365 Inspirations—300: Devil's Bridge, Sedona, AZ

"Pick the day. Enjoy it to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come... The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present—and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future."—Audrey Hepburn

First of all, I can't believe I've made it to post 300 on my birthday's eve! I seriously did not think I could make it this far, but I'm so happy I stuck with writing these inspirations because they've made a big difference in how I see the world and it's been nice to share them here with others too. I hope you have enjoyed reading them.

Today I saw the world from a very different perspective. I saw the world on top of Devil's Bridge in Sedona, AZ. This bridge was formed by red rocks and it takes your breath away to stand on it or see other stand on it. The drop off is severe and it makes your heart pound a little faster when you look at it.

Not only did we walk on it, we did yoga on it. It was a highlight to my day. Just the walk alone to Devil's Bridge was awe inspiring. We parked the car and walked about two miles through agave, cacti, junipers and other pine. The hot desert sun beat down on us, yet I did not feel hot, I felt energized!

I spend most of my days in Seattle, Washington and I'm finding that I really need the hot desert sun sometimes in the fall. I need to see the red rocks, the red dirt—even on my sandaled toes. I want to feel this earth.

While on the bridge, I moved my body into boat pose, dancer pose, and a few others.

I could feel my whole body vibrate. Sedona is a highly charged place. It's the land of vortices (energy centers). Sometimes I feel I need this climate to dry out, recharge and gain a new perspective.

Today was our last day in Sedona. We've done so much. We ended the day by driving up to a Buddhist   stupa way up in the hills and we all made three rounds around the stupa just as the sun was setting with the Tibetan prayer flags flapping in the breeze. We slowly wound our way down to the parking lot and our last stop was The Red Planet Diner, which seemed like a perfect ending to an out-of-this-world time.

Have you ever visited a place that took your breath away? Where was it?

365 Inspirations—298: Yoga on the Rocks

Yoga on the Rocks is my inspiration today!

This morning we hiked around Bell Rock, did some yoga and took pictures there.

In the afternoon, we scrambled up Cathedral Rock. These places are well known vortex spots and then energy is really strong, especially at Cathedral Rock. You can feel it throughout your body and it makes you want to draw that energy inward.

It's hard to sleep here on yoga retreat because the place we are staying in is up on a hill and surrounded by all these amazing rock formations.

We are on a yoga/hiking retreat here.

This post will be short because I'm off to the hot tub under the stars and then to the campfire.

Tomorrow we head to the Grand Canyon!

More soon from the land of red rocks.

Have you ever been on a yoga retreat? Have you ever been to Arizona?

365 Inspirations—297: Sedona Skies

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky."—Rabindranath Tagore

What a long day of traveling! We took a flight to Salt Lake City this morning, another fight to Phoenix and a two-hour drive to Sedona.

The best part: We arrived just as the sun was setting on the red rocks. Nothing like Sedona skies and sunsets. It takes your breath away.

My husband is leading a small yoga retreat here. On the way in, we stopped off at Tara Thai Restaurant for dinner, our favorite place from last year. We are staying in a condo at the Hyatt at Pinon Pointe for two nights and then on to another place possibly. We loaded up on breakfast/lunch food at the local organic grocery store called New Frontiers just as it was closing AND we made it back in time for a night dip in the salt water jacuzzi and a swim in the pool.

Tomorrow we will do yoga, hike one of the vortexes, swim and enjoy the great energy here.

Have you ever been to Sedona or the Southwest? What was your favorite place?

365 Inspirations—278: Yoga Retreat in Sedona in October

“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion."—Albert Camus

We are headed to the red rocks of Sedona again for a second annual yoga retreat.

My husband offered the retreat and there are some takers, so we are headed back! We still have a few spots left and are offering a discount, so if you'd really like to hike among some of the world's best known vortexes or practice yoga in a serene environment with wonderful people, contact info@yoonsyogabliss.com right away, and he'll hook you up with a wonderful fall retreat. We are going from Oct. 24-28.

The weather was perfect there last year and the hiking was superb. We usually take one day to visit the Grand Canyon and sights near there.

