the illusion of age

What's my age again? 

I always loved blink 182. Straight up no shame! 

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this post is more of a vent.... A share from my experience of living as an empowered 'young yipper snapper' in the world, loving life by choice, and spreading my light everywhere I go. 

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Age. Such an interesting experience.... Age... Your years of life as a human BEing... In THIS life.

This goes out to my fellow yoga teachers who are under the age of 25. 

I started practicing yoga at the young age of 20... And so I shall carry this to my grave and into the stars... Into oneness. I started teaching the service of yoga at age 21. I felt the calling to develop my teaching skills through self-study at 22.... And forever this shall be. 

In the last two years I have (I say past tense because I am traveling and currently not teaching) been HIGHLY blessed to teach at Prana, Corepower Yoga, Yoga Pod LODO, and The Little Yoga Studio in Boulder, CO. From the start, my age has been a factor as to whether or not I got hired.... Whether or not some potential students wanted to take my class and learn from someone of my age (my projection, I am aware of that...) or whether or not I felt confident during any certain classes -----edit this 

\\SiDENOTE// I have always felt that I carry something within my being that is urging to be shared with the world; about oneness consciousness, about connecting, about....(that LOVETRIBE vibe) Something... Yet I feel my age has held me back from sharing such medicinal truth with many. I have created that for myself, and so I shall destroy that barrier myself.  shiva, Kali, I call you in. Here and now! 

one day at the little yoga studio, a lovely middle aged women comes to take my class, but mentions to me before class' "I was hesitant to take your class because you're a young yipper snapper!" 

Phewwwwwwww. That ate at my bones for months. I'll be raw and admit that it totally bugged me! Now I have seen it through a lens of sarcasm on her part, but coming from a space of truth. Yes... You have years of experience, but you don't have my experience, nor do I have yours. Can we learn from one another? I sure got a message from it. Don't take my self so damn serious all the f'ing time!! especially while in personal practice & teaching. 

<OM BOLO SHRI SAT GURU BHAGAVAN KI> *jai*.   - Bhagavad gita.   

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“the teacher within is the only teacher of truth.” May we thank the gurus and teachers that surround us.... But always be grateful to and trust the beautiful guru within.


 

so it comes down to this. 

You ask me how old I am? I ask in humility, and a bit of sarcastic truth; how many times I have circled around the big ball of fire we call the Sun on this semi-small yet big rock we call Earth? Moving at incredible speeds?! just twenty three times and I've got a couple dozen more rounds to make 😘

 

i have carried an insecurity of my age with me for far too long now... But all things must come to an end! A level of wisdom comes from age, which moves forward with experience. I am excited to learn what I don't know and acknowledge where I have grown from. I invite you to do the same <3

 

PAi triBE!&nbsp;

PAi triBE! 

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My last few days in Thailand are upon me. I spent this past week in a little hippie town called Pai! The week has been filled with miracles around each corner. Pai could be one of two things for you.... The Hill in Boulder on a Saturday night.... Or tonic on pearl on a Saturday night :) all depends on what kind of energy you're bringing in ... 😘 From organic foods, to beautiful big Buddhas in hillsides, cold waterfalls, and extensive caves moving deep into the earth... With the sounds of a didgeridoo echoing through the peaks and slopes of the stalactites. The days were smooth and chill. Waking up naturally by the song birds playing such unique tones I have never heard of was a blessing. All sorts of tones, songs, and crazy patterns coming from dozens of exotic sounding birds as I laid in the SUPER cold brisk bungalow as father sun was rising to greet us. Crazy how cold it gets in the early morning! Colorado style!

 Surrounded by new friends in these beautiful bungalows. What a gift! I met people I will see on the playa at the burn, I made new heart connections with brothers and sisters and lovers. It's amazing to me how simple it was.... Just by being open to the possibilities of the day.

