One pose, one breath, one day at a time

"Never too late, never too old, never too bad to start from scratch again" 

-Bikram Yoga Wollongong

The first day I walked out of class I felt as light as a feather. I probably weighed that much after the buckets worth of sweat that spilled out of my pores. A 90 minute work-out in 40 degrees celsius and 50% humidity heated room. It makes it easier and harder at the same time. 

The heat warms the body up faster, which helps prevent injuries and allows for a deeper stretch. Sometimes the muscles become to relaxed and the effort is in holding them strong while trying to maintain a steady breath throughout the process. This is where the concentration comes in. 

Image from www.easternbeachlife.com

You keep your eyes open the whole time. It helps not only from passing out but also staying in the correct posture longer. The key is to find a spot on your forehead and focus all your energy there. 

It really takes a lot of determination to get through the first practice. If you go consistently it gets easier but not if you take breaks in between. The best feeling I get is from the sweating. To me it is less of a workout and more of a detox. 

The benefits according to the flyer: 

1. It rids your glands and organs of toxins in the body.  
2. Provides natural irrigation of the body through the circulatory, lymphatic, and respiratory systems. 
3. Prevents and alleviates illness
4. Promotes weight loss
5. Relieves stress

The overall energy in the room is welcoming and personal at the same time. I felt no judgment or competition with the people in the room. I also didn't focus on others around me a lot because I was so focused on what was going on with m body. 

I have done bikram yoga with a shirt on and off. I prefer a shirt on. I use the extra material to wipe my hands on which allows me to have a better grip on other poses. You only need one water bottle, anymore and you might get sick. Take a bath towel, yoga mat and extra change of clothes afterwards. 

I recommend bikram yoga to anyone who likes a good sweat. Its work at first but you come out centered and relaxed. I also noticed that I wanted to fuel my body with healthier food. It makes sense that once you detox your body that you are not going to pollute it again. That would mean all that hard practice went to waste. 

Bikram Yoga is located at 18 Kenny Street, Wollongong. Visit their website www.bikramyogawollongong.com.au for more information. 

Chasing The Green: St. Patricks Day along the sea

      

    THIS IS TAME IMPALA

Favorite Aussie Band, so far

       The previous day at the volleyball tournament I failed to make any solid contribution. I decided to cheer on from the sideline. There I met Kristen and Irina who are both from Norway. After introductions they invited me on a St. Patrick's Day pub crawl.

     My answer was yes. "Meet at the party bus at 1 p.m.," she said. So there I was standing next to a sea of green tees. We filled two party buses. Whatever bar we were going to, it was about to get the wrath of 75 university students. There was those just looking for some good day fun and those who wanted to blackout their entire day.

    

     

       The first pub claimed two. We drove up the coast to a town known as Wombarra. There we picked a "local" bar to crash and did we. The local patrons we not to pleased but whatever it worked. I found a couple bagpipers for a photo-op. 

    

       Before I go on any further everyone was assigned a plate with a letter on it. Each letter represented a rank in a hierarchy. Based on your rank you could tell anyone with a plate lower than yours to drink. Well folks, I had the lowest. Hint: The Yellow L.

      

 

       After a couple demands of chugging, it was off to the next pub. We stopped in a town called Thirroul that is home to mostly surfers and bikers. There I made friends with a few of the locals. Two were lifeguards at Stanwell Beach.  I plan on seeing them again since I want to go hang-gliding off Stanwell Cliffs.

      Once we were all cut-off at that place we headed south back towards Wollongong. On the way back the buses stopped at the Seacliff Bridge. It is famously known for appearing in multiple commercials. We stopped off for photos and a slate (piss in Aussie). Everyone was disappearing into the bushes, girls and boys.

Andy and I trying to commit suicide at Seacliff Bridge

Ralph and Ryan: The Homies

The guy on the far left is the smart one....
there was a gust of piss.

Seacliff Bridge

THIS IS ANDY, HE MADE MY DAY.

     The last stop was in the northern suburb Fairy Meadow. The pub was known as The Patch where security guards were filtering out the wasted. I made it in, yes I did. Once inside the joint I finally got the long awaited 'snake bite'. It is half cider and half Guiness. The taste is amazing.

My Snakebite and I at The Patch

           Once back at the university, I take off with my newly formed best friends Ryan and Ralph to a house party. A mile down the street we enter through the back yard to a full on St. Patrick's rager. A goon bucket (Goon = Aussie for box wine) sits in the middle of the dance floor. The vibe was backyard chilling outside and dance party inside.

THE GOON BUCKET
You will black out every time you drink it, PROMISE!

       It was one of those house parties you imagine in the movies. Australian music is rubbing off on me. I love the electronic music especially. I really suggest checking out Tame Impala<- I Love this band, Flume and Urthboy. All of these artists were profiled in the Aussie edition of Rolling Stone Magazine.

