Day 1 Yoga Retreat!! Waking up fresh and ready for a new day of discovery is something I should feel everyday whilst travelling but today is extra special. First thing I noticed was that I wasn't hungry at breakfast (partly due to not doing exercises this morning) and that a drink of tea did me for the first hour before taking a more solid breakfast. This retreat for me is about getting my health - all aspects of it back inline. I walked into town - a short 5 minute stroll and brought some fresh vegetables and water before making my way back to the retreat for our 9am start. Amazingly 16 people turned up when only 5-6 of us had organized to do the full month stay - a very nice surprise. Our teachers were Kyle from England and Jennifer from the USA - both fresh out of teachers college and full of energy and great vibes. The first session was about meditation (something I have found difficult to keep up) we started from the very basics (sitting, posture) and slowly made our way into the first meditation session that lasted 20 minutes. My mind wondered constantly but I became witness to this and was able to draw myself back by following my breath. The second session was the Hidratha yoga and this was amazing and I learned more in the next 1.5 hours then I had in all my practice with yoga. We started with the breath, followed with a warm up session that really got us warm and ready and then went into the poses that we felt in every inch of our bodies and held for prolonged times. The teachers were so good at expressing where to place our bodies, what to focus on and what were the aims of the poses. My mind wondered ever so slightly but with my breath I managed to pull it back and felt myself becoming more conscious of all my thoughts, feelings and environment. The third class was the most exciting and involved a lecture about everything we were doing and what we would be doing over the next month. The lecture was so enlightening, entertaining and so relevant to me that my mind ceased to wonder and excepted that I needed all this information and calmed. The class ended and we all stood around talking about how wonderful the first day had been and how anyone that wasn't sure at first was now sure they wanted to continue with the practice. I made myself a fresh salad and tortillas for lunch which seemed to be perfect for my stomach issues. The rest of the afternoon I chatted with new friends, had a walk around the small town and spent some time down on the dock enjoying the beautiful view of the lake. In the evening I got stuck into a nice book and made some boiled vegetables and tortillas for dinner - perfect day.

OBSERVATIONS:
- Day 1 Hridatha yoga
- Peacefulness for the first time in years