as here at home I have my animal family, my to angels Mimmi & Lillemor.

in Greece last year on that yoga holiday I did, we got a new family member "Fredrik" wich is a dog.
he arrived during my stay there and the first days he got to sleep next to me and then in the same small bed I had arranged for him but on the outside terass. I spent a lot of time with him and this year when I came back for this years annual yoga holiday I think he remembered me.
although I did meet him a few weeks ago very quickly when I attended my sister wedding.

now he is quit much bigger of course, but it felt like we connected very fast, and we really became soulmates and I can honestly say I miss him, and did get thoughts of taking him here, but I dont think he would like being indoors in a smaller place like this when he is used to run on the famliy ground around the olive trees, and getting the chance to chase the goats that comes to close ha ha.
but it made me open up though for in the future getting a bigger size dog perhaps..
he is so smart, and so humble but sometimes in a bit rough playful way as
many one-year-old dogs.

this year we got a new addition to the family, this is starting to be a tradition?
a new pet each year I come for my yogaholiday?they played and Fredrik was most of the time gentle to her : )
Michalis my brother came home with a deserted kitty, she was so small and tiny but after just a few days it felt she doubled in weight and self confidence and Fredrik the dog and "puma" started to really get along.

she to was a smart girl and quickly learned the routines at our house,
where to go to toilet, where to eat and where to feel safe to sleep etc.

Annika & Emma came each day for some "kitty time" during their stay.

but... a cat is not as a dog, so since she is free to stay for now and as long as she wants, the most probable is that when getting bigger she will start to explore the sorrounding and most people here out in the landside are not as animal friendly, they dont see them as pets really so... crossing fingers she will learn quickly, but still she has already got a much better life for a while then lying in the garbage with no mother..

hm.. I just love animals : )

  
so I am back again in Sweden after the yoga holiday I arrange every year in crete, Greece.

there were 16 persons joining this year and 14 of them attended the yogaclasses.
each year feels a bit different depending on the people that are comming along and the way the group feels.
we did only one class on the beach and the rest by the pool, wich felt more natural this year for some reason.

as usual the first 2 days many were more energetci and neede/wanted to do things, but slowly everyone came in to a calmer state and started to just be, and the main focus of the days became the 2 yogaclasses and planning what to eat ha ha.

the breakfast as it has been every year was very apprechieated probably extra since they can eat at 09am at first after yoga morning session at 07 am.
although every morning before yogaclass my mum went up from bed to make freshly squeezed orange juice in smaller glasses for them to get the bloodsugar level a bit up as an energy kick.

it seamed afterwards that all of them where very pleased with this week, I got a lot of thanks and 2 wanted to book next years trip right away ha ha.

I think that there is a certain kind of person that comes to this kind of calm holiday.
so far after doing this 3 years in a row there has never been a problem in the group or something, all very kind & openminded people.

I have put up some pictures from the trip on my facebook so if you wanna see have a look
->  pictures [click on "pictures" to see]

I want to say thank you to all that attended this year for making this a veeeeery nice & pleasent yoga holiday.

see you next year when I will have 2 trips, one as now around midsummer, and a new one end of september/start of october..

AUM shanti

so today is sunday, for me just like any day it feels like now a days. 

I woke up, went out with the girls.
then off to my yogaclass at the gym, on the way there I got a call and talked to the european ashram I have contacted about a teacher course a Swami will have there in august.
so luckely I now have a spot at that 10day intensive course : )
so I have to look now for tickets etc to get there somehow ha ha

at the class today was only 12 participants, so it is slowly becomming less as usual when we come closer to the summer. next week is last time before summer break for my class there, I wont teach at the summer schedule there since I want to have a month off for holiday & to get some yoga inspiration for my self hopefully.

after class I went back home and ate a brunchtye of meal since no beakfast. then I semi watched the first of 3 soccer world cup games, that match was so sleepy that I ended up trimming my angels at the same time, they really needed it..
and now when summer, heat and theese nasty ticks come it is better to have their fur a bit shorter.

then just being at home relaxing and watching the much better second game of todays world cup.

at the same time finding some interesting info about this text that will be focused on at the course in august. read the blog before this one for example ha ha

so in less then 2 weeks I will go to Greece to arrange my yogaholiday there for the 14+2 persons how will attend this year, then probably home just for a day and then me & A will travel to India for 2,5weeks, the norht part.
so that is gonan be interesting for many reasons, weather [super hot & monsoon period], people [a huge festival so I hpe we will get rooms etc since millions of pilgrims will go to this holy cities to get water from ganges or something like that and of course to see if can find any good inspiring yoga & "theory" lectures there.

