Return to Paradise

That Glorious Stretch of Beach & Bass Beats
I am in Goa again, at Palolem - the same party-hard beach I wrote about disliking so much a few months ago. What a difference time and circumstances can make! This time I return to a place that is familiar - something rare on the road that warms the heart in and of itself - and to the friendly faces, warm smiles and welcoming hugs of many travelers I met on my last stay and who seem to never move!

Yesterday I explored a beautiful beach called Patnem, slightly south of here and a beautiful place, and today I will check out a stretch of sand called Agonda - one of these two will win the grand prize of hosting Kristin (my younger sister, who arrives tomorrow) and I for a good portion of the next two weeks.

I have a good feeling about Agonda, as it is reportedly relatively undeveloped - which means it should be "boring" enough to keep away the drugs and alcohol crowd - and apparently has an Osho center that does Satsang (teachings) every morning.

I am pretty sure that Kristin and I are on the same page regarding activities over the coming weeks, which can be summed up as reading, drinking lassis, swimming, eating Palak Paneer (spinach cottage cheese) and veg curry, and talking about life and the world as the sun sinks into the sea - lather, rinse and repeat!

Me. Myself. And Why I am Here
As for me, I am in a pretty good place now physically and mentally. Some of you know that I was hospitalized for a few days again last month, but I have bounced back fully and am into a regular yoga and pranayama practice that I feel good about.

But the health alerts on this trip do make me think about what I expected from this trip, which was - to be embarrassingly honest - a "yoga miracle" (as I have written about in previous posts).
Well, if i have had a miracle it is in a more subtle sense than the classic "water into wine" deal that the world immediately conjures in our minds. I have learned new practices and precepts that will make life a miracle everyday if I am diligent in their application - which means incorporating them into everyday life when I settle into Nova Scotia in the not so distant future.

So don't expect an entirely "new" me - but even if I look relatively the same, don't doubt that it is an "improved" me!