I love to travel. It’s always inspiring to observe how other people live. In South Africa is summer time, so this trip to this most beautiful country made the winter shorter. I also don’t need the hectic that I experience here before Christmas. Everybody seems to be downtown to shop. Often discounts are offered when you buy even more stuff in another departments. To sum it up: I had very happy days in Cape Town. The sun was shining. The wind was blowing. The people were friendly.

This time I keep practicing, I thought. A few times I practiced, but most days I didn’t. Hotel rooms are often too small. I could have put my mat in the tiny corridor. On the right side would have been the bathroom. I was conscious that this was the entrance, nobody puts off the shoes there. I was not invited to practice. It tells me that it’s important to have a clean place. To take care of the environment and to keep it clean and simple is important.

I’m back since yesterday and I can reestablish my elaborated routines. I get up at a decent hour, that is 6am or 7am and prepare a cup of coffee for myself. I sip my coffee while writing my journal. After a while I feel awake. In the meantime my dear E is up, too and we have breakfast together. Usually I have some fruit and soy yoghurt, 2 or 3 nuts, oat flakes and a tiny spoon crushed flaxseed. I don’t practice at once after breakfast, but as it is a tiny breakfast I feel ready to bend and twist.

It’s not the early morning when I step on my mat, but it’s still before lunch time.

After every break I usually overstretch my hamstrings. Back bending feels nightmarish. I curse. I regret not having practiced more often. I try to take it easy. The breath is important, I tell myself, not the fancy asanas. But I like the fancy asanas. Next time I’ll practice more often I promise myself. Will I?

What counts is NOW. I’m looking forward to my probably exhausting practice. I’ll curse because I got so weak and stiff. I admire all yoginis who keep practicing also when traveling. For me it’s hard.

I know that I’ll be more than happy after having practiced.

Important is to return to the mat, again and again. So, don’t give up. I won’t give up either. Soon a new decade will begin. This is super motivating. :)

Thank you for the likes on Facebook. Thank you for reading. This is motivating to keep writing.