Where do I start? So my three month trip in India just ended and I was excited about going to Argentina and continuing where I left off. I was really looking forward to being on an Eco Yoga farm, meditating, doing yoga and eating a vegetarian diet daily. Little did I know I would find a balance of spirituality and craziness. I stayed at the Yoga Park for the best 37 days of my journey so far. I arrived at the Park on April 13 2010 not knowing anyone or how much fun I would have. The first three weeks I meditated, and practiced yoga daily. My personality quickly came out when I met Luciaaano(how I pronounced his name). He was a cute, 18 y/o new monk who just arrived 2 weeks before I did. Poor guy, he probably began to think that everyone who comes to the farm is crazy. I made his name sound Italian and would constantly call his name. I would constantly joke with him although he barely spoke English and I barely spoke Spanish. But we understood each other and I know he nor the staff will ever forget me. I would always ask him if he had a nightmare about me. Jennifer, Suzanne and George all had a bet on who would break who first. Would Luciano turn me into a Hare Krishna or would I turn Luciano into a free-spirited young man. He called Suzanne, Renee a few times so I really got in his head. Suzanne is a sweet lady from England who stayed in my house with her boyfriend Geoooorge (which is how it sounded when she would call him so I started calling him Geoooorge). Jennifer is known as the original J.Ro. She is from the states and is travelling the world. She, Suzanne, George, and I had lots of laughter and jokes while working on building the mud house. Luciano was in charge of the mud house that we were building. This was a lot of fun. It was good to work on the house daily and see its progression. I got to make the mixture of earth, clay, sand and grass and put it up layer by layer on the home. After that we had to put cow dung on the wall. I have never heard so many shit jokes in my life. Just in case you haven´t figured it out cow dung is cow´s poop. Suzanne and I worked on the cow dung consistently. We were good because the smell was so horrible. Finally, we got to paint the home with some natural paint texture. This was a lot of fun. I learned a lot about myself in the midst of putting cow dung on the wall.
Then there was Thakur, the director, who was really nice and patient with me. He had the best laugh that sounded like hah and he would lift his face up. There was another crazy lady there named Debbie who was there for about a month and we overlapped for a week. He was say that I am the reincarnation of Debbie, put his hand on his head than shake his head. I didn´t know the park was Hare Krishna until I got there. It was nice to talk to Thakur about Hare Krishna and learn more about there religion. They played Hare Krishna music/chants all day everyday. At one point, while working in the kitchen with Debbie and the Madres´ we made a Hare Krishna rap. When I say Hare, you say Krishna, Hare, Krishna......That was so hilarious. The madres and monks were all celibate and vegetarians. I think we brought out the fun in them and gave them some balance in their lives.
Jayavarda(sp?) was the madre with a beautiful voice and beautiful mother who could play the miranda so well. Actually her and her mother had amazing voices and played instruments very well. They both taught me to play the miranda. The miranda is an instrument which is like a two headed drum that you place on your legs and tap with hands on both ends. It took me a minute but I finally got it.
Then there was Govinda the most beautiful madre with a deep, husky voice. She was really sweet. I did Reiki on her and she loved it. All the men loved her and JT, my partner in crime wrote a song about her. Govinda´s cousin Goauda was the hardest yoga instructor we had. Her classes intimidated me.
Maria, Maria. Maria was this tiny but fierce Bolivian woman who was the gardener on the farm. She was the sweetest and tried to live vicariously through me. She really wanted to see me marry Pretty Ricky, a sarcastic, pretty boy but sweet under his core really named Rick from NYC. Everyday she would say Renee beso Ricuardo. Days I would run after her and Ricky with my poopy hands from putting up cow dung. She was always trying to get me to work in the garden. That was hard work, hoeing and weeding. I didn´t realize how hard that would be. I much preferred working on the mud house. To make Maria´s day Pretty Ricky and I actually kissed on the day that he was leaving. She became so happy and giggly. She thinks that he and I are meeting up in Bolivia and will become novio y novia (boyfriend and girlfriend).
Geooorge and Suzanne from England. They were staying in the ¨dark house¨ with me. The two of them are my heart. I truly love them with all my being. Little did I know that I would meet some really great people at this Park. Geoooorge was my other partner in crime. He was just as devilish as me. We really understood and got each other. Always on the same page. He was the one giving everyone the best advice ever. He loved us all and tried to show us during our late night ¨dark house¨ parties. He would tell us all how beautiful we were. Suzanne was quiet but strong. She was really great at Tai Chi. I did Reiki on her a few times. It was nice talking to her about the men at the Park, especially on the hot days when the guys would take off their shirts.
Katherine, she is the sweetest, tiniest little thing. I did Reiki on her several times and healed her tonsillitis. She couldn´t talk enough about Reiki and was the one to get everyone else to wanting me to do Reiki on them. She even drew me a beautiful painting of my Reiki hands. I inspired her, Suzanne and Paress to want to learn Reiki. I let them read my books and I plan on attuning them. Katherine has the best voice and I loved to listen to her and George sing and play the guitar.
Johnathan known as JT, is from Cali and was crazy like me. He made a sexually inappropriate song about Govinda. He made songs for everyone as they left the park and would sing at the going away ¨dark house¨ parties we had. He and I even co sang a song called ¨Sexual Yoga¨. He actually sang and I spoke in my sultry voice. It was hilarious.
Boomtang Martin was the sweetest, calmest, most even soul there. He always had the same expression and dealt with everything with calmness. He got a flesh eating bacterica that he called the beast. A brave soul cause I would have been freaking out. I gave him some Reiki as well for the beast. Sending some his way now. He was the first person to lick my head. During a train massage, he licked my bald head than said Ï accidentally licked your head¨. That was hilarious, so hilarious that Paress had to get in on the action and lick my head as well. Paress and Laura came to the farm and stayed in the ¨dark house¨as well. They are from the midwest. Paress was so bubbly and I loved her enthusiasm about everything. Everything was the best she ever had or did and was reaaal nice. Laura was her balance. Laura was sweet and probably helped to calm Paress down. Laura had the best music on her ipod.
J.Ro was there for only a short time but we bonded well. Wish she could have been there for the ¨dark house¨parties. J. Ro was also as crazy as I.
We had a lot of characters with great hearts on this farm. People I will never forget. People who are like family and that I truly love. I have learned so much from being on this farm. I learned that life is a balancing. I came here thinking that I was going to just do yoga and meditate, but I learned that I need a balance in my life. I need to stay true to me. I can be fun and crazy but still spiritual. Lots of people there said I would make a good ¨Guru¨/teacher because people can relate to. Because I am so down to earth. Before travelling I really thought about going to an interfaith school to get an interfaith minister's license. I don´t know if that will happen, but I know that I would be a good minister if I do get it. I could understand people and where they are and I don´t try to be perfect. I could only be me. I have gotten better and more confident in Reike due to doing Reiki on so many people at the farm. It was also good to do Reiki shares with Ben and Casey. A couple from the USA whom I inspired to get back into their Reiki. Ben and Casey travel for work with adolescents and young adults. So the taught us a lot of fun games that they use at work, such as 500, "22", word/picture game and this script game. It was a sad, sad day to leave to the Park. None of the staff wanted me to leave. Thakur and Maria asked me to stay and Thakur invited me to come back anytime and even offered to give me a ride from B.A anytime. Well I will definitely go back there when the weather warms up. Thank you Eco Yoga Park for opening my heart to love and for meeting such wonderful people and for teaching me the importance of balance in my life.