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I met an incredible brother. Native American and incredibly tall and handsome. I saw him and instantly felt how kind he was through the gaze of his eyes. After getting to know him a bit more I was inspired to ask how many times he has traveled around the sun as a human (not that it matters!!! 😯) and he said....

"I haven't told anybody that in three years."  

 

Woah.  

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thats powerful.  

Further as the day progressed, EmilIano and I connected in strong conversation during our long motorbike rides through the windy hillsides of Mae Hong Song. Eventually I learned how many times he had traveled around the sun, but that is not something we talk about. It is irrelevant. All that matters is the presence we shared with each other & how we listenened to each other & spoke with one another.

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so my friends.... Here's to never letting the experience of age hold you back. The generation that is NOW is creating the devices to take our species to the next level of evolution..... I BElieve it. 

I give thanks to all my reflections. students, teachers, brothers & sisters, friends, and lovers.... thank you for the gift of life, mom. 

here's to sharing what we know, to letting go of that which holds us back, and blessing the rest with all that awesOMe star dust that we are <3 

Alec

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 ( ( ( <3 ) ) ) 

Written on a high speeding bus traveling from Ban Krut, southern Thailand to Bangkok.. while traveling at ridicules speeds around the sun!!! thanks for keeping me solid and grounded gravity. And this post has been edited and completed in a beautiful bamboo bungalow in pai, surrounded by unique individuals who all bring something special to the table <3 

To top it off.... Check this video brother brian Bradley made for me as I apply for Symbiosis Gathering...  

Divelife

travel days headed to the liveaboard of KhaoLak Scuba adventures! 

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Before leaving Blessed Colorado, megan offered the best advice when entering travel days; (hope to...) Expect to have no expectation about how the day will go.... Because most likely it won't go your way! phew... Sure went that way as Brother Sean and I were trying to leave Phuket to make the boat that takes off in KhaoLak; 3.5 hours north of Phuket. Long story short; handstands, deep breathing, and trust that everything is happening in alignment of the moment is all we have while waiting... but taking action has to be ready to surface in the moment. Eventually... We made it to KhaoLak with an hour to spare! Miscommunication is huge here in Thailand; so making sure confirmations are received is key. 

And so we step onto a medium sized boat, the MantaQueen2 for three days and three nights with one goal: Dive Exploration of the Andaman Sea! (INSERT OCEAN VIEW PIC!)Our days start early at 6am promptly... And take us into the water no later than an hour of waking up with a deep red ball of fire rising into

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We Eat. Dive. Sleep. Repeat, four times a day! I'm impressed with the food on the boat as it is made by a sweet Thai women; PHEW SPICY!💥😼😵😅 💥 the dives are incredible; 11 dives in three days, up to 30 meters; 60min maximum. I write this on day two in between dive 6 & 7. So far we have seen multiple jellyfish; massive octopuses, abnormally large barracuda, dozens and dozens of schools of fish, beautiful little sea snails known as nudibranch, and a plethora of many other fish. We have been calling in manta ray consciousness..... :)  


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I have been sitting in mediation while on this boat, which has been a beautiful experience. "A thought filled meditation is not a bad meditation. A fidgety meditation is not a bad meditation," said a teacher in boulder. 

The boat is quite wavy, naturally... So we move with the flow. whether it is at 6am, 11am, or nearing sunset into night time, I sit twice a day. Staying in my practice is the utmost important thing to me while traveling through this journey that is life. I love to take my minds eye farrrrrr out into the stratosphere and imagine seeing little crzyindianjew floating along the sea halfway across the world. And then I take that birds eye view over across to boulder and send my love to my friends at hOMe. I miss my friends..... Excited to see you in Costa Rica, family 💚

there are 18 other divers living on the boat & multiple languages. I would say I might be the most lively character on the boat... Ha ha ha 😻 We've been having fun with good music, hearing dive stories from the guide masters, and spreading dat LOVEtriBE vibe on the boat! I fully enjoy taking the seat of studentship while leaning how to scuba dive. A great teacher of mine in Boulder once said, "there are no stupid questions."