so I need to look all together for 6 airplane tickets now...
my bank account is so gonna be on minus using the bank credit, but in the end it will all be worth it - I just feel that in my stomach..
gonna try to onnect with some yoga connections & business connections in India t see if they can halp with findning accomondation etc. might be a good idea..

back to watching the 3-rd and best soccer world cup game today : )

I was searching around internet and found some about an old vedic text, one of the texts amongs 3 main ones about the principes of HathaYoga. 

this certain text/tradition/way emphasasis more towards the cleansing techniques "shatkarmas" or "kriyas" it seams.
and it is not the 8 steps as patanjalis "yogasutras"
[wich seams actually to be more of the mental aspects of older yoga compared to the more physical HathaYoga we in some kind of way do today]
but instead it follow 7 steps/limbs..
interesting.

anyway..
one of the cleansing methods under the tread "dhauti" - wich mainly focuses [with a few exceptions] on the digestive system.

one of the more unusual methods that I found was:

Bahiskrita dhauti
This is a very difficult practice unless you are an advanced hatha yogi. It involves standing navel deep in clean water, pushing the rectum out and washing it in the hands.

in one of the texts it says "It is not easily available even to the gods"...

strangely I couldn't find a picture of this?!?!
but maybe this sadhu has just done it, hi looks so proud ha ha

so now also in the newspaper yesterday about the sad fact that this yogi dissapearing with all the money and many actually apparently didn't know it was "cancelled"?..
it says he probably got away with about 1 million swedish kronors..
I hope everyone reports him to the police,
since now he is not a yogi anmore but just a drugaddict and a thief...
so sad...

here is the article [in swedish]
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article7284097.ab

time runs by so quickly, it is only 18 days until the yoga holiday that I arrange in crete island in Greece starts.

  

I have booked the whole hotel for only us, so that is great!
it is a smaller place with 9 rooms, all with sea view.the yoga holiday is fully booked this year aswell, great that so many find this trip interesting, and of course it has got a lot to do with former participants have been promoting it so much since so far [ths is the third year] everyone has been really satisfied.

  
during the day everyone is free to do what they want, relax by the pool, take a strole, read a book under the olive tree's, take a swim in a nearby local bay or head to the famous beach of elafonissos.in the early evening we do activity nr 2, wich is mostly yogaclass, but one day we do meditation in the sunset a bit higher up so you can see the whole neighborhood and the vally when watching the sun going down over the horizon.

this year there is 14 participating yogis/yoginis and 2 "extras" so quit a group!

they arrive tuesday evening where we maybe will do a short 15min "after flight yoga asana routine" then we have the relaxed wellcome meze dinner.
the whole week my mum & younger brother Michalis will cook local vegitarian dishes for the gang, this food has every year been a succés with I think everyone..

from wednesday there is 2 activities everyday, each morning we do yogapractice at 07am during the sunrise, then a nice breakfast at the tavern.

the classes will be held on elafonissos beach or a more local beach if the wind is the slow and the right direction, we also do practice by the pool and if very windy on the terass of the taverna.

then after watching the sunset  taking a shower etc we end the evening with a relaxed dinner and maybe some herbal tea.

  
then of to bed quit early to get up for the 07am yoga next day again.

this place is not among the tourist villages, this much is further out and here it is very calm and not to much to do wich is perfect to get that extra calmness during this week for the ones attending this yoga holiday.

looking forward to it!

sadly after some romours it seems official..
a while ago I wrote about the struggle an quit recognized yoga teacher had with his life, and that he went for treatment etc

then I heard he came back and quit quick so that surprized me a bit.
not to much more I thought he came back to normal but it seemed he had let go of his yoga studio and so on.
my guess he was not ready to leave where ever he was to get back on track, maybe it can be that since the personal problems I have heard of has gone to a situation where it is so far gone that manipulation and cheating others is a part of the behaviour?
I dont know just spekulating and from things I have heard from people that I think know quit a bit about this..

so this yogi is yearly arranging a major festival each summer and this was suppose to be the 10 year anniversary aswell, and it is on one of the famous swedish holiday islands in the south.

now I read today that the former co-organizer has made a small other festival maybe to try to please the ones who had looked forward to the originl festival?
because sadly what I have heard the yogi has "disappeared" with all the money people have paid as the fee for attending this big festival.
I have no idea about all the teacher that was hired for this event but I guess they have got no payment either since it seams now official that the festival is cancelled.

