8/10/14
The sound of my cat woke me up at 7am this morning and I was grateful to be jostled out of sleep this way.
I slowly open my eyes and blearily looked around, wishing I had my glasses. I turn my head to see him lying there, comfortable and sound asleep. I thought to myself, I better not wake him and silently maneuvered the rough sheet off of my sticky body and stepped onto the cool concrete floor. It’s humid here and the coolness of the concrete against the souls of my feet is so nurturing. I never realized what a convenience air conditioning was until traveling internationally. However a lot of the locals here have acclimated to the heat, not by choice, but by necessity. Our neighbors live in a shack with a tin roof and wood boards on the side. That’s not to say other places don’t have AC but we wanted to live simply and get back to our roots. I make my way slowly around the bedroom to the living area and then into the kitchen with ease, as there are no doors to compete with my flow.
I found my glasses lying on the wooden table directly next to the patio windows and put them on. When I open my eyes again and peered through the frames chills ran up and down my spine as I looked out into the world through the large patio doors before me. There are absolutely no glass window panes on either the patio or the windows, and it’s a luxury that we have screens. Our renter has an open air place above us by choice. If she wanted to She could get the whole place screened and sealed but something happens to those who stay here it seems. They seem to want to really connect with their surrounds and tend to become more rhythmic with it. Every time I travel here I find myself sleeping when the night falls and rising with the sun. It just works that way. I really love it this way because you really feel connected to nature. The smells and the sounds of the outdoors are right there and you are right there with them. Waving green palm trees greeted me and a small orange butterfly landed on the sliding white gate in front of the screen, plush green trees filled in the background and sun poured through the leaves on to the fresh stream water below it.
As I watched the sun perform crystalline dances on the water’s surface I thought to myself, “This must be heaven.” There is a draping white hammock affixed to the ceiling inside here and I decided to nestle into it, wrapping my legs around one another to create half lotus I closed my eyes flipped my palms up, and rested the back of my hands on my knees.
I start to breathe deeply, in and out of my nose, creating an ocean wave sound and start to direct my thoughts to it. Thoughts of breakfast, learning how to surf, God, friends/family , connecting with new people, yoga, and then finally the realization that I was really here hit me. Here I am, accompanied by the rainforest and yet I had my eyes closed, letting the monkey mind take over. I reeled the focus in and gently peered through the slits of my eyes to gaze upon this fortune. And so I sat for awhile, continuing to breathe intimately with my Creator in this majestic kingdom before me.
Heaven comes to those who seek it, and those who do will find it has been under their nose the whole time. Once aligned with this Heaven, the possibilities are endless. Having the courage to believe in the Unseen will present miracles before your very eyes. I am an example of this.
With love, light, and respect,
Alana Roach Yoga
RYT, CYT, Reiki, Wellness support/writer
Alana’s love for yoga came from firsthand experience with just how powerful the practice is. “In 2009, Yoga found me. Inside the studio, she experienced a deep sense of belonging, but the most profound part was what happened after. “I felt as though I was at true peace. I finally knew what the word meant. Until that moment, I had just understood it cerebrally. There is something profound to be said about Peace dropping into the heart.”