Ashtanga Yoga Phoenix: Where in the World is AYP?: By Lissa Borchers

The Sunshine Coast in all its beauty.

I love to travel. It is absolutely one of my favorite things (I know I am not alone), but I worry about where I will practice. I miss my home studio, but I love getting to find a new place to study. When I find out I am going somewhere new, the first thing I do is try to find a good studio to visit. I go to google and search, search, search. Sometimes I find my home away from home quickly, but other times it is a struggle. This last summer I had two awesome opportunities to spread my wings and travel to places I had never been to before.

First, I went to Australia. For the first week and a half I stayed with my family near Brisbane and then we headed to the Sunshine Coast. I had to practice in my nephew’s bedroom/a garage (luckily, the garage was pretty empty, so I didn’t have to fight with a car for space, but I forgot my travel mat back at my cousin's house 2 hours away, so I got up each day to practice on a beach towel), but it was hard. I don’t like to practice alone and I really feed off the energy of a studio, but I got up each day and did my practice.

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When I got to Sydney, I jumped on the chance to go to a studio and although getting there was a bit rough on day one (I got in late the night before and the transportation stuff was unclear, so I walked 45 minutes to get to the shala). However, once I was there, I was in the best place possible. I found Eileen Hall who gave me awesome tips, a room bustling with energy, and a lovely fellow practitioner that went out of his way to help me get home without walking. I was only there for four days, but each day was magical and it was a fantastic way to end my amazing trip to Australia. I don't know what else I need to see in Sydney, but being with Eileen Hall and her community at Ashtanga Yogamoves has made me put Sydney on my list again so I can soak up a little more knowledge.

This is the glow you get after practicing at Yogamoves. Jacket needed due to the chilly weather.

Then, at the end of summer, I went to Chicago for a week to visit my cousin. I had never been to Chicago before so I had a wonderful time wandering the city, but each morning I woke up to go practice with Todd Bowman at Moksha Yoga. The space was beautiful, Todd was amazing, and I could feel things clicking (right place, right time, right teacher). I got so much out of working with Todd and when I got back to AYP, my practice was definitely improved. It was a great week and I am so glad I made time to practice at a studio (luckily one bus trip my cousin’s apartment).

Yoga selfie after a wonderfully sweaty practice in Chicago. Humidity does wonders!

-LAlthough I love getting the chance to go somewhere new and have someone new look at my practice, I am always so thankful to be at my home studio. It is so nice to have my teachers and community to come back to. I love the consistency of my practice and that is due to AYP. I have a place to be six days a week and I always do my best to replicate that feeling while I’m out and about traveling the world!

I know I am not alone in my love of travel. Where have you been? Have you practiced while you were away? What was your experience? I love seeing what my fellow AYP community members are doing while they are away. Check out my favorite hashtag (#whereintheworldisayp) to see where our community is travelling. If you are out and about, take a picture and send it my way through Facebook IM and I will happily share your adventures with the group.
-Lissa