I just hope it all solves and the yogi gets a grip of himself, not is it of course bad and sad, but for me it is quit remarkablehow someone living as a yogi, what I have heard a passionate teacher and for so many years can turn and instead be so far opposite even to the grade of taking money from others and fake arranging a new festival and disappeare with their savings that they in trust have paid for up to 2 weeks inspiration in the yogic lifestyle by many teachers etc.
It sounds like that whole yogic life has just been a lie?
and had not ment to much if after so many years can switch so quickly..

weird!

I dont know, I try not to judge since I actually not know all details,
but I feel sad for the ones paid money and now wont get the inspiration they have been longing for and on top of that probably not gonna be able to get their money back?

and of course for "yoga" this is very sad..

I know "live as you teach" is often hard, but this is beyond anything I have heard before...
but yoga today is truly business, especially here in the west world.

anyway, good luck to all of you misstreated individuals and also sending some hope to a yogi in need of getting back to reality, to the humble way of living and treating others.

AUM Shanti

when arriving finally at the big nice place where the actual after party was gonna be held there was already alot of people there eating and drinking, the total amount guests for this evening was 1200!?!? persons..
I was seated at the "family table" where also later the bride & groom was seated, this table has chairs only on one side so everyone can look at you and say hello I guess..

then the food plates started to come to my part of the table and that continued all along the evening and wine of course..
starters & some cheese you eat with honey, then goat [for me only potatoes ha ha], rice boiled in the goat water with youghurt, greek salad, more meat, then chocolate cake, then new real food startet to come again etc.. what I heard they served goats head to the people who were still there by 04-05am...

after maybe 1-1½h the wedding couple came, everyone clapped their hands and they went to the scene in the front to do the wedding cake tradition, then came the beatiful wedding dance of course.. not many dry eyes there I think especially at our family table..
after this was the line up saying gratulations and giving money part again for ALL the ones who were not at the church, I think for at least 1 hour they continued to shake hand ha ha..

after this I think a short break where they got time to eat a litle bit, then my sister went up on stage to throw the wedding flowers.
then a marathon af same dancing came..
so the bridesmades and some other friends and my sister stod in a line and my sister held the hankerchief from her housband again.
on the other side of the hankerchief held her dad his hand to start the dance, then my mother stepped in between and then my brothers and grand dad "papos" etc. after dancing the 10-30 seconds you walk by the music artists and put some money on the floor infront of them, that is how they get paid.. and each and everyone along this marathon gave between 10-50 euros, so theese musicians will be very rich they they after he he, my god!!

I also dod my short dance with my sister of course, she said to me when I interupted the man dancing before me by stepping in between to just walk forward and back, not to try to do the dancing steps ha ha

so this was going on first with all relatives from her family, then from his, then from the best man/Kombaro etc..

same song, same slow dance with the bride and to pay the musik greek bouzouki music group..

it actually got tiering but so many wanted to participate.. it was more & less still going on at 02.00 am when I was so tired from being up 03.45 the day before to get to the airport, so I went out and slept in the RV my mum had came with.

it all ended up with a short sleep, and then a drive home by some greek relatives of some kind whom drove super slow and then comming back to my mums place and having no kee, only to the taverna.
I slept a short while outdoors on a sofa with one of the dogs, then my mum called and said there are rooms free at their hotel, but they arent cleaned yet.
so I went up and at 05.00 I finally was able to sleep some..
at 11.30-12.00 I woke up, went down for breakfast, said kalimera [good morning] to all the ones who where already there.
then some chatting and then time to leave at 4pm to towards the airport again...

my strongest moments where the dance [the wedding couple dance] but the absolute strongest one was in the monastary/church I suddenly felt this strong feeling comming in my body, I looked at my younger brother who is actually a very sensitive young man and he cares for the family a lot, it is not allways showing but in theese curciomstances it is shown.. he had tears in his eyes and carfully dried some of with his hand, I looked again at the ceremony and felt overwhelmed and felt my eyes started to fill with fluid.
I have no I dea what it was, since I understood nothing of what the pirest said, I just suddenly felt something strong and looked at my brother... a strange beautiful feeling was running thru me..

when staying in line after the ceremony to salute all within the family you say [at least to the younger people and for sure to the bride and groom] "na zisete" wich means something like "long life to you".

