Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Slow Food event in Schmiedleithen/Austria



A weekend spent in Schmiedleithen/Austria...........spent time with Irene Weinfurter.
Irene is a member of Austria´s swiftly expanding Slowfood movement and cherishes lessons learnt at the stove of Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, Berkley, California.
www.bookacook.at
Check out the event captured by Oskar:
All pictures from last weekend:
http://www.nix-wia-pix.com (Veranstaltungen aus dem Steyrtal)

Jessie Ann entertained the crowd with her beautiful voice and a wonderful performance..........www.jessieann.com

Monday, July 27, 2009

July 27 - after the morning meditation in Vienna

By trying to understand the other, I am struggling to understand myself.........be in an accepting mode which removes the desire and the struggle to understand.

Be fully present and in the moment to flow through life.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Coffee and a stormy night to watch Carmen in Vienna

Michael and I spent the evening drinking Mexican coffee, with cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla.......we chatted away as we remembered the teacher training and exchanged ideas about yoga, meditation the practice and teaching.......The decadent chocolate cake was worth every bite...........

As I ended a nice evening and said goodbye to Michael, I was anticipating the evening fun to continue in watching the opera "Carmen" at the Rathaus. Midway through the performance the wind started to pick up and Elsie commented that a storm was brewing, and maybe we will be spared........no soon had she finished her sentence the rain started. As we all ran towards the shelter, there was no escape from the gushing water that seemed to appear from the sky, and the the ground below was soon a stream of running water.....standing under a canopy with hundreds of others, all I heard was the roar of opera music combined with the squeals and roars of the crowd as the rain and storm gained momentum......in moments the scene had changed, on the screen and off the screen.......the realization of how fragile we are came back to me as I found my way to the Ubahn, taking respite for a few minutes at a cafe, and then continuing my way through the fallen trees, walking alongside the other wet bodies......... in the train the comment made by other wet passengers was "never seen anything like this before".

sprechen Sie Englisch? - in Vienna

The Austrian German has a softness in the pitch and sounds soothing.......

I feel a sense of freedom in not understanding a language......allowing me the luxury of not participating and responding to every comment and discussion........this freedom of not knowing, allows me to be ......

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Dinner with Eugenie and Tarek in Vienna

July 21

Last night I met Eugenie (Genie) and her son Tarek. Genie a New Yorker, married to an Egyptian and settled in Vienna. She is a world trekker, including K2, and mentions remote places in Pakistan not visited by many. She loves languages, and the exotic and ethnic dishes of the east......during the eating of dessert we moved on to asking Tarek, and his motor cycle accident in Spain. A cast on, to help heal the broken collar bone and wrist, he vividly described the moments leading to the accident..... his mind and physical state immediately after and with some amusement being moved to the hospital, the xray room, waiting to get some painkiller...... and after much discomfort, hearing the sentence "no trabajo" the xray machine was broken.

....the evening with Mehrus´delicious cooking, great company and the interesting conversation was all wrapped in beautiful music..........each moment of the evening nourishing the soul.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Starbucks to the rescue - in Vienna

July 20, 2009

I must confess that although I am not a fan of Starbucks, the coffee shop with its familiar brand and smell, and of course the internet access is very welcome today. One of the days when my energy keeps wanting to be back home.............the excitement of travel and so much more to see is loosing its charm. as I continue to realize that Life is now, each moment is now......the wondering is, is it a positive sign for a wandering soul to realize that I know who I am and others are who they are....and seeing new places is just a scattering of mental and physical energy.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Love for Bollywood - From Dagestan to Vienna

Almaz carries interesting stories, which she loves to share,....born in Dagestan, a former Russian, she now lives in Vienna .....yesterday we had a great evening together, celebrating a birthday with a good meal and watching videos of bollywood music and of course dancing.

Almaz says she grew up watching movies of Raj Kapoor and Nargis. It was fascinating watching her sing and dance to the Indian songs and music, when I asked if she understood the meaning, she said yes, she followed the language from reading the sub titles......in the middle of the conversation I started to listen to the movie dialogue, and wondered why I could not understand, realizing that the Indian actors were speaking German.........

Friday, July 17, 2009

Opening of hearts and home - in vienna

Through the word of mouth Sandra had heard about my yoga sessions last January in Vienna. I met up with Sandra early this week, and she was keen to practice yoga.

