someone handed me a rose

After the wedding Jes and I decided to find a nice quiet place to relax and retreat. We stayed at a the Gopinath Bhavan temple in Vrindavan, India for about a week.

It certainly was a very spiritual space and it gave us time to disconnect from the digital world and connect with our inner world. My days were spent mostly alone relaxing, reading, doing yoga, eating the healthy vegetarian meals they provided for us, and working on my photography.

After 20 years of taking yoga classes, I finally started my own personal morning practice too!

Here is Jes’ more detailed blog post about our week at the women’s ashram.

the highlight of my stay was meeting Tungavidya Devi Dasi, the lovely director of the temple

my room

electricity went out at least once a day, so I would often read by candlelight

we ate our meals on this simple floor

there is a river right outside the temple, but I preferred the cool marble rooms of the temple

I met these lovely ladies at the market in Vrindavan, India.  They make garlands all day for the deities at the temples. As sweet as their flowers, they smiled for my camera while they worked. I guess it is a good business since there are 5,000 temples in Vrindavan!

view from our room

morning light

breakfast!

Monkeys!

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of  my yoga practice.  It is a sacred gift I carry with me wherever I go.  My mother introduced me to the benefits of yoga when I was a senior in high school, and we would go together every week.  We loved the teachers at Jivamukti Yoga in the heart of the East Village, when it was still a small studio.

I was very excited to finally take a class in India, the true birthplace of yoga.  Sadly, Jes’ favorite teacher Vijay left town so it was not the class we were expecting.  Even an average yoga class is better than no practice at all, right? It is a total treat to do yoga outside on a rooftop with gorgeous views of coconut tress and crazy crows spiraling around the sky.  It made me forget about the hustle bustle of motorbikes and tourists and pushy shopkeepers downstairs.

I also rarely get to have a nice long class in New York, this one was over 2 hours!  Most of the deep stretching (my favorite part) happens in the last part of class, and this often left out because of time constraints.  It made me miss practicing with Dharma Mittra, whose 2 1/2 hour master classes helped me survive photo grad school.

After the long flight and the stress that comes before a long voyage it made my body and mind feel heavenly.   I never met a practicing yogi that complained about having trouble falling asleep at night. Somehow I managed to completely avoid getting jet lagged too!

The lovely view from the rooftop of the yoga studio.

The empty studio after class ended.

stolen from Zoh’s Tumblr

Good morning Turkish baby sea turtle!
photo by Seze

Artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans talk about their stained glass window in the Museum at Eldridge Street. Their new design is the culminating piece of the 20-plus-year restoration of this national historic landmark, an 1887 synagogue. Smith and Gans’s design features a celestial motif – illuminated stars in a swirling pattern that evokes the Big Bang.
Listen to the story here

I finally got around to listening to my copy of the beautiful and haunting compilation Dark Was The Night.  Maybe I was waiting for just the right day to really appreciate it.  Buy your copy today, and all the revenue goes to AIDS charities.

Bryan and I were invited to Colorado to play and document the Communikey Festival. I had a fabulous time catching up with old friends, visiting a gorgeous part of the country, eating yummy food, and hearing really good music.

Friday night at B-Side
with David Day, Ejival, Spinoza, Nordic Soul

Saturday night after hours Dirtybird Showcase
with Christian Martin and J. Phlip

Saturday Communikids workshop

Sunday in the Park with Communikids

Communikey Festival Site

I had a chance to view Coraline in true 3D at the most lovely movie theater in New York The Ziegfeld. Coraline is far better and darker than most children’s films.  The visuals were completely inspiring and I can’t wait to see it again and again.

from the original book by Neil Gaiman

Coraline and her kitty venture down the rabbit hole.

The mouse circus performance was my favorite part.

One morning we work up at 5am and headed to the beach in Cirali,
Turkey. We met up with a scientist who helps the sea turtles get
through the sand and make their way to the sea after they hatched.
He let us watch the process.
It was an absolutely beautiful sight.

link to the full gallery

Shot live at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on Icelandic Independence Day, Sigur Rós @ MoMA is a unique concert film highlighting new material from the band’s latest album, as well as classic Sigur Rós songs. Directed by Alex Simmons.

watch the film here