Tag Archives: Egypt

Yoga Happens

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Yoga Happens

Ok, despite declaring myself on vacation over the last week in Sinai, I didn’t actually totally stop teaching. Conversations turn yogic, people turn up interested and impromptu classes are set up right at that moment, right on the beach.

This is the nature of yoga. It simply happens. Not only when we will it, but whenever it is needed. Not merely when we seek it out, but when it is presented. The opportunity to practice does not just occur when we so skillfully schedule it; the opportunity to practice exists in every moment.

Photo: Afternoon class on January 1, 2014. A good day to practice. At New Moon Island, El Rashitain, Naweiba in Sinia, Egypt.

Playfulness

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It’s the new year–once again. And if you’re like me, you might be taking some time right about now, keenly surveying your particular patch of world.

As I look around, I can feel the pull towards the pensive, the serious…This photo taken today reminds me to approach this time of contemplation with a healthy amount of wonder and playfulness–for this, the present moment, is also our playground.

Photo: Ayesh Camp, El Ras, Naweiba.

Above It All

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Lucky are those who have the opportunity to climb up the mountain side, sit solitary on the top, surveying the world in deep and peaceful silence.

And for the rest of us with no mountains to climb, no sacred spaces that facilitates easy meditation?

We must scale the challenges of every day life, the shortage of time and the peaks and valleys of our own ego to rise above it all in order to sit at the summit of our highest potential, where the noise and endless whirling activity of the world below quiets at the distance…

Photo: Sunset. Someone sits in meditation on one of the hills overlooking the beach here in Naweiba, Sinai.

Mauna Mornings

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When water is still, calm, unperturbed, it is easier for us to see out own reflection.

It is so different when the wind blows or there is a strong or even weak current. Sometimes, though, we ourselves cause disturbance. We throw rocks, causing tides and ripples, the mirror blurs. No need to throw rocks into the river, it is hard enough to get a clear picture in nature.

Photo: Men and bird, both fishing the Nile–the view yesterday morning from Fekra Cultural Center in Aswan. We are observing Mauna, a practice of mindful silence, during the mornings of this second retreat. There is something very special about the stillness here in the morning, the quiet supports the morning sadhana/practice.

Giving & Receiving

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IMG_7743It’s Christmas Day here in Aswan. And Christmas, we like to say, is a time of giving. which consequently means receiving too.
Often, I’ve experienced this exchange as something between two parties. One gives, the other receives. Or visa versa.

And then there are those moments when the lines blur and the act of giving is experienced as an act of receiving as well; to give is to receive.

Photo: Christmas Eve and the staff here at Fekra Cultural Center enthusiastically consent to a yoga class when I offer. Today, they were eager to go again. Tomorrow, will teach them the Sun Salutation sequence so that they can practice without me. Very excited, it’s the cherry on top of an amazing second retreat already.

Yoga Present

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P1220769Yoga Present

It’s the 24 of December. Christmas Eve in Aswan, Egypt. This afternoon, we are starting a second retreat here at Fekra Cultural Center in El Shalail, Aswan–for someone who grew up Catholic, it may seem strange to be working at this time of year, but really I can’t imagine a more perfect way of celebrating the holiday.

It’s a very different Christmas. There are no nativity scenes here, no tinsel, certainly no holly. There are no presents wrapped under a tree, at least not the kind one would expect; regardless, this is a time of giving.

There are different ways that we define “present.”

Present. An adjective. To exist in the moment. The etymology of this comes from the Latin, pre = before, esse = to be.

Present. A noun. A gift, an offering. There’s the notion of bringing something into someone’s presence.

Present. A verb. The act of showing, introducing, giving.

I can’t help but think that this might be my most authentic Christmas yet. Here we are about to start a yoga retreat, practicing tools that bring us into the present moment. All of us, reveling in the act of sharing, giving ourselves and each other sacred time and space.

This retreat is but a humble offering, it’s not wrapped in any fancy paper, there aren’t any fairy lights or surprise visits by Santa, but it’s real and it’s loving. And I feel so blessed to have another nine yoga explorers join us here in this very special place, honoring us with their whole-hearted presence.

