Fiji Day One

(I have limitted access so I will be posting in chunks :))

Yah so we are here in the beautiful northern side of Fiji in a town called Nadi. I love that it is called Nadi because it reminds me of the 72,000 nadis (subtle energy lines) that lay within the body. In Fiji there are three main languages spoken Fijin, Hindi, and Cantanies. Whenever I go to other countries I love learning the language of the culture. (I am planning on taking a Fijian language workshop while I am here). Although the majority of the people we meet our Fijin and greet us with ”bula” which mean hello in Figin. I love to respond by saying “Namaste” which is a Hindu term. But it is very fun for me to say this word that I normally only say at the end of a yoga class. Namaste can mean both hello and goodbye. However whenever I say it, to me it is a summary of the Anusara invocation:

Om Namah Shivaya Gurave: The sound of the universe (Om), I bow down, I honor and I offer myself to (Namah) to the Highest, the Auspicious one (Shivah), who is the weighty teacher, that is within my own heart and outside of me (Gurava).

Satchidananda Murtaye: Who assumes the forms of Truth, Reality, Consciousness, and Bliss (Satchidananda), this is the essence (Murtaye) of this Teacher that is within our own heart and that surrounds us every where

Nishprapanchaya Shantaya: This essence is never absent (Nishprapanchaya) and is full of peace (Shantaya)

Niralambaya Tejase: This one energy is completely free and does not depend on anything to exist (Niralambaya), and this essence is a radiant luminosity, and is sparkles from the heart (Tejase)

As I say Namaste to the people as a way to say hello or good bye, I am reminded of the Anusara invocation. Namaste is a recognition of the goodness, the inner light, that is always present and is full of peace within me recognizing that same goodness, that sparkles and doesn’t depend on anything inside of them. Namaste reminds me of the deep unity that underlies all the differences that we encounter.

Today we did lots of lying in the sun, enjoying lots of fresh veggies. I did a pretty intense asana practice in the sun, on the beach looking over the ocean. It was great. Lots of backbends, and really, REALLY deep lunges! I focused on deep lunges 90 degree angle at the knee working deep inner spiral while maintaining a low dorsal curve in the back (sign of thighs back).