planes, trains and the toastermobile....

....well, here it goes. i've been thinking what i'll write the next time i get online (which is infrequently these days) but keep putting it off as i don't know where to start. if i'm honest, i've realized i've been sulking a bit about my lost camera and memory card, telling myself that the blog isn't any interesting without the pics. so much has happened since i last posted. in fact i've changed countries 4 times since then until i landed where i am now; in a korean smokey internet cafe filled with university students loudly trying to shoot the animatd enemies.
after finishing the last post, i jumped into a van with 8 other yoga students for a 3-hour drive up pai where we would meet with jonas for a week-long retreat. i was feeling tired and withdrawn, not sure if i was up to meeting and connecting with a whole other group of yogi's. when the following morning arrived, i felt refreshed and placed my mat down on the concrete floor to try to warm up my aching hamstrings before jonas arrived. with my eyes closed, i felt the stirring of another mat being placed down beside me. when i peeked out from under my lashes, a familiar smile greeted me; it was masaou, my yoga teacher from taiwan. we embraced each other warmly and marveled how we both came to be studying with jonas in thailand at the same time. it was then that the joy began to flow.
to explain some of my yoga background, masaou was the first teacher i ever studied with about 4 years ago. although i've been practicing yoga for 6 or 7 years now, i could count on two hands how many classes i've attended. the majority of my yoga has been self-practice, books, videos/dvds, and downloaded podcasts. i first met masaou online when i was looking to order david swenson's ashtanga video and mentioned to him that i was looking for some teacher training. he offered me a one-to-one program during the 8-days of my xmas holiday in his hometown of kaoshiung, taiwan. this was an exhausting but strengthening week and masaou was very pleased with my quick progress. the next time i was to see masaou was in july of last summer when i was once again seeking some teacher training guidance. on my way to the airport, i glanced through the latest yoga journal and noticed an article containing pics of a woman with a look of sheer bliss on her face as she demonstrated poses. as i read further, i noticed it was an anusara yoga article and made a mental note to look into what anusara was all about when i had a chance. i had upped my ashtanga practice before going to see masaou and was anxious to show off my progress in the first series when we met again, but he informed me within our first few minutes in his studio that he was no longer practicing ashtanga, a style he practiced for 10+ years. what??? 'anusara, jennifer', he said. 'have you ever heard it?'. i had to smile. big. it was then that he told me about jonas and sara, how he had studied with them in thailand, had brought them over to taiwan and how anusara had completely changed his practice. he also told me they were having a teacher training in november and gave their contact details.
so that is how it came to be that i practiced next my first yoga teacher with joy and deep honour at his presence beside me. several times throughout the retreat, jonas had us partner up in poses to give hands-on and verbal assists. how grateful i felt every time masaou looked to me to be his partner, that i had the opportunity to give back to him, and every compliment he paid me for my improvements, i bowed my head in humility and graciousness to one of my teachers.