Photo: Tree pose with Christmas Tree in the Old Cataract Hotel in downtown Aswan. A group of us went to enjoy a little Christmas cheer with coffee and cake!

Natural Reflection

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After two months in monster city like Cairo, Aswan is a breath of fresh air–literally as well as figuratively.

This morning, waking up to my hut dappled in sunlight then practicing on the terrace of the main building in Fekra Cultural Center, to my left was the rising sun and to my right was the blue Nile River (I couldn’t decide which I wanted to salute towards more, so it was a draw!), I remembered how important it is too be in the elements, to be in nature.

I felt how my practice in this setting is very different. I took my time. My breaths were long. I wasn’t in any hurry. I also felt my body differently. I noticed the build up of urban/work tension in a way I hadn’t previously.

Nature allows us to tune into the nature within, it reflects back at us how close or how far we are from that nature. It is a keen mirror, allowing us to reflect deeply on ourselves.

Feeling blessed to be able to share this very special place with 17 retreat participants. We start today’s program at 4pm with an opening circle. The second Ashtanga in Aswan Retreat will be on 24-27 December. There are still places. Message me kaz.castillo@gmail.com to join. 

Photo: Island reflection on the Nile. This is the view of a place often referred to as the back of a dragon across Fekra’s grounds.

Thank You, Cairo

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Last Sunday, I taught my final classes in Cairo. And while my time in Egypt has not yet drawn to a close–In a few hours I will be taking a plane to Aswan in Upper Egypt. My first retreat there will start tomorrow afternoon. The second on the 24 of December (which there is still spaces for!)–the last couple of days have been about wrapping up my time here in Cairo.

It will take more than one article to express all that I’ve experienced and learned here. But for now, just a moment to express my deep gratitude.

First and foremost, thank you to Amy/Iman Elsherbiny, who invited me to come and teach in her place while she studies in India with our teacher. Who knew that one casual conversation two years ago in Mysore would give birth to this incredible life experience?! I feel honored that you would trust me with your community here. Before you left, you made sure that I would have a life, friends and family here to help navigate the Cairo craziness–and that has made an incredible difference in my time here. And even in your absence, you have been totally present in this adventure of mine, assisting me all the way from India, being my springboard, advisor, and friend.

I want to thank the amazing students that I’ve met here. It has been such a pleasure to share with you all. I am so happy to take part in your yoga evolving journey–even for such a small sliver of time. Thank you for surrendering to me, for trusting me with your bodies and your practice! I have learned more from you all than you can possibly imagine! Your love, curiosity and excitement about the practice, your perseverance in times of change inspires me.

I am grateful to all who have genuinely and lovingly welcomed me, you know who you are! You opened up your homes, offered up your friendship, almost always upon the first meeting. You warm my heart so. You have translated for me, supported me, helped me go beyond just living to teach, you have reminded me of who I am off the mat, and have taken a great role in the greater yoga practice in which I am constantly challenged by: how to live a more balanced and integrated life.

And finally, I must thank the city itself, Cairo as a whole has been so incredibly welcoming. So strangely instructive; it has been a great teacher these last couple of months. I am challenged by you, also blessed, fascinated and everyday just a little bit more in love with you. Thank you, Cairo.

So much love to you all! I won’t say goodbye, because I know we will all meet again!

Photo: My last Mysore class in Zamalek, December 15, 2013. Amy/Iman Elsherbiny will be returning from her Mysore adventure in February.

Cairo, Two Sides

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Sun over Dashour's Bent Pyramid.

Sun over Dashour’s Bent Pyramid.

Nearly full moon above Cairo's congested streets.

Nearly full moon above Cairo’s congested streets.

I am so glad that I didn’t listen to the news, or the concerns of my worried mother (sorry, mom!), or the incredulity in which people responded when I said I was going to teach in Cairo, which had just had another tumultuous overthrow in government. Had I done so, had I taken the safe and secure choices laid before me, I would not have had this wildly brilliant experience of sharing here these past two months.

