The holidays, as I’ve started getting used to, went by in an exceptionally peaceful way. There were no explosions, arguments, or misunderstandings, which just a few years ago would have been completely unbelievable. I spent Christmas Eve and the first day of the holidays at home. After the dinners and lunches, I went for walks to burn off a bit of the excess grub that made its way into my system. Then, on the morning of the second day of Christmas, I left for a yoga course in Charbrowo near Leba.
Me in the Virabhadrasana II pose, SenSey in the tree pose. What happened there exceeded my wildest expectations (even though I’ve been collaborating with the yoga school for a few years now, this was my first actual contact with practicing). Once I got there, I decided to practice as best as I could (which obviously doesn’t mean I did it well). I didn’t know my large-sized body could do some of the things it did on this course.
World turned upside down and standing on my head
My world turned upside down. At first, the only pose I was good at was Savasana (the relaxing “corpse” pose). Later, I started liking Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II) and the tree pose, which I already knew how to do (or at least I thought I did). But doing a headstand topped it all (which in my case, due to my weight, wasn’t a headstand but a shoulderstand, but my legs were up in the air anyway). My only regret is that I finally managed to do it for the first time on Friday (the second-to-last day of the course). On the flip side, I couldn’t wait for the final class on Saturday. I also did a backbend on Friday, which I couldn’t pull off on Saturday, so I don’t have a photo, but you have my yogi’s honor.
Vegetarian feast and a little meaty sin
The cooking crew and me. We’ve talked about the exercises, so it’s worth writing something about the kitchen, because it was fantastic. I’m not a typical herbivore, commonly known as a vegetarian, or in extreme cases, a vegan. But the food on the course, where the only animal products were eggs in the pasta and cakes, was simply outstanding, thanks to our wonderful chefs. Truth be told, I did occasionally cast an envious glance at Fiona the dog’s bowl when meat made an appearance, but I stayed strong and didn’t snatch any. On the last day, thanks to the kindness of the kitchen staff, while everyone was wolfing down lunch (which featured banana-stuffed crepes drizzled with delicious cream for dessert), I made myself some scrambled eggs with beautifully glazed onions and pork tenderloin (the official version is that it was bell pepper :P) and made everyone’s mouth water with the aroma wafting through the dining room :-).
New Year’s Eve yoga course, Charbrowo and walks around Leba
A little stroll with Agatka. I welcomed the New Year by a bonfire, drinking just one glass of champagne for the entire party. During the bash, there naturally had to be some yoga surprises prepared by Agatka (with Koji’s help) and games hosted by Monika. I’ve already mentioned the kitchen, but I’ll say it again: the food was first-class. It’s a pity that Lidzbark Warminski isn’t just a short walk from Ursus, because I’d totally drop by for some grub ;-).
Me and Koji. If I wasn’t practicing or eating, I was either driving to Leba to walk by the sea, or spending my time chatting with Koji Kamoji about all sorts of Polish-Japanese topics (Koji, as promised, HERE is my website in Japanese 🙂
A few stats to finish off
A few stats: I spent 8 days on the course, practiced yoga for 24.5 hours, ate a mountain of vegetables and three slices of tenderloin, drank hectoliters of Indian tea and more. I took 1,086 photos, drove 1,018 kilometers, and sweat so much that I fear the recent blizzards and snowstorms are the direct result of my workouts. I met 25 wonderful people and 2 equally wonderful dogs.
During the course, it turned out that: I am the illegitimate child of Iyengar, age doesn’t mean much with the right exercises, Leba is way cooler in winter than in summer, I can boldly bend my body, and Polish parts are just as good as Japanese ones.
More photos below 🙂