Magical Goa trip..

zenwithelle
Feb 6
4 min read

What an incredible experience for SO many different reasons. Getting to experience Goa with my mum was something I never imagined would happen but I’m so glad it did, memories that will last forever! As for the Rocket training, wow, my body did not see that coming!

I don’t know about you but whenever I go away from home, I take a couple of days to settle in and especially in India, there is of course many cultural differences and unfortunately a lot of poverty which is something that no human should ever get ‘used’ to seeing. Many people that I have spoken to have said that the sadness of seeing the poverty would overwhelm them, but my view on it is that there is so much sadness happening all around the world and one person cannot fix it all but kindness and compassion goes a long way. In every conversation/interaction I had in India I ensured kindness was always at the forefront, I helped where I could and accepted where I couldn’t but that’s not to say that I didn’t find things difficult at times. I took a lot of comfort in knowing there are many organisations out there run by phenomenal people who are making it their life’s work to make a positive impact, knowing I can support them reignited my hope. There is ALWAYS something you can do, small actions can accumulate so you must never think you are entirely unable to make a difference. Now I know it’s going to sound a little cliché but South Goa really does have a magical energy, there is something about the environment that encourages you to fully embrace your surroundings and to let go of meaningless distraction. I remember one of our first evenings we walked down to the local beach (Patnem) to watch the sunset and I looked around and noticed not one single person was on their phone, everybody was totally taken by watching the sun disappear and whilst that sounds strange, it’s a rare sight to see hundreds of people united in being present. I felt this energy everywhere I went, people truly listened in conversation and seemed interested to know where you were from and what you were doing there, people were excited to tell you about their culture and wanted to share all of the magical places and nobody was ever in a rush which was totally joyful and definitely suited my timekeeping abilities! Experiencing all of this with my mum was truly special, we share a deep love of nature and wildlife which is in abundance in Goa so our early walks to find the toucans and the monkeys is something I will never forget!The first week mum and I used to settle in and top up our vitamin D lazing on the beach, pure bliss! The second week was when my 50 hour Rocket Training commenced, quite the difference from the previous week of laying horizontal on a sunbed. If you’ve never practiced Rocket before, it’s known as progressive Ashtanga and is designed to make some of the more advanced asanas available to all practitioners, it’s a strong and playful practice. I haven’t practiced loads of Rocket classes as there currently isn’t an in person class on the Isle of Wight, but the classes I had done I had loved and it really encouraged me to want to explore further. Lita sattva led the training and Julia Gavin assisted, both very inspirational women with a deep love and commitment to the practice. We started each day at 7am with a 2.5 hour practice, we then spent the middle part of the day doing a workshop which may have been centred around breathwork, hands on adjustments or handstands then we ended the day with another practice. I pretty quickly noticed that my body was going to struggle strength wise but I came to accept that early on and vowed to continue to try my best. One of my favourite parts of morning practice was seeing the strength of the other women in the room, every morning I left feeling inspired and in awe of their dedication to improve, a big difference to my previous teacher training 6 years ago where I would often leave feeling deflated and frustrated. I surprised myself on many occasions where I thought I was totally done but then managed to find another little burst of energy, it was a truly joyful experience and let me tell you.. svasana has never felt so good!

I left Goa feeling inspired to continue to develop my skills as a teacher and within my own practice, it reminded me once again why I adore the practice of yoga and how it is so much more than the physical asanas. ‘True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life’ – Aadil Palkhivala

So thank you beautiful Goa for another life changing experience, making memories that will hold a very special place in my heart forever! x