There are two sides to every coin.

My flight into Egypt arrived in the early hours during curfew and I could not leave the airport for ages. A strange welcome, yes, but this same curfew allowed me to enjoy a much edited version of Cairo social life my first weeks here, one that was unusually compatible with my morning yoga hours.

I was harassed by a taxi driver–the fourth or fifth one I’d ever ridden with on my own. Yet, the lovely man Muhammad who drives me around now is the taxi driver who witnessed me hopping out of the slow-moving vehicle after I had fended off a very poor attack on his part. And like everyone else I have met here, Muhammad has looked after me with such warmth and sincerity. That we can barely have a conversation, his English is sparse and my Arabic is non-existent, makes no difference. (I want to add that I haven’t experienced any other harassment since that incident either).

These last days, being a tourist, visiting the Pyramids and the places of worship that date back thousands and hundreds of years, have shown me a calm Cairo so different from the Cairo’s chaotic streets that I’ve become so familiar with since my arrival here. Same soulful, high frequency sort of energy, just two very different sides of it.

Living in Cairo is not easy. The politics of instability has created day to day chaos, on the roads and in the more subtle byways, the minds and bodies of its people. There is a lot of pollution, repression, trauma, frustration, a lot of dreams deferred. And with that, there’s a also a lot of spirit! I have to say that this is a part of what makes teaching here so very rich, what makes this work so incredibly worthwhile.

In its little-BIG way, yoga offers its practitioners an experience of centeredness and stability, of quiet and peace. And that’s a whole lot when the world is like constantly shifting sand in the desert.

There are two sides to every coin. What you see it depends on how you see it. What I see: so much good here, so much love, so much potential.

So…Self Practice

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Self Practice: a wild beast, appearing like an inconceivable task for the student used to guided classes or mysore spaces held by teachers. It can seem daunting and difficult to go through the practice on one’s own with no assistance, no adjustments, no corrections, not even the watchful gaze that keeps us on the breath, keeps us intentionally in the zone in which yoga happens.

With me preparing to leave Cairo and with my friend Iman still studying in India, there is a short gap of time in which there will be no present teacher for the Ashtanga Yoga Egypt students and the choice to self-practice will arise.

I can only hope that most will choose this path for the short term–it is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the guru within, to get to know yourself, to grow with your practice.

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a teacher with whom you deeply resonate with and with whom you are willing to trust your body and your process. But in the times when there is no teacher, when there is no mysore space to rely on, the responsibility of practice falls into the hands where the practice of yoga belongs to the most in: your own.

It’s true, a solo mat practice has its challenges but its rewards are incalculable.

In my own experience, over the last 7 years, I have been blessed with instructors who passed through where I was living; they would come and they would go, but always leaving me with so much. In 2010, I then started practicing in India with Sharath Jois, who I now consider my main teacher. Since then, I have been in the presence of my teacher for three months out of the year, and then I am on my own again and self practice is often the only option.

It’s ok, because there’s plenty of “homework” –lots to cultivate, to practice until the next time. This time of self study (svadyaya) can be a wonderful experience of integrating the practice into the system, into the body and the mind.

These gaps have been very rich. They have allowed me to take responsibility for my own practice, they have taught me to be independent, to be inquisitive and discerning. I have learned the difficulties of self-motivation. And, yes, I have at times stumbled and lost my flow. I’ve also felt the joy of returning to practice, how my body rejoices at the breath and movement, how my mind stills and empties, how grounding it is, how expanding.

More than anything, self practice establishes the relationship between you and your own practice, that whether your teacher is present or not, your practice is yours–recognizing this is so very important.

Sunday is my last class in Cairo. The first Aswan retreat starts on December 19 (to the 22), the second on the 24-27 December. Spaces are still available in the second batch.
& Iman Elsherbiny will be returning to Ashtanga Yoga Egypt from a very fruitful Msyore, India season in February.

Photo by Zeinab Lamloum. Bakasana during my own self-practice after teaching.