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Guys. I asked a fu*#@$% idiotic question & laughed it off. 

Upon getting into the boat, I asked to Sean' "I wonder where they store all the air for the cylinders (tanks)..."

Sean: 'are you serious?' 

Me: (pause)

Me: the atmosphere... Huh? 

Sean: "wow dude." 

Once he told our dive master that, I wouldn't hear the end of it!!! Haha. so we just gotta laugh at ourselves sometime.... We all have moments ;) right?! 😘

Life underwater... Moves in such fascinating ways. Whether it's the moray eel, hiding in crooks and crevices, waiting to explore the darkness of night. Or the camouflage'd scorpion fish, looking like a rock ready to impale any bypassed with a poisonous deadly fin attack. Or the brainless & spineless jellyfish, pulsing with the flow of current; one with the consciousness of the ocean. Of the smaller living organisms found, colorful corals ranging from neon to iridescent, finger size nudibranch (google it 😘) and so Sean & I became One with the psychedelic underwater universe!  

And now... Traveling north up near Bangkok and meeting a friend from Denver in Thapsakae with brother Sean & then moving towards Chiang Mai! Reace, if you're reading this, I'm sure Misha sends her powerful blessing to you 💚

 

Although the top section was written on Feb 8th, it is now February 10th and I have not found wifi and I felt an urge to write. I am on a crazy ass Thai train that makes wild screeches as if the tracks were screaming bloody murder down a white chalk board with the sharpest nails ever. 😞😵😵😵😵 our travel day is out of control; that's what Sean and i are learning.... To take as much initiative as possible; eat what is edible when provided for, and express gratitude for each others presence. the Thai bus rides are quite the heart attack too! Since its 1:30am on this train ride & I have another few hours to go, I'll stop writing & hope for a smooth arrival into thap sakae! Enjoy the journey, friends :) 

check out this video of underwater adventures! 🙏💚🙏

Adventures of a Yogi: under the sea!

What a week! I arrived in Thailand on Jan 29th and started my scuba certification program the next day. Up to February 4th I would spend 7am-6pm learning scuba techniques on how to not be a 'bloody fool' while under water, as instructed by my British teacher, brian. He absolutely loved that I dove in tights. HA! 

At first, my dive certification was to only take three days, but the lovely thing about traveling is that you may not know what you're next step is! Each day I have been in Thailand, I have been SO blessed to teach yoga at CC's Hideaway, a lovely resort hidden up in the mountains near the Big Buddha (picture coming tomorrow!... It's gigantic!)  

so come day three of my stay, I met up with brother Sean hall and we shared my room, fully accommodated because I taught a yoga class each day! How blessed!! but I wanted to start my advanced certification for scuba; another three days, so I asked the hotel owners, a beautiful gay couple from Hawaii if I could extend my stay and teach more yoga; they were thrilled!  

 

Here's my experience with teaching yoga in Thailand; challenging!

I had to dumb down everything I know... So I could get my language of yoga, influence of breath, and power of self-practice across to multiple nationalities. I was blessed to teach people from Dubai, the Netherlands, Australia, France, and some Americans; all with little to no understanding of alignment in asana! So I had some work to do :) classes from 3-7 people invited me to be fully present in service to them. I felt I was only capable for this task due to my boulder yogi crew & teachers for teaching me so fully. From my early days of teaching at PrAna to my first hundred classes at Corepower yoga; I couldn't have done it without you. So many teachers in boulder come across that I received so much from; joy, Derise, Richii, robBylouD, shannon Paige, Steph, Amy H, Stephen uvalle, raj, megPow, roberto, Tsparks, janelle, Chelsea, rachelgasner, jarBz, Reace, lisa F, Frances, Tunde, and so much more to name! I felt prepared & grateful! 

