Friends….I have arrived in a majestic Italian Alps Valley with Cervino (the Matterhorn) overlooking all that happens.

It is truly incredible and I will post photos and more soon….Hasita and I have 13 students arriving on Friday and I will have my attention on the retreat. I may get a chance to post, but hope to have more time with the nature and Italians (and students!).

With Love and Clear Skies at 3,000 meters! David

July 11-

Posted from Milan airport awaiting the students for the retreat!  I just uploaded the first round of photos from the Alps….Visit them Here!

I have spent the last 3 days in the Alps preparing for the retreat with Hasita and Giancarlo and feel very connected to ‘Our Story’ as Hasita calls the evolution of humanity.  We have been planning the week of Yoga Gaia and Yoga and working with her is a gift and very fun….she was raised in these mountains and has a lot of geological insight them as well….so personal and scientific knowledge matched with a great sense of humor and storytelling has been a treat to work with.

There has been some challenge in organizing a vegetarian menu for the retreat here where vegetarians (even though I am truly not one…I eat fish) might as well be from Mars!  They have been serving Hasita and I nice salads and roasted veggies while the other guests at the lodge dine on veal, chicken and beef.  We sat down with the chefs last night and explained that they can take the sauces they use for the meat and put it on steamed veggies and they looked at us like we had re-invented the wheel!  So we will have soe nice things to eat moving forward.

We have installed a tent in a magical spot of the valley for our yoga since it probably will rain and be cool in the morning.  I had my practice there yesterday and it was really nice to be covered but still on the Earth.  I made a 2 1/2 hour practice to myself and felt truly opened to the life that was around us.  Then we went out for a 3 hour hike to the surrounding area and Hasita and I had a great planning session for the week while sitting on the edge of the world!

I realized that this will be a wonderful opportunity for me as a teacher to focus more on the energetics of asanas as a way to open channels while we are here.  Our intentions are to have have short morning asana ‘wake ups’, then breakfast and then to hike to nearby meadows for more yoga.  This should be great as we scouted 3 different locations that will be amazing!  Then we will return for Yoga Gaia as Hasita tells ‘Our Story, the Story of Evolution and Desire’ before dinner.  As we were planning the week, we had some great collaborative moments and found many common themes in our teaching….it will be nice to overlap with both of our techniques to share Yoga to connect to Nature.

In all the planning and organizing, I have been able to keep my practice consistent, but have some concern about how to maintain that when we start.  I know I will be able to ‘go with the flow’ once we start….but am present to my desire to keep my personal practice commitment while also honoring my body’s need for rest…and of course classes for the group and hikes in these magic mountains.

Many of you probably know….but I sent my newsletter this week which always results in a flood of emails from friends and students all over.  It was great to hear from you, your lives and stories and to stay connected.  My life on the road continues to feel very ‘on purpose’ for me and I appreciate the contacts and connections I make.  I have been reviewing my last few weeks from Ibiza, Holland, Paris, Cologne and new the Alps and feel truly blessed…. I’ve made some good choices to get here and invite you do the same!