter how painful or sad it gets. when you start putting yourself first & aiming for the highest, you can no longer deny your suffering. so you have to let go. but there is no loss here, only love. and one day, happy endings.

saying goodbye to 2010

it's the last few days before the year ends and before another one begins. but the time to let go had come earlier. to let go of old ideas. even some old dreams. but most especially, let go of things that have been holding me back in the past.

the funny thing is i have been through a lot of letting go these past 6 years. one thing that i've learned is the more you let go, the more you realize you have more to let go. it almost becomes addictive. you let go of a bad habit & you realize how good it feels. unburdened. relieved. suddenly you get to see the real version of yourself more clearly.

for the longest time my word has been melancholy. ok, let's backtrack here for a minute. a couple of years ago a friend asked me what my word was. and there it was - melancholy - like a sad old toy waiting to be noticed. there's really not a single strong reason why. but for many tiny & unexplained reasons this word had been the unspoken theme of my life. little did i realize how much i let this word take hold of my life, as if each story that is woven in this tapestry has a fated melancholic ending. but year & a half ago, when i went deeper into my yoga practice, something changed in me. and just like that my new word came - transformation. it came with such force & such grace that i literally saw the change - in my body, then my actions and consequently my life. but the thing was, it was i who created those changes and that was such a powerful difference. now i understand i don't let the word choose me. i choose my word.

as this year comes to a close, i have yet to decide on my new word. but it's coming, i know. i sensed it the moment i knew i'm letting this one go. this being my island, my home for the past 6 years. i always thought i'd grow old here and i desperately clung to this idea in the beginning because then, nothing else made sense. but things change. i've changed. i'm letting this idea go only because it's time to go on another adventure. there are many places i want to go to, languages i want to speak. my heart will not rest with this knowing. my heart will keep on looking just like it did before it found this.

i used to think it was restlessness, but now i understand it better. there is the dream of another life, another home, another continent. each time i leave to look for this dream, i let go. and each time i do, i get to live with a better understanding of the world. but most of all, i get to live the life i want.

break free

breathe
take a leap of faith
open to something bigger
and break free.

live the life you've always imagined.
it's not just the right thing to do
it's the only path to take.

wake up where the clouds are far behind

deep inside i've always known
that the life i've always wanted
is the only life to live.

my big fat greek adventure

a few days ago when i asked my friend konstantinos if i can listen to some greek music, i had no idea what i was in for. so on a beautiful saturday morning, we drove up to mt. parnassos with greek folk songs blasting on the radio and konstantinos singing (and dancing!) - all the way. the sun shone down on the countryside as i listened to stories & translated lyrics, as i learned more about life behind these songs, as i laughed till my insides hurt. after a very healthy dose of live greek entertainment, we arrived at the elatos mountain resort where my friend was holding a yoga retreat later this month and where i was taken on an unexpected hike through the forest. we walked on rough trails, past bubbling streams, through a bright green world waking up to spring. it was drizzling and it made everything look so pretty. after much huffing and puffing in my mud-covered espadrilles, we reached a meadow high up on the plain - and the place was serenely beautiful. no sound from below could be heard, as if no other world save for that mountain existed. our guide was an old man who grew up in the area herding sheep as a young boy. he pointed to the small caves where they would take shelter from the rain and to all the places where they would run and play. hiking back down to the resort my heart was fuller, my smile a mile wide.


we visited delphi late in the afternoon and consulted with the oracle. it's amazing to see all these ruins. it puts me in such awe and wonder how highly advanced these ancient civilizations were, and more importantly the high regard they had for art and beauty. to live in those times! we then drove down to Galaxidi, a small quaint village by the sea where we had the most amazing meal - fresh fish grilled perfectly, sweet fresh mussels in wine & lemon, some horta some salad, and cheese! lots and lots of cheese. ah nostimos! since i arrived in athens, after meals especially with konstantinos around, i would always feel like an indian cow - spoiled, fat and happy. patting my round belly and complaining half-heartedly, i would then drift off to my happy place imagining once again the food which i had just eaten and replaying all the flavors in my mouth.


then yesterday was a nice lazy sunday. after a fun laughter yoga in the park and a souvlaki lunch, we walked around the city which was quiet & did what the Greeks do - enjoy their coffee in one of the many cafes in the old plaka. since i don't do coffee i've slowly adopted the habit of drinking tsiporou - a bitter liquor made from grapes which to me tastes a bit like vodka. it's their version of the grappa except that instead of drinking it after, they also drink it before & during meals. so there i was sitting with new friends drinking my tsiporou, surrounded by a language i didn't understand but totally comfortable with, feeling so content and grateful. oprah said - the biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams. and yesterday i realized what a wonderful adventure i am having. indeed, everything starts with a dream.