Anusara Yoga Teachers Christina Sell and Christy Nones teach in Miami, F...

A few days ago I wrote a lovely blog about friendship in yoga- inspired by my visit to Miami to stay and teach with Christy Nones and it was lost to cyberspace when I posted it, which was a bummer. Other than the frustration of losing the post, the time I used to write was really the only opening for writing that I knew I would have in my schedule for a few days. So here I am a few days later, sitting out on the deck at our hotel in Key Largo enjoying a lovely ocean view after a dip in the water with a few moments to write.

We had a great time in Miami. It was Christy's birthday on Thursday when we arrived and she had a party at her house that me and Kelly attended for a while, which was fun. I am not a big party person in general but I enjoyed seeing Christy in her "natural habitat" and not at a yoga workshop and meeting some of her local crew. I think maybe I used to like parties more than I do now, but as my work has increased and expanded and has involved more and more interactions, I find myself enjoying quieter down- time and less social environments than I used to. Who knew teaching yoga would feel so social?! It was however, a wonderful gathering with great food and good company.

We had a relaxing morning practice on Friday, a dip in the ocean and then we taught a flow class on Friday night, which was fun. Saturday we taught two sessions- a group practice and a hip-opening class. It was a lovely, sweet schedule with no stress and great students. This is my second trip to South Florida this year and I have found the students here a lot of fun and very receptive, which I always appreciate.

Christy and I got to talk shop a bit which is usually the case when you get two certified teachers together. It's interesting how different yoga communities are across the country and how people's teaching styles grow and change in response to the environment in which they live and teach. For instance, my work in Austin is full of teacher training and our yoga community is filled with ambitious, aspiring teachers and students whereas her window into local teaching is different. She certainly is a great teacher trainer- its not that- it's just when I look out into a public class, half the room is yoga teachers which is not the case for her so understandably, she and I think about a local class in different terms. So that was fun to explore in conversation and to think about.

I have had lots of food for thought this last month in fact. My schedule had me criss crossing the country a bit, and changing time zones and in so many diverse climates and cultures, each one with powerful teachings and experiences. I am filled with insight and inspiration as a result and I am happy to have a few days of down-time to process, unwind a bit and allow for some digestion and assimilation. I do not feel stressed by it though- it's mostly that the richness of each experience has given me so much to work with and to put into practice. Swimming around in an ocean looking at pretty fish seems just about right.

Speaking of which we had hoped go scuba diving this afternoon and when we got here and checked in at the dive shop they told us that it was very windy with big swells and not exactly the best conditions for novice divers like ourselves. Of course, they left the choice up to us but I was pretty clear, I wanted to have a fun intro to the ocean not an epic experience fraught with challenge and difficulty. We took the afternoon to get moved in, to go snorkeling and to read and rest. A wise choice, I think.

All right then, that's the general update for today. More tomorrow.