Our svadyaya never ends My friends! asana has been hard to find a daily practices involving, but sitting twice a day is quite accessible. AM & PM! I used to loathe sitting in the morning; truly... Last thing I wanted. But now... After three weeks of Just Doing It, I love it! it almost becomes a cheap high... With a lot of effect🙊& influence on my day! 

To my traveling yogi friends..... It dawned upon me; when traveling always feel free to ask management of a hotel, guesthouse, or resort that you are a proficient yoga teacher and are interested in sharing your passion & knowledge of yoga... In return for room accommodation! The worst that they say is no... And you still show up as a customer. I'm putting this energy out to the universe for the rest of my travels! I'll keep you updated 😘.  

 

 

back lack to scuba diving.... Holy moly!!  

At this point, feb 5th; I have spent 8 hours under water breathing oxygen. Dove down to 27 meters; or around 88 feet! Sean hall, fellow brother of the tribe from Boulder has connected with me in Thailand & we are headed onto a live aboard program this weekend; 4 days, 11 dives & 2 night dives. I've been dreaming of diving with bioluminescence.... Is this the weekend?!? 

It's an incredible experience to be so deep underwater, halfway across the world, breathing oxygen?!? and wearing tights?! That's next level blessed.!!!  

 

The energy in phuket has been.... Less than I had hoped for. Bali filled me with spirit. The southern areas of Thailand are quite touristy... come next Monday Sean & I will be due north for Chiang Mai- a spiritual hub; so I hear. I've been walking around with the mini love life sign in my backpack, spreading the message in a basic way.  Someone saw and said, 'love what? Life? Why to love?' in broken English...

 

the language barrier has been quite the challenge in Thailand, but a smile goes a long way. Our job; our purpose- to spread consciousness and love on a global scale. Some areas are further than others in the world.... Sean and I have had powerful conversations on how to spread such love in the more rowdy areas of phuket. It's definitely a challenge. I believe it is possible! Yoga is a bridge... To bring people together from all corners of the world. I feel this is one my callings in life.... 🙏 

 I have been missing my friends a lot. My beloveds. What is fueling me forward is that I know; all this is temporary... I look forward to return home in April.... But even more so; to see my true lovers in Costa Rica for envision music festival! what a gathering that was last year..... If you can make it.... take the leap. A journey of a lifetime... Truly. 

 

im off to sleep now my friends. I love you. Thank you for sharing this experience with me. <3

 

 

make this day beautiful! Tomorrow will be even better 😘  

 

 

-Alec  

 

an underwater video coming next week :)  

Bali Blessed

Thursday, January 29th, 3:08pm 

Somewhere between Indonesia & kuala Lumpur; en route to Phuket, Thailand

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My time in Indonesia served as a grounding foundation on how to travel by myself. I stayed at a comfortable hostel with good people & for the most part good vibes. Each day I practiced Mysore at the Ashtanga Yoga Bali Research Center under the instruction of Prem & Radha, direct students from Pattabhi Jois. I feel I had not received instruction like this in over a year! I will be back one day... For at least a month to study myself through their instruction. 

In this first week, on all my solo time, I made an effort to keep a vigilant eye out; about my self and my belongings. I try to always keep a positive perspective, but the fact is; there are bad seeds out there, angry with life and themselves.... So they act out. I've had things stolen from me in the past & I have had people try to physically hurt me before.... So while on my own, I walk around with strength, awareness of my self and those around me... With the slightest assumption some locals are looking to sneak into my pocket. All while holding the gentle smile on my face when encountering locals. I'd say 98% of the time, each person I met was filled with love & excitement for life. Walking around with the mini LoveLiFE hanging out of my backpack wasn't a bad gig either ;) 

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Before leaving sweet Boulder, my beloved friends, megPow & joey burton offered me words of great wisdom. While traveling, feel no *should's* or *have to's*. they suggested I stick around in a community or city and get to know the area, the food, the culture, & possibly the language! By doing this instead of island hopping & exhausting myself energetically, I would be able to tune into the energy of a single place So I stuck around Ubud for a week and a half, the heart of Bali! Bali is such an energetic hub of reception. Things happen, manifestations come into being, and prayers are heard. Hinduism has a high influence on the city, filing the streets with beautiful statues of deities from the Baghavad Gita & local traditions. 