so traditionally after the actual ceremony in the church or in the monastery theclosest family on both sides stand on a line and shake hands with the guests and gets gratulated.
then in the end of the line you give a small white certain envelope with money inside and a message on a small note with your name aswell.
and then you get some traditional Cretan sweets to bring with you.

but before that there is a line of traditional events that accure..

for me I missed 2 main ones this my sisters marraige with Vasilis.
the one where "you make the bed" and the housband have to approve so this goes on for a while where he tears it up and then you make it agin. and in hte end you throw money and sweets onto the bed for good luck with getting children etc.

then also the man with his friends etc has an event where they drink and then drag his clothes of him and put new on for the future new life.

the marriage day when I came out to my familys place I lerned some more of the classical traditions.
they dress up etc in the home and the bride steps over the front door fram with her right fot first.
then after her dad comes and puts on her beatiful wedding shoe.

then pictures are taken

in this case the groom went by in a car dressed with flowers etc
his car is followed by many cars making a lot of noice with the car horn [his family side] - this about 6pm
then we waitied since that is custom for the groom to having to wait for his bride ha ha
so we did a similar thng with many cars in a row loudly driving towards the church, but when very closed and they had seen us we turned on a side road for an extra ride to make them wait even a bit more..

then we [the bridesmaids, us the brothers and the mother & father] led her up to meet her future husband.
then inside this small monastery it was super packed with people and on a small surface in the front the actual ceremony was held by 2 priests and a "singer"..

after a lot of old greek talking/praying by the priests and some kissing the bible, and 2 golden head rings crossed over and put on their heads by the "best man"/Kombaro the priest took the grooms handkerchief and they grabbed the other side, and the priest led them around the altar table and at that time the rice caos came, everyone was throwin A LOT of rice at the wedding couple and the priests ha ha.

and then out to be gratulated in the row I mentioned earlier..

after this most people started to leave and head for the wedding reception/dinner/party 1 hour away.

after most had left some traditional "black shirts" men shot out in the air with their guns also along with the tradition in this greek orthodox style on Crete..

the night between thursd & friday my alarm clock went of at 03.45am.
it was time to get up to take the bus & express train to arlanda the international airport of Stockholm, Sweden.

I just know since I am so sensitive about getting my sleep that it would be a hard day in front of me.. but a happy day so I didn't mind.
at arlanda when flying with SAS they have changed the procedures when checking in, so all was caos since no-one understood what to do and it took far more time then it usually does instead of speeding things up as their plan was I guess with the new system.

and I as usual came quit late since I dont see the point in spendning overtime at the airport, but this led to that when I finally had cleared my hand luggage and shown my passport and was let into the gate area on the board the sign on my flight said "gate closed" so I had to run to the gate to see if I was let on to the plane.
they said it was fine they were used to late passengers now with this new system ha ha
I was actually only second to last, another family was after me, the funny part there is that I know the woman/mum of that family ha ha.

on the plane I tried to sleep as much as possible sitting in this tight and small charter-style airplane with my body lenght of 184cm, and with SO many families with very young children on it aswell [quit loud],
so when landed I felt totally tired,  stiff and my neck was tensed from sitting still in a strange position for to long..

arrived, picked up my luggage and got a pre-booked taxi to Kissamos where I met up my swedish uncle and his whife.
then we met up with some other swedish relatives to drive together out to my mums place [ www.glykeria.com ] where we later started the procedure of my sister wedding, the whole reason for me to go to Crete, Greece this short trip.

there at the taverna I met some of the greek family/relatives [on my mums housbands side] that I havent met for maaaany years,
and we all had some to eat and then I tried to take a power nap.

I also met the dog with my name "fredrik" wich last year during my yoga holiday was brought there the first time when he was a puppy, now he had grown quit much and looked slightly different.
I wonder if he recognized my smell or energy from that time when I tought him to relax in his small sleeping place/bed that he later has used for to long I heard, so he squeezed himself in there to sleep since he felt probably at home there.. cute!

so then the big fat greek wedding slowly started wich I will write some more about in a separate blog.

the day after I woke up around 11.00 and then had some breakfast and talked some with my mum & sibblings and mostly relaxed in the day after atmosphere.
then off to again to Kissamos to meet the swedish relaitves for a coffe with my mum aswell comming with me.
then I left with my uncle and his wife since they were flying the same flight back as me [but they have been staying for a week].

so 30h after I landed the plane lifted from the ground again back to Sweden with some lovely memories of the time where my sister got married in true traditional greek ortodox style.