Before bed selfie.

Cats meow side.

Cats meow side. How bout dat?

Time flies.

Selfies at the petrol pump.

I love this pic. Sleeping in conference.

5 years later.

Today, I visited the best tailor in Goa (thanks, Trip Advisor!)

The entrance to "Sri" -- the restaurant at which I had a late dinner -- happy moonday eve!

Be unfuckwithable.
Which is scarier... The posture or the jeep?

As I was leaving the beach, this shack was playing an excellent remix of "Short Dick Man" by Gilette.
Go home, Hall, you have won at todaying.

Shopping.

Shopping.

"Vote for honest politics"

How I feel not being with my sisters & misters during today's March. #blackdogsmatter

Just three of the nasty woman in my life. <3

Current mood.

I've been serving this lewk for a long time. Did I make it in time for #tbt -- (thirsty boy Thursday, right?)

I'm hearing these horror stories about manatees in red hats descending on my city, demanding fish and fried mayonnaise balls. You know what that hat days, eh? @carterstevens
Somehow they've learned English enough to harangue the queers and POC with micro & macro aggressions.
My past:
Most of my early 20s was spent in straight dive bars after work at the DC Improv. I got in a lot of fights -- Drunk guys felt like they could get away with not-so-subtle digs...and I had no problem using my words and my arms to defend myself. It didn't take much to set me off.
I also generally had a surly tits-drunk crew of straight-bros that got excited to talk shit back. They're great men. Typically, things diffused before it got too real. Turns out, most of these bigots were chicken shit.
Things were different then-- both the cultural acceptance of belittling gay folk, and the shortness of my fuse. Sure, I'm not at bars till last call much anymore, but I think it's more than that.
We can't go back. I'm not saying fight these folks with fists, tho, I wonder if maybe I wasn't doing my yoga, which of the bamas would be dead. jokes.
Seriously: Don't be a door mat. Call a bigot a bigot. Don't let the physical manifestation of privilege and patriarchy intimidate you. And, if you are afraid, feel your feelings and if you can speak up: do it. "Tell 'em boy bye. Middle fingers up."

The intersection of the chapora & the anjuna rivers.

Sunset, surf, and snacks.

Me, on a night off from practice.

For @kitty.schulz -- but, but... I'm not a cat person. And, uh, tiger pose.

"Led-Laundry-Beach"
My own version of gym-tan-laundry.

This tiny cat tho.

Hmm.

I found something that won't move. Something that feels dormant. So now the fun begins.

Moonday jokes.

Moonday.

Moonday.

Add today's profile, and it's 15 years 😉

On the walk back from Mandrem to Ashwem, I saw the bottom two. So, I decided to play along.

"You're not really gonna make me move, are you?"

Current mood.

Something tells me I won't find a Slurpee at this 7-11.

Sunday's are often my rest day (heh: Saturday's, too) -- but when you're feeling like a pretty peacock on the beach, maybe you just gotta shake yo' tailfeather.
I saw @harmony_ashtanga and @waldenjessica talking about "being curious about what is possible" -- and ohhhh man-- doesn't the potential of limitless potential just make you wide-eyed, giddy, and wonderful? Doesn't the curiosity tickle your heart strings?

Tomorrow it's back to practice with community, so maybe I'll slow down on the beach videos.
The truth is, I rarely see my postures this way. At #DCAshtanga we have a "no cameras in the Shala" rule that has exceptions for kids & animals... and occasionally as a learning tool. I stick to it pretty strongly personally, too. Heck, Rolf doesn't even want us to bring our phone to the shala (and probably doesn't like that I've been talking about him on here...). Thanks for sharing some play time on the beach with me. Maybe I'll share more?

Fun fact: I packed everything for this trip into a carry-on. 🏊👙(count the short-shorts)

Went to an event called "Ecstatic Dance" -- a jungle pavilion overlooking the sea with an excellent DJ. Only allowed to share love & movement. No talking, no drugs, no booze. It was lovely & inspiring. Like dancing at home when no ones around... with friends.

I grew up a lot like an only child-- my brothers are so much older than me. So, often, my inner world and solitude were made rich by default
The kids at school were quite mean, and so to were the thoughts in my head. Kill yourself, they all hate you, you're smart and ugly and no one will ever like you. Fat fat fat.
The online queer community helped me a lot when I was a depressed obese teenager who secretly liked boys and power rangers. They accepted me.
Yoga has helped me separate my thoughts from the thing inside that sees the thoughts, and I'm able to remember I am not simply this body, not simply this mind. I am made of God-stuff, and so is everyone else.
Anyway, give yourself permission to laugh-- this life we have is, as Wilde said "too important to be taken seriously." The world is full of bullies, laugh laugh laugh. There is almost nothing more empowering than getting a taste for the comedic timing of this universe.

I fell and face planted everyday for a long, long time.
The left side of my body is distinctly unlike the right. The times I've broken ribs, the times I've broken my jaw, the rod that was in my leg after my car accident. The plates in my face and skull after the assault.
Every little bit of my history adds up to this body as it is, and I'm so grateful to have it... It is such a wonderful instrument for contemplation. By returning to practice time and again, a practitioner begins to notice where the imbalances are and can go into them to gently encourage balance. And, by going into the weaker parts lovingly, also a kind of acceptance of what is can take place. In the act of dispassionate curiosity built on love and wonder, the bodymind organism begins to thrive. The imbalances aren't the enemy. Neither is the mind, nor the body. They just are what they are-- and by concentrating and looking inside,a quiet spectacle of infinite bliss reveals her dance.

Hazy beach play time.

The still-drunk owl that thought she was hungover.

Leaving the drum circle...

Practicing dynamism -- working each vinyasa as a part of a whole.
Each dynamic position, each"count" in the vinyasa krama, has an infinite number of breaths that can be explored. But much like garment construction, you have to eventually piece it back together and hope it wears well. @rupaulofficial and @michellevisage would read you to filth if you came out on the runway in just a sleeve, but a well constructed frock gives you a polished look. Oh, sure, the dristhi might be off, or the hem of the skirt, but so long as you're keeping that waist cinched... Sorry. You know I get distracted by drag queens. Anyway.
Rolf told me to go practice in the afternoons on the beach. "Keep your back to the ocean, and work on your ticktacks. Many people learned that way." Playfulness is so important to me, and dynamism sparks just that.

Sprout let me try on his Manicorn cowl (it! has! a! cape!)-- he told me I could be a womyncorn if I wanted-- "the unicorn federation doesn't discriminate."

Sandy feet are easier to hold.

Today's check-in is from Ashtanga's advanced a section.

#Vishvamitrasana was so challenging to me that I didn't think I was ready to be working on it. it seemed so hard. I was left with a whole new world to research, explore, and discover.
Thank god for teachers like David and Rolf who encourage autonomy and agency... They reminded me that there is no room for shame or guilt in this kind of endeavor, while giving me the tools to practice lovingly and intelligently.
They trusted that I'd get my shit together.... And they didn't mind that it took a few years.
I am so grateful for the privilege of getting to be a student. Oh, I love Rolf, and oh I love Goa.

A selfie for mom 🙂

At @dcashtanga we've been taking pics of our mats when we practice away from the Shala. I have a week off from practice with my teacher, Rolf, so now I get to play along, too. #dcashtanga #kapotasana #ashtangay #ashtanga #kpjayi

I couldn't handle the cuteness. Elephant teapot wifi server.

On my walk back from dinner.

The view from my porch for the next week. Alright, Arambol, show me what you got.

Spent New Years with a crew of South Americans-- then hung out with some great Iranians. Man, I love world travel.