back in toronto.......

......the flight back to toronto, was smooth........i spent the time watching two movies, and when the pilot announced the descent in to toronto, i caught myself surprised......where did the five hours go?.... which brings me to the thought "where did the last three months go?"

the saying "home is where the heart is", is very accurate, except, when the heart is in many places, and physical spaces, separated by large time dimensions, then could it be possible that one has many homes, and hence many hearts?......i am a heart, where life lives.

the summer in the city, smell of fresh cut grass, the quietness of the day, and the languid sunday........my heart is happy, and in this moment of oneness, there is only gratitude and joy........living in the past, longing for what is over, takes away the pleasure of enjoying what the present offers....i am here and now, and now is here.

Yoga Retreat at Rancho Margot - October 8 to 15

Yoga with Jackie Chiodo and Irum Naqvi


Location: Rancho Margot - where nature and nurture are one

Costa Rica October 8th to October 15th

Yoga at Rancho Margot will leave you with the feeling that Life is a journey and not a destination. The daily life at the ranch allows one to be in the moment……every morning dawns with the sound of the howler monkeys and the singing of the birds........it is an orchestra, sometime the sound of rain adding its own tune to the morning symphony.

Move through your yoga poses with the surrounding trees, flowers, and the magnificent magical mountain. The sounds and sights of the toucans, hummingbirds and butterflies help you to deepen your practice, each breath a transformation. Being in this space, will help you to surrender all the accumulated stress, tension and let you return to your natural state of being. As we surrender, we heal and bring continuous joy in our life.

If you are interested in a week of yoga to relax and unwind, then avail this opportunity, on the shores of Lake Arenal and the valley of the Cano Negro River. Whether you have never done yoga or you are an experienced practitioner of yoga, the transformation you experience will be profound.

Practice daily yoga and meditation sessions with Jackie, Irum and Frederick. Participate in a daily yoga session, Chakra and walking meditation, yoga nidra and a healing session. Enjoy your free time relaxing on the hammocks, kayaking on lake arenal, hiking to the Mirador, horseback riding, bike riding, zip lining or just getting lost in the rainforest.

Check this link and read what all Rancho Margot has to offer
http://www.ranchomargot.org/


7 nights......October 8th to the 15th

The following accommodation options include: 3 meals per day, pickup and drop off at the airport and a 2 hour ranch tour. All other ranch activities listed on the Rancho Margot website will be available to you at their cost.
The amounts are listed in USD.

1: Bunkhouse - single occupancy $ 970
2: Bunkhouse - double occupancy $ 900
3: Bungalow - single occupancy $ 1495
4: Bungalow - double occupancy $ 1195

Email:
irum.b.naqvi@gmail.com
or
Jackiechiodo@yahoo.com

love without borders

We had just finished the yoga session on the fourth chakra, lying in savasana, the final pose of yoga where all the doing becomes the undoing.   As the final surrender happens, many insights come to the surface...... often the feeling is as if one has come out of a fog, accompanied with a sense of clarity..........as  i lay in savasana,  the first thought that came up was "love without borders"

The definition of border relevant to this thought is "To confine within bounds; to limit."...............bounds and limits are again an outcome of the conditioning and the experiences we carry in our own book of life.  The continuous challenge is to monitor the thoughts supporting the conditioning and the resulting actions.   When one feels "love" for oneself, the definition of love changes.  There is "Joy", and this spills into all who you come in contact with.........attachments, labels and categories of love begin to dissolve, love becomes limitless and unconfined.

A colt looses his life to death.......the spirit lives on

the last two weeks at Rancho Margot, I watched how tirelessly the group worked, with only one desire, to help the beautiful baby colt stay on the side of life..........hovering between life and death......last night he succumbed, in the arms of all those beautiful souls..............that were helping him to live.....they held him close with their energy and support.......his spirit and soul is now mingled with the energy around....................i look up at faces, which are accepting and processing as they surrender to "what is"

May 3 - Pond deck at Rancho Margot - CR

i lie by the pond,
the watching and observing tie and untie me.....;
the swift gentle movement of the fish says - i swim and glide, in my moving, in my being.
i feel the breeze, the filtered warmth of the sun;
in the ripples of the water i see no edge, no conflict.
i close my eyes to be - 
the breeze,
the sunshine,
the water, the ripples,
the fish and the lotus flower............
the timelessness of space has dissolved the centre,
i leave the world of seeking and wanting - in my paradise i enter