At it again!

Leg number one of the next 6 weeks of life is underway. Charlottesville Virginia turned out to be a sweet little place. It’s one of those towns that most of us Canadians haven’t heard of, lumping the whole state of Virginia into something unknown and full of assumed American stereotypes. An interesting thing about Virginia is that it straddles the North-East and the South, having characteristics of both. Our moment there felt southern- hot and dry and incredibly friendly. Our show didn’t have the typical first show jitters/disconnected feeling either. While not being a rager of a show, there was a relaxed air to the whole thing that felt really good… and sweaty. Always a good omen to start a tour on a sweaty note. On another sweaty note I found a precious little ashtanga yoga community in town. A pretty, meandering walk from the main drag, Ashtanga Yoga Charlottesville sits above a Spanish restaurant in Belmont, which feels like the old country cousin to Charlottesville, although just a mile away. I took a class with the owner who’s been teaching for 20 years, and it was great, quality ashtanga- friendly small town in the south/northeast style.  

So I won that round of playing in America- fun show, good yoga, everything in walking distance. Not to mention the obsession with local food there- Charlottesville is somewhat of a hub of the local food movement in the North East. Which is good news for me, I’m one of those people who believes things taste better when I know where they’re from. Mmmm this amazing kale IS from that dreamy sounding local farm you have listed on your menu! No but seriously, they actually have more than one service that delivers local food from farms and suppliers in the area to your HOME… Oh incredible advanced and progressive consumer culture!!! You’ll never make it to Quebec!!!

So as I launch into writing this blog again from touring life, it seems worthwhile to do a miniature recap of the this last month. First of all, A MONTH has gone by!!!  Does anybody else feel like they’re chasing cars out here?! After New Orleans, I was home for a week, pulling the double life extravaganza teaching yoga every day at Moksha Montreal. Then, because I’m on a crazy mission these days, I took a teacher training with Kula Yoga NYC. Nine days of yoga school sleep-away camp for grown ups. Kula is a place I like to practice in NYC. I always come away from their classes really inspired, both physically and mentally. They weave a mind bending vinyasa sequencing style with nerdly precise alignment. And I as a new-ish teacher, am striving for that combination. So this was a good situation. Except that my voice was still hoarse from tour and I had only just finished doing a months laundry. Two lives two lives two lives….But anyhow, there I was, cramming this much desired information into my head and body all day every day. It was massive overdrive on all fronts. We practiced so many hours a day that by the middle of the week I felt like I had aged 20 years and was living with multiple injuries. But it was a training for improving as teachers, and our bodies were the guinea pigs- a necessary sacrifice. Needless to say, I returned home with a hoarser voice, sleep deprivation, and an alignment obsession ready to annoy anyone who’d listen. And after another week at home teaching everyday it was packing time again. A big bag full of wrinkles to drag around the summer festies. Aaaaah life out of a bag. This time I’ve added a fancy bodem coffee cup/press and a little metal food tin in a final attempt to make less garbage. I  shudder imagining the garbage trail behind me as I hop from country to country, cramming coffees and whatever into my mouth. So with good intentions and hopefully not immediate cup losing, I’ll do BETTER this time.  And by the same positive token, may these posts start cranking out in earnest. Tour can be a place where ideas brew and jokes become funnier and you get into this mode that can be fun to share, or it can be a total brain void. Nothing good to say and you don’t remember who you’re saying it to anyway. I want the good tour brain!!!

Here’s hoping the airports don’t suck my soul too hard…

Sarah.