Well for me there is the days when I stick with my routine, this is most days during my time here living in Goa.
Let me run you through this day first because what's interesting telling you about the days I lay in bed till gone noon and eat Oreo while binge watching movies ? Nothing right?
I wake around 7:30/8 each morning - of course I would like to wake earlier however due to our partnering commitments we don’t hit the sleep till gone midnight most days and this lifestyle does not permit us to wake at the crack of dawn however much we would like.
I start the day off by taking a morning lead Primary series Ashtanga class before anything else.
If I manage to wake by 7:30 the very first part of the day is spent cleaning the apartment that I share.
If I'm not taking part in / leading a class, cleaning or taking a big old sleep in you will find me preparing the Plant based desserts for the Latelier restaurant located onsite at Anahata retreat. These desserts have been on the menu since November and every few days they have sold out permitting me to come into the kitchen and create a fresh new batch every few days !
After class, cleaning or dessert making I personally fast most days until at least beyond midday and sometimes stretch it until after 3pm.
I find that including this within my routine makes my mind feel alert, makes my body feel light and during the time when I don't take in food all my weaker cells are being consumed as energy!! Yey self renewal process!
I take a shower and do the final bits that need to be done for that day (small duties, nothing worth and so vast tasks to detail in this writing). I then take myself onto the beach - we are so lucky to live mere feets away from one of the most secluded and quiet parts of the goan beach strip in ashvem beach.
Its funny. Sometimes when we have something readily available to us we find that we never appreciate it when it is there. So when I arrived it seemed we spent so much time on the beach but very quickly this was dropped and I found we lived at the beach but didn’t visit for over a week ... it was then that I said while I live here I would be making a conscious effort to, sometimes drag, yes, drag, myself to the beach at least a number of times a week - Since then that is exactly what I have done and I am three months in and most days you will find me taking a daily walk along the beach.
So, I go to the beach for around 2km of walking. This is where even if I don't do anything else I'm at least a little moving my body and getting vitamin sea, D and to have the sun dry & lighten my hair naturally, well with a little encouragement from lemon juice application.
After this I usually run some form of errands whether to be buying and replacing the fresh flowers for the cafe, making vegan dessert or stocking the house full of fruits and vegetables.
After the walk I usually take myself down to Hoops Cafe, I sit and by this point I am usually feeling the need to eat! I either wait for the staff food of the classic, simple but oh so delicious, dahl & rice and I usually bring in with me a pre made salad or I find If can’t wait until 3:30 I make myself some oats or sometimes a mini vegan waffle with pineapple, banana, honey & chocolate ohhhh and of course some peanut butter!!! Yum.
Around 2-4 I sit in the coffee shop. I’m either preparing for the Yoga class I take at 4:30pm every day at Anahata retreat or I am having a Russian language class which I usually have every Monday and Wednesday.
At 4 - 4:15 I usually make my way over to Anahata to set up the ocean view Shala ready for the students to take their Yin yoga session guided by myself and between 4:15 and 4:33 the students begin to arrive and settle.
Every day is different sometimes there are sixteen students and other days there can be two, one or even none. Each day is different, and you never know the numbers that you are to expect. So I try not to expect and wait and see what the day has dealt me.
The session finishes up just before the sun hits touch down and once the class is finished I’ll take a walk on the beach or head back to Hoops coffee to see if the guys need anything.
By the time the sun starts to go down my energy also starts to deplete as my day finally starts drawing towards a close.
If I feel like it I take myself to the gym where i work my legs, my tummy and do some overdue cardio !
In the evenings I even spend a little time reading or working at the coffee shop with a coconut Piccolo or flower tea (my favourite is lavender and coconut with a hint of vanilla syrup), sat in candle light and watching the passers and stoppers by before usually taking myself home for a number of hours of my personal Yin yoga practice that takes place either on my living room floor or my bed.
Around 9pm if I haven’t got any plans with friends, I take myself home were most evening I make a beautiful, well rounded meal. Some nights of course we dine out and I take the night off cooking but really, I like how we eat, I like what we consume, and I love that each night we sit on our balcony with candle light eating and appreciating our food and one another.
The dinner usually consists of a large salad bowl with many favoured layers such as olive oil, tabasco, salt and lemon with a small drizzle of coconut oil and finished with Seasonal figs (while they last) and white sesame.
The main is stir-fried green vegetables with honey glaze and smoked with tamari with either a small side of pasta or brown rice.
Of course, we finish most meals with desserts - I couldn’t live without dark chocolate and my evening chamomile tea and coconut milk.
Then, it’s time for us to crash, we usually do this anytime between 10:30pm and 1am depending.
Before I know it the days start again, of course every day is different but over all you get a little bit of a clear idea as to what the day in the life of me in Goa looks like.
Some days I paddle board some days I skip Yoga and lie in, some days I dread going to teach and others I can wait to get there and share what I know in a space that I love to work. Some days I create, sometimes I'm taking part or organising a photo shoot!
Sometimes it a little too much and sometimes I feel that it isn’t enough.
Some days I might mix it up and take myself on a ride of out the village, sometimes I stretch for three hours while practising Yin.
As you can see some days I’ll write, and others I'll read.
Overall the time here is interesting, for sure, and others I find it is a bore.
It’s funny.
When it comes down to it, no matter what I am or I am not doing, no matter how I feel towards it. I keep going, I keep doing it and try to make it the best that I can make it. An on the days I can’t give or do my best I always find forgiveness from myself to myself as no matter who we are, what we are doing, our roles or our status sometimes the grass seems that little bit greener on the other side to the very thing that we are living day to day.
To finish, let me say there are a few days throughout that I don’t do very much at all, they are my few and far between rest days. Recovery or rejuvenating days. These days I sleep in till the afternoons, sit on my balcony or swim at the beach or go for a lazy late lunch somewhere tasty like Bean me Up, Prana Café, Wigwam, Hoops or Joy Restaurant in Ashvem. – These are some of my favourite spots!
An there are other days which hold not much balance at all, the days where everything is happening at once and I am back to back. These days are few but do come around at times and if a day like this presents itself, I do tend to have a lazy day to follow to balance it out - otherwise I would for sure, burn out!
Overall the days are passing well. My time in India comes to a very brief end as we take a trip to Thailand for a close friends wedding celebration before we return for a further two months to see out the end of the season 2019.
So I will continue to enjoy because like most things this also is temporary and we should continue to appreciate and find gratefulness everyday. Whether balanced with tasks and relaxation or whether flat out for a short stint in the field of your passions or whether its you taking one of those days just for you and no one else.
Enjoy, Appreciate, sit back at times and watch the beautiful unfold before you. Each and every day that goes by so quick.