How it all began
In 2006 i'd broken up with the man whom i'd immigrated to Australia to be with it was a sad yet good move, I met my now husband too quickly after. A deep healing journey followed in India
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It was after this personal three month healing journey around Southern India, ashram time in Kerala and my first brush with āyurveda with my friend Lari and childhood friend Becky in 2006 that i embarked on my first yoga teacher training in Sydney in 2007. At the ashram practicing in a disciplined way twice daily made me feel emotionally and physically strong. The lectures awakened a curiosity in me that had been dormant since early childhood. The daily chanting at dawn cracked my heart open to a the great mystery of the divine.
In 2010 I then began studying yoga therapy to integrate my counselling work and yoga. I Stumbled across my teacher Dr NC when googling "Yoga therapy" an Australian women Madeline was going to bring him over from India to offer a three year Post graduate training, medical Doctor and 25 years of studying directly with TVK Desikachar it all seemed legit. So after my initial trip to the South of India followed by my completion of the Yoga therapy internship in Chennai I decided to organise a group trip pictured above. ------------------------------ Images From top left - Becky and I in 2006 , study trip 50 hours of Bhagavad Gita with Rama Swami, random tuktuk photo, headstands on mountains in Kerala 2014, my love joining me on retreat and the incredible meditation dome at Auroville, my dear friend Rebecca Blackman looking rather oily studying āyurveda 2016 ish in Kerala, second retreat to the south 2015, UK friend Ness and I 2017 ish, 2019 first trip to North India and my inaugural bathe in the Ganges with a few million friends. ----------------------------- A brave group of travellers joined me some of whom I'd never met and some I knew well including my dear friend Rosie from the UK, and my sissy Katie joined us towards the end. We travelled great distances, crazy bus trips up mountains in single file hair raising, visited too many temples, my teacher invited us to his home town Trichy and fed us on banana leaves. We got kicked out of temples and struggled with double beds when my Indian travel agent had no idea that westerners wouldn't be ok sleeping together in double beds. It was a great initiation for all of us! Like every trip to India I vowed never to do it or go again.. and yet here we are nine years later and it's happening again... holy cow. So many lessons, so many blessings. I am feeling tingles and the sweet taste that doing something so wonderful gives you.. adventure awaits. I have a few nights in Chennai before my guests arrive, I've got chanting classes booked, dropping into lectures with my teacher and rediscovering my favourite haunts and in this rather smelly Indian city. For me Chennai is my yoga home.. Om gam ganapataye namah My prayer, may obstacles be removed from our path and or may they teach us exactly what we need to learn. Love R x
So lovely ! Safe Travels 🌻