Whirlwind!

Oh wow, one week in Melbourne today! People here are very very friendly, very very helpful. I have lost count of how many maps people have drawn for us, and restaurants recommended, kindnesses offered. AND. We walk around at night. After dark.

This utter lack of xenophobia makes me sad about what is going on in my erstwhile nation. It's such a stark contrast.

Anyway, I always find it hard to write about things while I am living them, so here are some photos instead!



See the originals here! And nothing will be said about all the cupcakes and coffee. Mmmm.

PS yes, I did knit that green hoodie. Love it.
PPS Thank you for all the emails and comments. Your support means so much! xxx

See you on the other side!

It's a week until we go to Melbourne; the cat goes into quarantine tomorrow, the movers come on Tuesday, and on Sunday evening, we fly!

Things are crazy here right now, and the phone and ADSL will be cut off tomorrow(ish), so this is me, signing out until I get to Australia and internet access there!

Sorry if I haven't responded to your comments and emails - I will get to it, eventually.

xxx
Nadine

Sore Back and a Someone

My body, mind and soul are not One at the moment. In fact, the derangement is so bad that I dropped my wallet in a shopping mall on Friday morning. Silly thing to do, especially in South Africa. As a result, I had to cancel all my appointments for the day, and rush back to the mall to see if I could find it (ha!) or failing that, cancel all my cards.

Do you know, an Anonymous Someone had found my wallet, and handed it to security. Untampered-with. In crime-ridden Johannesburg! Amazing. Thank you, Anonymous Someone. I wish I knew who you were, so I could thank you properly.

And my back hurts. Well, my sacro-iliac joint on the right side hurts, actually. Right about the same place as this elephant's muladhara (root) chakra:

Chakra 1 - Muladhara, originally uploaded by venenum..

Is this not an awesome picture? Anyway, I am off to the chiropractor tomorrow to be put to rights, but thought I would share with you what this article on yogajournal.com has to say about root chakra deficiency (it's actually worth reading the whole article):

Circumstances that pull up our roots and cause a first chakra deficiency ... include traveling, relocation, feeling fearful, and big changes in our body, family, finances, and business. Some people, often those with busy minds and active imaginations, don't need special challenges to become deficient in this chakra; they feel ungrounded most of the time, living more in the head than in the body.

We experience deficiencies in this chakra as "survival crises." However mild or severe—whether you've been evicted, gone bankrupt, or just have the flu-these crises usually demand a lot of immediate attention. On the other hand, signs of excessiveness in the first chakra include greed, hoarding of possessions or money, or attempting to ground yourself by gaining a lot of excess weight.

Hmmm. Wonder why my back hurts? Good thing I know a little about how to go about correcting it. Yes, bring on the standing poses. And the standing balances: if you haven't already, check out the results of the balance pose poll here.