Yesterday I went to her beautiful home, after yoga I met Andreas her husband, an artist....... the beautifully renovated house was a reflection of his art. They both enjoy their home, one feels this in the warmth of the wooden floor, the clean lines, bright lights and the good energy, all an attestation of the comment I heard "we love to have our friends over"..........the same invitation has been generously extended to me to use their home to offer yoga sessions for the next few weeks of my stay in Vienna.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

In Wien - Austria

As I travel the appreciation for countries which have efficient and clear processes in place continues to grow.......

In conversation with different people, I listen intently, hearing each word, dis-allowing any thought, judgement and images to cloud my mind. As I look at people, I see the shifting of eyes, their body language and their tone.....I watch the emotional hijack by their amygdalla.........unawareness in many differing degrees.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

on train to wien - austria



July 11, 2009

I wake up to the sounds in the apartment, as I open my eyes and look at the clock, I remember that Rosa and Linda must be preparing to leave. I roll out of bed, rubbing my eyes to wake me up, and yes the two fo them are all packed, beds folded away, and we greet each other with Guten Morgan and a big smile………we have spent the last four weeks together, waking up silently and heading out the door at 6. Watching the young blossoming yoga teachers has been very inspiring for me. Both Linda and Rosa are two amazing young girls, at such a young age, to have a centered, loving and caring mindspace is very refreshing. I was both their mother and grandma, as they lovingly referred to me during the intense yoga training, admiring me for the physical flexibility and strength. Linda with her training in esthetics, nutrition and massage was our reference on any of those topics………….the culmination was the facial which Rosa and I received last night. She would be an amazing yoga teacher, her caring and gentleness is combined with compassion and a sense of responsibility………….


Rosa was the second mother to all, including me. Her energy and love just overflows as she takes responsibility and confidently ensures that everyone is being taken care of. Rosa is studying Psychology, and her face just lights up with a beautiful smile when she mentions her family or her favorite island of Spiekeroog………..


As we parted this morning with another last hug and kisses, it was not a goodbye, rather till we meet again. Maybe Amsterdam this fall where Rosa is studying, or Costa Rica in January and of course Toronto………


I look out at the beautiful view from the train window…………the river is flowing alongside the train, reminding me to flow as water and enjoy the present moment……..as the train snakes its way , mountains on one side and water on the other, I sit with my eyes glued to the window, humbled and in awe of nature and its beauty………..the houses along the waterway, flowers streaming down from the windowsills................ I am reminded of human nature, and people I have met in my journey through life…….some stand tall like mountains, allowing others to flow along; with love streaming down their being for all to enjoy…………the sun on my face reminds me how blissful this moment is….and I look up from the laptop and then there is another breathtaking view of the lake surrounded by a sprinkling of homes, sailboats and people, with strong and magnificent mountains in the backdrop…………and the journey continues as I decide to turn of the netbook and enjoy the vista.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Church bells are chiming in Bad Mittendorf



Some thoughts fill my mindspace as i walk.............The delphiniums stand, tall and straight…………..….the immovable strength of the mountains is a humbling backdrop to the delicate strength of the delphiniums.



We know what we know…………before forming an opinion review where the knowing originates.



This sunny Sunday is quiet and the morning air refreshing as I walk out with my bag, first stop is to get to the pub and sit outside to make the wireless connection…………I get lost in the moment when I see a field of cows, grazing in the sunshine, some of them already content and are enjoying the warmth of the morning sun. As I sit at my computer, the stream of moments change the time and space …………the world around me is stirring, the cars come out and the freshness and quietness both get polluted.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

yogis wanted to have fun

Walking to the morning yoga practice I looked at the overcast sky and thought another day of rain………later in the morning, we got a short break, as we walked out the sun was out in full brilliance……..Michael decided to put the music on, what followed was a tremendous burst of energy……it started slowly with Michael and rosa dancing, dodo and I followed with our tea in hand, nat was lying on the walkway soaking in the sun, moving with the music……..then the African beat penetrated our bodies and we danced with the energy which leapt from our outstretched hands towards the sky………..in gratitude for the warmth of the sun………….

Thursday, July 2, 2009

a day around yoga - Bad Mittendorf















when the morning practice ends the hungry yogi and yoginis rush to the kitchen and start making breakfast..........with all the energy contained after the yoga practice, each bite of the breakfast is as delicious as the moments spent in preparation...............

one day michael was seen opening his heart to the bright sunshine.....the rain had overstayed...........

during one outside session, scarlett and dodo were seen doing the double downward dog, which motivated irum and nat, and soon we had six doggies in line.........a sight to behold, brave scarlett was the first one, she has a strong back.........