What started off as a scratchy throat has now become a silent retreat for Banyan. He’s been trying so hard to teach and interact with us all but something  has made it clear that he needs to rest. He finally decided to listen to his body and  ask for support. He couldn’t have chosen a more perfect yogi to lead us.  Our morning yoga class was taught by beautiful Silvia Eriksson. Practice was amazing. Each pose was carefully broken down as we flowed through asanas. Her voice is so gentle and confident. We all really loved it.

An announcement was made that we would spend half day doing Karma Yoga, serving the community. We were all excited but none of us really knew what to expect. We knew we were going to pick up trash from the beautiful beaches of Montezuma. We were all given trash bags and gloves, paired up with partners and sent out on our little adventure.

The mission started off fun with lots of laughs and giggles.  We then arrived at our final destination after walking for quite some time. A sense of sadness and shock filled all of our hearts. The beautiful beach was filled with more plastic than we could have ever picked up. We wondered if we could even make a dent in this damage to mother earth. Conversations turned toward how unbelievable this was. Some said they would never use a straw again, others vowing to only use glass or aluminum water bottles.

We probably spent about 4 hours collecting toys, shoes, broken plastic pieces, straws, tires and more. The walk back was long and a little more quiet. We were all pretty disappointed at how the environment is being affected by the human race.  Its funny how we sometimes lose touch with reality. If something is not right in front of us it is often neglected and forgotten about. This is a day we well never forget. Some of us will carry on and find ways to help keep the earth safe.

Peace, Love & Light