Yoga in Goa 2017

Goals

It’s been a goal of mine for a handful of years to earn my 200 Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) credentials. While October turned into a month of surprises and feelings of needing a break from life, I couldn’t think of a better time to runaway and chase a long-term dream.

Express That Visa

I booked my training and flight about four weeks from the day I was supposed to leave. That sounds crazy, but truthfully my closest friends would say this is not far off from how I usually make plans. The scariest thing was waiting for my visa. It finally arrived 24 hours before I was leaving the country; EEK! I’m so thankful the timing was just perfect enough, and I packed my bags (about 1 hour before leaving lol) and headed to India for the next 30 days.

The Arrival

When I landed in India I was exhausted from the long journey and instantly experienced a running list of culture shock. I went outside to look around for someone holding a sign with my name on it. As I stepped outside and took my first breath of non-airport air in three days, it was hard to breath and I was saddened to think this was the everyday quality of breath. I tried to go back inside, but the police officer guarding the door informed me once I exit the Goa Airport you are not permitted to re-enter, no exceptions. Outside there were wild dogs walking around in the mix of many people and very few clues to any system of loading and unloading passengers. (After a few days I would understand that organization just doesn’t exist in India and learned to kind of love it!)

The driver ended up wandering over to where I was waiting outside and at 2:00AM we made our way down to his taxi. He spoke very little English and as I walked around to the wrong side of the taxi (I forgot the steering wheel side change), I fell in the ditch. (lol!) The ditches are no joke in India, check out the picture to the right. This started the 90-minute drive in the dark with no traffic laws, lots of honking and zero communication from the driver. When we pulled down the road (pictured next), you can imagine I had a few worrisome thoughts. Would I finally have to use my 32oz hydroflask water bottle as a weapon to fight whatever was coming next!? As we drove down the dirt road, I was let out at a gate with a man sitting in a military looking suite. We also couldn’t use our words to communicate. I was gestured to sign my name in an entry book, and from there the man walked me in the dark down a path to a hut.

A blessing awaited, as my soon to be roomie woke up to chat with me at 3:30AM. Her positive vibes and welcoming made me feel like I was in a safe place. The next day I fell head over heels in love with Goa as I began to wander down the chaotic streets, meet the people and eat the food (SO GOOD). Over the next month I would do a lot of firsts, give up stuff I didn’t need, and get to know many strong, beautiful women who would share these new experiences with me.

Taking A Break

So what did I take an extended break from? Sitting in the New York airport as I write this, I find I’m experiencing a little bit of reverse culture shock being back. While I was India I gave up TV, this includes even checking weekend football scores. I see Alabama finally lost and Arkansas and Oregon got new head coaches, what?! Additionally, I gave up all meat and fish, hot showers (we didn’t have running hot water in our huts), we hand washed all our own clothes, we never went to the grocery store, cooked, or even stood in a kitchen. (I’m excited to pick this one back up and will be cooking lots of Indian dishes!) Weirdly enough, I never even saw a grocery store the entire month. With limited Wi-Fi, I also found my overall screen time was less than an hour everyday and it gave my mind and eyes a peaceful rest.

Yoga Every Damn Day

Each day Monday through Saturday 6:30AM-7:30PM we participated in classroom and practical yoga concepts; about 4 hours of lecture and 3.5 hour of practice with intermittent breaks. You better believe we jam packed our Sunday adventures from sun up to sun down and beyond (more on this next)! I was blown away by the knowledge and experience of the instructors. Their expertise was rooted in traditional yoga philosophy, history and some were even taught by teachers only a few generations removed from original Guru’s. I’m so thankful I was able to learn the traditional values of yoga from where it first started and how it has become what it is today. This experience has shaped my perspective and values on the type of teacher I want to be moving forward.

Trip Favorites?

1. OH THE FOOD. Oh yeah, I ate Indian food everyday. One of my favorite meals is pictured, and my two favorites found on most Indian menus I recommend are the paneer butter masala and paneer begum bahaar. Don’t forget the garlic cheese naan my friends and you can exchange the paneer for chicken if you are not vegetarian!

2. JUICEY JUICE. Every menu we had our choice of freshly squeezed orange, beet root, carrot, pomegranate, watermelon, pineapple and many more combinations to order. I turned juice into a staple appetizer at every meal. Maybe I need a juicer for Christmas, hint, hint!?

3. THE BEACHES. Goa is famous for their beaches and they didn’t disappoint. They’re surrounded by rolling hills of lush forests and amazing bird watching. I didn’t know this, but they have many types of eagles; I saw handfuls of bald eagles everyday. To put the bird watching in perspective, I got pooped on twice, but not to worry, the locals say it is good luck!

4. SILENT DISCO. I had to put this on my most memorable moments because it has been awhile since I’ve gone dancing and we danced for six hours straight. It was a blast and when the circle of life from lion king came on in the early AM people were pumped. Good Times.

5. TRANSPORTATION. I kind of have a phobia about driving since I totaled my car last January, but I think the chaos being in the India transportation system helped my phobia settle down. There is nothing quite like riding in a Tuk Tuk and dodging other cars, people, cows and dogs all at once. I also loved the feeling of freedom when we would take out the bikes and cruise the streets taking in the Goan culture around us.

6. THE WOMEN - I saved the best for last. You can think it is cheesy, but we were meant to share this experience together. We came from all around the world: Poland, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, South Africa, Chile, Germany, Finland, India and Norway. When else at the age of 30 do you get the chance to spend an entire month living and learning with total strangers? Getting to know them was such a blessing and now I truly have friends all over the world. I will make it a priority to stay in touch and visit you all; you have truly inspired me. A quote that reminds me of them and their strength: “Tell the story of the mountain you climbed. Your words could become a page in someone else’s survival guide.” –Morgan Harper Nichols

What's Next?

Well...I successfully completed the course and I’m going to start teaching more yoga! But more than that, I have new personal and professional goals for 2018 and beyond that have come to life from taking this trip.

· I’m going to connect two of my favorite things: movement and the outdoors. Stay tuned for new academic classes through PE & Rec this summer and for free adventure yoga classes under the Oregon Douglas Firs.

· I’m going to begin taking steps to start my own business to help other people find ways to self-care. More details to come on this BIG GOAL!

· I’m going to take more time to connect with real people, rather than allowing screens to be the main communication tool. Can someone please shut-off all email forever and take us back to talking face to face? I will even still allow FaceTime, Google Hangout, Skype, etc., but how about a no more email movement anyone?

· I’m going to travel A LOT more, Spain and Chile 2018!?!

· Lastly, I’m going to continue making my own self-care a priority and strive to be the strongest woman mentally and physically I can be. Only if I do this, I can be the best daughter, sister, friend, partner and leader for others.

THANK YOU

I want to thank my work family at the University of Oregon, PE & Rec, for supporting me to take this journey. I’m beyond lucky to work with such amazing colleagues that believe in active, balanced living, and what we do everyday. I also want to thank my parents for always helping and trusting my crazy plans in life; because of them I’m a tremendously happy and loving human being.

Much love to India and you all, Namaste.

-Jessica Lynn Graham

Jessica GrahamDecember 18, 20175 Comments

Blog: Re-Shaping Our 2018 Goals

Yoga in Goa 2017