My World According to Zena

Sunday, Domingo, a day of rest. I started my morning with yoga at the Nosara Institute with Danielle and afterwards came home and decided to do a little nesting. I cleaned, cooked rice and beans, made a salad, caught up my correspondence and took dips in the pool. My thoughts of yesterday traveled through my mind while I enjoyed the quiet and rhythmic movements of cooking and cleaning. Yesterday I woke up feeling energetic and ready for the day. Morning yoga with Karl was fun-Karl is somewhere in his early fifties, but looking like somewhere closer to thirty with a compact, muscled body clothed in nothing but baggy board shorts for class. He’s a total Venice Beach California guy and his classes are hard. There were about five people in the class who had never done yoga before, but they hung in there and tried everything Karl dished out. There was a lot of laughter. Afterwards I headed towards town, my backpack packed for the day. I ran into Schlomo on the street in front of his organic market, Organico. He was excited,they had just made fresh ginger candy and he was also high on the discovery of some new music. Schlomo is a Kundalini yoga teacher and he sings and plays devotional chants with his guitar. He was in the street because the day was so beautiful and his energy to “big” for the inside of his small market. He reminded me that there was a Kundalini class at the Yoga Spa, a retreat center high in the hills outside of town. For twenty dollars you get a ride out to the spa, a Kundalini class and a family style dinner. I told him I’d see him at four and continued through town stopping at Café De Paris for a coffee and mini quiche, the bikini shop to get fitted for a custom made suit, and Body Works to confirm a massage for my sciatica. When I walked down the steps from Bodyworks, I noticed the building next door was a doctor’s office. Curious, I walked in and inquired about the possibility of getting a shot to alleviate my sciatic pain. My friend Brenda the boxer told me that is what a lot of the yogis do, because apparently sciatica is a common issue among them. Five minutes later I was laying on an undressed table with my shorts down, the very young doctor asking, “When was the last time you had a shot in your butt cheeks? “ Me asking, “Are you a doctor?” He was and for thirty dollars I received a non-steroidal injection for my pain-no paperwork-fifteen minutes later I was on the beach. The day was perfect, dry and sunny. I gathered seashells, swam, read and wrote a little. At four I went to Organico Market to embark on a Kundalini adventure. People started gathering and by the time we were ready to depart we had three big vehicles full of people. The Yoga Spa is past town and on a piece of property that appears to be the highest elevation in the area. After a steep climb we arrived at a gorgeous facility perched along a cliff, panoramic views of the ocean and jungle canopy surrounded us. The rancho that we were going to practice in was a massive wooden structure with a tall peaked roof made of tightly woven palms, the wood floors and supporting beams were all hand hewn made of dark gleaming wood. We settled in and sat quietly for awhile, some of us peering over the precipice to watch monkeys eat leaves and hang from the trees. It was a first monkey sighting for some. Schlomo started strumming light chords on the guitar and then led us in a chant with just the word Hari. We moved into the sensual practice and fluid movement while the sun set on the horizon into the sea. Afterwards we all gathered in the outdoor kitchen where long wooden tables were set with placemats, cloth napkins and beautiful flowers and we shared a tasty vegetarian meal and good conversation. I jumped in the first ride down the hill so I could shower- I was still sandy from the beach- and dress for Gabby and Francella’s birthday. The party started at Il Basilica and was to move to La Banana and then the Tropicana. I heard the belly dancing music from the street and hurried into La Banana to catch the end of an exotic looking woman in full belly dancing apparel coming to the close of her routine. From the reaction of the crowd it must have been good. I had fun dancing with the girls for awhile and then realized the belly dancer was reading tarot cards after her show. I waited for on opening and sat down for a reading. With the cards shuffled and spread out on the table, Zena said, “Oh my, how emotional!” I just smiled. The first card representing me was justice. Zena told me she could see I was a strong and fair. The card over me signified a young man who was apparently causing me much strife. It went on from there with Zena telling me that this is a karmic relationship that spans many lifetimes and the negative cycle needs to be broken. She added that, “It is too hard for you, too much effort in this relationship to keep your balance.” The good news is the future projections had all of the best “love” cards in it. “So whatever happens” Zena said, “ It’s all going to work out for you, you are going to have the love you deserve” I skipped home in the dark kicking up gravel with my cowboy boots thanking the stars for such a good day.