From MTL to QC
How did I end up here?
I now live in the Midwest with my husband and daughter. Needless to say, I did not plan to end up here. But life sometimes has a way. After teaching in Rishikesh for a while, I decided to practice with another Ashtanga teacher I had been hearing about, Balu Thevar. I had another month in India, so I traded the chilly mountain for the hot and humid seaside of Goa. But what really made that place special was Balu. He is ABSOLUTELY amazing. He has a gift for seeing bodies and knowing exactly how and where to push them (metaphorically and literally). I actually came back the following season to learn the art of adjustments for a couple of months with him, and I hope to do it again one day.
Slipping Drishti
On my second day practicing with Balu, I noticed a handsome American man practicing next to me. But I brought my drishti back to my mat. I’m here for Ashtanga, not to meet another man. I think. No, no, no, focus young lady, don’t waste any of this precious time you set aside for Ashtanga. Thinking about a guy is great; it’s exhilarating, but it’s also very distracting. Now was not the time. But I looked again… just for a moment… Yeah, very handsome man… Exactly my type… And on top of that… Ashtangi!
Mister A
March in Goa is heavy, humid, and practitioners are leaving one by one. It’s just too hot. But my ticket home was at the end of the month, so I was going to sweat in Balu’s shala until that day and learn as much as I could. Mister A was also one of the last practitioners of the season, so we actually got to know each other a little bit. I stayed true to my dedication, kept my attention on my mat, but we did share a few meals and very interesting conversations. The day I left, he offered me a book, a hug, and we wished each other a good life.
A Year Later
A full year later, we reconnected through social media… And now, the timing was perfect. The connection was real. I was still working as a boom operator on movie sets in Montréal; it was very easy for us to travel for months at a time, practicing Ashtanga everywhere in the world. A few years later, he put a ring on my finger, a baby in my belly, and we moved to the Quad Cities.