Blue Skies Are Just Behind The Clouds......

A week away in Portugal usually conjures up an image of reliable sunshine and blue skies. It is November so no one expects sunbathing weather but at least a step up from home. However, we were greeted with monsoon like rainfall and freezing temperatures. We were lucky where we stayed as we only experienced a small flood in the kitchen but in places like Albufeira where rain this heavy is extremely rare, people's houses, business and livelihoods have been destroyed. These poor people have lost so so much.

Usually we are so far away from these kind of disasters but this one was so close and it was amazing to see all of our friends and some fellow yoga teachers gathering up spare clothes and food and taking them to the people who need it. The only thing we could do was donate and if you feel like you would like to as well then you can facebook "Albufeira SOS" or call: (+351) 918 552 139.

What is so incredible is the blue skies that follow the storm. The last few days of our holiday were beautiful and this place is unrecognisable from the grim, grey darkness that we arrived into. I see that as such a microcosm for life, the darkness comes and takes over, tears fall like rain pours and it feels as though the world will never be right again. Yet, it can and it will, the sun will shine down once again and there will be warmth in our heart. What we need to remember is that the sun never stops shining, the blue sky is always there it is simply the clouds that cover it which are just mist and pass as quickly as they came. Plus it is also important to acknowledge that we need the rain to feed the grass, the trees, the flowers that essentially feed us through their release of oxygen. This is mother nature's way of telling us that it is natural to experience sadness and down days but even those days are fruitful, as long as we can always remember what is really important and that the sun will most definitely be emitting its golden rays down upon us once again.

In my classes this week my students will be focusing on building core strength to eventually reach the peak pose of the class which is Bakasana (crow pose). Engaging all the abdominal muscles and strengthening the arms and shoulders will help to get the initial lift off and from then on, placement is everything! Below is a picture of me in crow (pre pregnancy haha).

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I'm still working on perfecting the "weightless" look and straightening out my arms.....it's going to be quite a few months before I can get back to working on my physical practice and then when the little baby is born my body will be different again. It's daunting not to know what I will be physically capable of within my body but I know it's actually perfect timing for me to go deeper into my spiritual and mental practice.

have a great week yogis!!

Namaste

Raquelle :)