Our days will consist of:

• Wonderful, organic meals
• Hiking to well-known vortex points (Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, etc.)
• Daily yoga classes
• A picnic lunch trip to the Grand Canyon 
• A possible ceremony with a shaman atop the red rocks
• Time to contemplate, meditate and soak in the surroundings
• Time to wander around the sleepy town and shop

My birthday is on October 28th and I'm looking forward to waking up in Sedona, AZ once again. Please let your yogi friends know of our retreat or come along yourself. It will be a memorable one!

Have you been to any amazing places on retreat?

365 Inspirations—Eight: Sedona, AZ

"If we look at the path, we do not see the sky. We are earth people on a spiritual journey to the stars. Our quest, our earth walk is to look within, to know who we are, to see that we are connected to all things, that there is no 
separation, only in the mind."—Native American, source unknown

The rain in Seattle has its own beauty, but I've been dreaming about Sedona. Ever since I went there on a yoga retreat with my husband and two yoga retreat participants, I've been thinking about it. So much so that I thought I'd just pack up and go. Perhaps the rain and drizzle are getting to me. It's not the best time of the year to be in Washington State. The summers are perfect, but the winters...well, you have to be creative. I'm actually pretty good at dreaming up things to do and making my time fun and worthwhile, even when it looks like doom and gloom outside.

Have you ever been to the Southwest of the United States? It's a magical place and I highly recommend a visit to Sedona. You can read all about my time here in this post from October. 

I think what impressed me the most about Sedona was the breathtaking red rocks against a crystal blue sky. The perfect contrast.

There was something magical about the place. Sedona is known to have strong energy as a result of the vortexes under the earth that even cause Juniper trees to take on a twisted shape.

I highly recommend hiking at one of the vortexes. It's breathtaking in more ways than one. My favorite hike was the one we did up Cathedral Rock. We hiked way up to a spot with a view. I felt so much energy at that spot and thought I had found my home.

I will be back one day. (Picture above is a yoga shot with my husband in front of Bell Rock Vortex)

Have you ever visited a place that was inspiring? Where was it and what was about the place that inspired you?

ON TOUR: Yoga at Sedona's Powerful Vortexes and a Predestined Meeting with a Bicycling Buddhist Monk

Was it Sedona's powerful vortex energy that led us to this chance meeting of two Korean monks? Well, one is a monk and the other one is a former monk and my husband. Several months ago I received an e-mail from someone who had read a review of my book, Lessons from the Monk I Married,  in Shambhala Sun and contacted me about writing a book about a Korean Buddhist monk named Daeung Sunim who is bicycling across the Americas in what is called "Journey of Spirit." He started in Vancouver, Canada and is heading down to the tip of South America. He doesn't speak much English and is depending mostly on the generosity of others to see this trip through to the end. While the story sounded intriguing, I didn't feel I had enough connection to the story to write a book about it. However, I did mention to the person who contacted me that I'd write a blog post about this monk's story. That was weeks ago and I still had it in the back of my mind that I would write something, but never found the time.

Last weekend, my husband was leading a small yoga retreat in Sedona, AZ. He wanted to take some of his students to the vortex locations in Sedona and practice yoga and meditate there. What is a vortex?  Apparently, a vortex is the funnel shape that is created by whirling fluid or energy. Hurricanes and tornadoes are well known vortexes, but there are also vortexes of energy under the earth. In Sedona, there are four main energy vortexes where magnetism has been measured to be the strongest. Even Juniper trees near these vortexes take on a strange twisted shape and appear to have responded in a physical way to the energy at these sites. This is a photo of a twisted juniper tree at Cathedral Rock Vortex and there is a view of Bell Rock Vortex in the background.

We practiced yoga and meditated at two of these vortexes. I definitely felt a flow of very subtle energy while hiking on these rocks and practicing yoga. I also felt grounded, connected, happy and at ease. Before hiking up onto Cathedral Rock, we made our own human yoga vortex down below. The view was tremendous from the top of Cathedral Rock. It absolutely took our breaths away. We didn't want to come down from the top and stayed up there for quite some time. Below is a picture of my husband and me on top of Cathedral Rock.

We ended our day with so much energy. I felt so happy and fortunate to have this experience and it was my birthday weekend too, which made it all the more special for me. The next day, with all the energy we were still feeling, we decided to go to the Grand Canyon. My husband and one member of our retreat had never been there, so we set out on a two and a half hour journey from Sedona to the Grand Canyon. 

