Thanksgiving in Dubai

Gratitude can be celebrated in every moment!

The lovely fellow who works at Starbucks in the Oasis Center asked me if I was missing my holiday. I answered that I can feel grateful any time and any where, and that I don't eat turkey anyway!

Today was day 5 of the program. The students are doing great. It's thrilling to watch their faces during their 'a-ha' mOMents, when they make associations/connections and really GET IT.

During the breaks, many of the students share meals together, and get to know each other in a more personal way. Its so affirming to me that yoga can benefit everyone. I've never taught yoga to a large percentage of Muslim students, so it's really enlightening to learn how they respond to my understanding of the path and practice of yoga. Yoga itself is not a religion, but inspires great reverence and humility and leads one toward an experience of the infinite. How each student relates to that is perhaps unique, and the words we use to describe it may be different. But until each one of experiences that state of being, all of the beliefs we have about it are just that: beliefs. Until we know that by which all is known, everything we think we know is just a thought.

When I spoke with Paul (my husband) last night, he asked what I did after work. When he learned that I pretty much work all day, then walked to the grocery store to buy food and finally made some dinner (which was just heating up pre-packaged Indian food ... does it count as Thanksgiving if the 'Indian' component is from India rather than Native America?) ... he said, 'wow, it's a pretty austere life.' I'm definitely here to work, and 9 1/2 hour days, now 6 days in a row take a lot of energy, focus, and clarity. I don't have much left at the end of the day. But this work is so satisfying to me that I don't feel like I'm missing anything at all. As Manorama's teacher Sri Brahmananda Saraswati has said, "Yoga is the state in which you are missing nothing." I feel pretty complete. Ok, maybe a little tired!