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Eventually, I learned my way around a motor bike.... (Sweet video at the end of the post!) and made new connections into the LOVEtriBE! 

A few interesting things about Balinese culture...

1) almost everyone has the same name! 😯 let me explain... 

The first name of each child is simply named wayan (M) (forgot the female name)... The second name is Maday(M) / Kadek (F); third is Koman (M) / Nyoman (F); fourth is ketut (M) & i forget the female name for the fourth child. Then after four children, the names return to the first! How interesting!!!!  I asked everyone where this tradition spawned from... And no one knew?! life.... Weird sometimes eh? 

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2) the currency is rupiah. $100 US is 1,246,700 Million ruppiah...... HA! Got pretty fun to exchange things and get 10,000 change back.... Which is almost $1. Full scale meals ran about $6-18 bucks. $25 if I was feeling groovy for sweets! ;)

3) every homeowner, shop keeper, spiritual teacher,  all property caretakers or even the less than fortunate pray every single day. They have offerings of flowers & incense to Ganesh, shiva, and Vishnu. every single day, morning or night; they find time for their ritual practice and asking for abundance. I asked my hostel owner what he prays for... He said three main things...1) giving thanks to spirit for this life. 2) the wellbeing of all generations 3) and health and happiness.

So simple & pure. 

so here I am now, leaving Indonesia & making my way to my next destination: Phuket! Thailand! 

The beauty of the first days here are quite phenomenal to me. Thanks to Instagram, a brother named Luis messaged me and asked me to teach yoga at his studio for 4 days! Which was in total alignment with the time it takes to get my diving certification in Phuket. So it shall be! Teach yoga, dive, meditate, eat, sleep, LOVE life in gratitude.... Repeat! 

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Travel days are a bit anxious for me.... Especially cause I'm currently flying Malaysia air.... BLESSSSiiiiiittt!!!!!! 😘 but I have tools to help me find center. I've been tying many malas on my trip. Here are a few: 

Before I left America I brought around 800 Clear Quartz beads, 7 colored strings in accordance to the Chakra system, & 7 guru beads to match each chakra..... And I've been tying away, listening to the beads as I make connections. And when a connection tunes into the mala I am currently tying, it is a gift from me to them; through spirit! 

Final pictures of this post were created upon finally arriving at my secluded hotel at the top of Kota (kuta?) mountain at CC's hideaway! off to sleep as I teach at 8am to hotel guests and yoga studio comers! Woah!  

For some reasons the pictures will not loaD... Check back soon for a full post of pics! 


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💚 

  

Enjoy this video :) 

 

 

I'd love to hear what you want to read about.... This whole writing thing feels good! Yet it is quite foreign to me... So I do it in an authentic and natural way. How's it received? I'd love to hear <3

All my love!!! 

Inspirations from Gili T island

My last few days in Indonesia were spent on the beautiful islands of Gili Trawanagan, giliT- and I was so fortunate enough to meet some very special people. People who live by connection & insist on spreading joy through each other! One of the people, Jennifer is going to be the next Oprah; seriouslllyyyy.

check it out:  

Below you will see the starter video to her mission: traveling the world and spreading joy.... While helping as many people as possible! a true Soul Tribe Sister: stepping into the world and making a difference! 

 

That's the beauty of traveling... Meeting many people and seeing whether or not it is worth the time and energy to grow & travel with them.... If it's not... Move on with the solo flow! If it is worth it... Take a day or two and play tribe flow! check her video out below...  

If you liked it... Watch her bunjee jumping video in a chicken suit on her YouTube page. It's hilarious. 

 

 

tonight a video of fast scooter rides, epic waterfalls, surya namaskars and handstands on the beach are to come :)