Keeping the Tummy Happy While Traveling

This is my tummy. And these are my hands makin' a heart 'round my belly. I love my tummy, and I love when my tummy is happy -- especially when I'm traveling.

I love when my tummy is happy -- especially when I'm traveling.

A couple of folks have asked how my stomach is holding up here in Guatemala; my last trip to a developing country didn't fare so well for my tummy.

Gettin' Into My Guatemalan Groove

I spent the first few days in Guatemala slowly getting acquainted with the rhythm of things. Now that nearly two weeks have passed, I've gotten into my Guatemalan groove.

A wandering jew grows in the courtyard where I am staying.

I'm spending three months this winter in Quetzaltenango. Also known by the Maya name Xela (pronounced "shell-ah"), the city is located 7,640 feet above sea level and is surrounded by a dramatic panorama of volcanoes. With a quarter of a million people, a majority of them indigenous, the city is the second largest in Guatemala. Xela is quite possibly the ideal Guatemalan city. As Goldilocks would say, the city is not too big and not too small; it's just right.

There's No In-Between

I try my best to walk my walk and to talk my talk. Recently I had a lapse in practicing what I preach.

I am an evangelist of Mark Manson's Law of Fuck Yes or No. The gist of the law is that if you can't enthusiastically say "Fuck Yes" to something that crosses your path, then that something should not be pursued. Though Manson's law was intended to help navigate romantic relationships, the law is apropos to all aspects of life.

A Photo Journal: Around Dharamsala

Below are my favorite photos from my time in and around Dharamsala.

McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamsala, is in the Himachal Pradesh state of India.
At 6800 ft, the hill city is surrounded by a dense coniferous forest of Deodar cedars.

A Photo Journal: In & Around Dadh

While in India, I spent a month taking an intensive yoga teacher training course (see An Unexpected Takeaway from My Yoga Course).

Tara, yoga master, surrounded by his class of new yoga instructors.
This is a powerful photo for me,
as it represents an abundance of emotions.
(Photo: Siddhi Yoga)

The course was held in Dadh, about an hour's drive outside of Dharamsala. On the few days when we didn't have classes, I explored the countryside by foot. Below are my favorite photos from in and around Dadh.