In the car, I started to tell a few of the retreat members about the Buddhist monk who was bicycling across the Americas. I mentioned how I thought he was probably in the Grand Canyon area too because I had seen information about that on his Facebook Fanpage. Less than an hour later, we were making the turn onto the freeway that would take us to the Grand Canyon and I spotted a man on a bicycle. He was covered from head to toe, including his face, in order to protect himself from the wind and sun. I drove past him and then just put on my brakes. 

"That's him!" I shouted. 

I could not physically see if it was him, but I felt it. I felt it at the very core of my being that this was the monk who was riding his bicycle across the Americas. I pulled the car over to the side of the road and told my husband to tell him, in Korean, how I knew who he was. The monk was just astonished to see us and to be speaking Korean to a former monk brother. We hugged and smiled and talked. There was a great energy exchange between us all. The monk seemed relieved to see us. I don't know if he had had a particularly long and lonely stretch of highway before he met us, but he seemed so happy to see us. He took a picture and then we all took pictures. We gave him an apple, orange and some trail bars and wished him the best of luck on his travels and we left him to make his "journey of spirit" on his own. I was smiling all the way to the Grand Canyon. I could not believe I had met this gentle soul who I had heard so much about. Who knows if it had anything to do with the vortexes or the energy of the place? What I do know for sure is that this was not a meaningless coincidence. My husband is quoted in my book as saying, "When the time is right, we will meet the people we are supposed to meet." I couldn't agree more.

ON TOUR: Book Review in Shambhala Sun and a Yoga/Writing Retreat in Sedona

So I'm not technically ON TOUR anymore, but there are some tour stops coming up on the horizon. I think the next one may be Phoenix, Arizona in October, but I'll keep you posted on that. It's been a busy week, but somehow I got through it. I've got so many projects and ideas on all burners. I can't share yet, because they are sort of half-baked, but I will soon. I can share some other news though.

Yesterday I was feeling a bit tired after work and my husband suggested that we go take a 3-mile walk around Greenlake. When the weather is nice in Seattle, you really don't want to miss out. So after our walk, I wanted to stop by PCC, our local grocery store, to get a Kombucha, some red grapes and check if the latest issue of Shambhala Sun was on the magazine stand yet. Lo and behold, it was. I picked it up and began flipping through it. Mind Waves on Page 39 caught my eye. How curious that Shambhala had decided to reprint an excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki's book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. It was one of the first books I read about meditation and I mentioned it in my book, Lessons from the Monk I Married. I continued flipping through the pages and there is was!

A review of my book was on page 83 of the September 2012 issue of Shambhala Sun and it was a good one! Here's a little taste of the review:

"Lessons from the Monk I Married is travel writing at its best. It takes us deep into another culture while documenting a profound inner journey."

Well, I have to say, it was the perfect ending to my day!

In other news, we are gearing up for another yoga/writing retreat October 25-28 in Sedona, Arizona!

We had twenty participants on our last yoga/writing retreat at The Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island, WA and excellent feedback, so we've decided to carry on with these. If you are interested in joining us on this retreat, please contact my husband Yoon at info@yoonsyogabliss.com. The retreat is filling up and we are offering 20% off if you register before August 15th (The poster says July 30th, but we've extended it). That date is fast approaching, so don't miss out on this great deal.

Yoga and writing are the perfect combination, in my opinion. Yoga helps one to go inward and often that is where we find our best writing.

Best writing has nothing to do with being perfect, it has to do with uncovering and discovering what we are meant to do and/or meant to write and share. On our last retreat, not everyone who attended was a yogi or a writer. That was not so important. But by the end of the retreat it was clear that everyone had gotten in touch with a deeper part of themselves. They had new clarity on the direction they wanted to take and yoga, writing and collaging were tools we used to get us there.

On this retreat coming up, we get the added beauty of Sedona, Arizona—red rocks, a labyrinth, a sky full of more stars than you knew existed, a full moon, beautiful fall weather, hikes to several vortexes, river wading, organic vegetarian meals, meditation....and of course yoga and writing! I can't wait and I hope to see you there!

I'm going to really try and post once a week! Read here for all my posts on yoga and here for posts on writing.