     

No, I did not take any drugs!

       So I sat on a rug in the grassy back and chatted with my mates. Once the sun set, we headed for home. I walked back to the train station with the boys before getting a pizza to go.

  HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!!
 

TAME IMPALA-Mind Mischief

Love This Song, "It Is Not MEant To BE"- Tame Impala

"I Love the Gong"- rugby league tips

"I like Wollongong," dad said "cause it rhymes with bong."

Jon and I 

Yes I agree. A day in the gong can feel like you hit the bong.  It has that California vibe but a heightened sense of community. The population is a lot more homogenous then California. The Asians have a good rep here, they are more outgoing it seems.

A typical day starts off with some Uni (school in Aussie). It goes by pretty fast. The teachers here have a good sense of humor and filter less of their thoughts. They also listen to you and offer positive feedback. I feel encouraged to speak up in class, Take note USA.

One of my teachers referred to the age group of 12-16 year olds as "raging horny rabbits". Classic.

James and I 

After a few good laughs it is a short trek home from the bus station. I do a short run to the beach and then down one of the trails. I can last anywhere from 3 to 6 miles depending on the degree of humidity. If I am in a lazier mood, I'll just chill at the beach. However today, my friends Heidi (Iceland) and Alyssa (Chicago) let me show them my yoga workout.

We head back to the motel to make dinner. All of us at the motel, sixty people, share a kitchen so dinner has become somewhat of a get-together. We all stand in line for one of the four sauce pans. I go for salad since it eliminates any hard cooking.

View from the grass hill

    Tonight there is a footy game at WIN stadium in Wollongong. The Illawarra Dragons face off against Brisbane Broncos. I go for the local Dragons and wear the supportive colors of red and white. It takes Jon, James and I about 20 minutes to walk there. Once there, the stadium is bustling with noise. The field is right there when you walk in and the lights are blinding. 

Alyssa and Ari with Waldos

    $20 ticket gets you on the grass hill along side the field. I love it already. Then I see all the good-looking Australian men in the place. $5 gets you a beer, not bad. We find our friends and take a seat. Stadium looks like it can hold about 25,000. Tonight there is 13 thousand something in attendance.

Footy is Rugby League, which is a mix between soccer and football. 

• The only gear players wear are mouthpieces. 
• They start in a huddle in the middle (looks like a football field). 
• Once a team has possession they run down the field against the opposition, who is going to try to pull them to the ground. 
• The player with the ball either has the choice to underhand pass it sideways or rush the opposition.
• If tackled then they must kick the ball backwards, that is were the soccer comes in. Each goal is 6 points.

The crowd is lively. The away team Bronco fans are not afraid to show off their spirit. They come off kind of ballsy at points.  The cheerleaders’ look like the hot girl you went to school with except they can dance like a stripper. They don't hold back.

Broncos beat the Dragons 22-6. I will be back though, fun time. It reminded me of my brother Christian and my pops. They would have liked it. The players are so aggressive and full on, it is awesome. Footy-1 NFL-0

     Time to celebrate a loss at the local pub The Harp. A great place to go and get a good dance in or if you're the confident type then try some karaoke. I included a video of what I thought was a great performance.  I stick to the dance floor.

     Exhausted we start our walk back home where Ari (CA) and I are escorted by the kind mate Jack. We pass some spooky church and similar street performers. It's time to call it a night, I have to wake up early and play in a beach volleyball tournament.

Creepy church

When you are be tackled, the rest of your team just chills.

Seven Days Down

Goodbye Sydney, for now.

Sydney Central Train Station

I <3 Sydney

     It has been a full week since I left Los Angeles but only five full days of adventure. I am finally in Wollongong (Wool-long-gong), NSW. It took about 80 minutes on a train to get here. The weather is a mixture of sun one day and rains the next; you can't plan a day at the beach it just has to happen. My sunburn is almost healed. The city is beautiful sits along the eastern coast with soft sand beaches.

Stanwell Lookout Point of Wollongong

I feel like I am going to school in the rain forest.

      With the beauty comes the price. Australia is expensive. A good meal costs about $25.00 minus the beer. I usually start the morning with any piece of fruit I can get my hands on. The standard staple for lunch consists of a piece of white bread covered with either tomato or BBQ sauce and a chicken sausage link. The causal meat paired with salad and chips for dinner.  To wash this all down I grab a beer, I am really taking a liking to Coopers Brew Pale Ale.

       

Uni Campus 

       Aussies at my place are all friendly and very mature for a group of 18 year olds. See in Australia 18 is the legal drinking age so most of them started around 16-17. The first couple days the groups were segregated boy/girl but now that we been in close quarters it is starting to mix. For instance, we visit the North Gong Pub for an $8 steak (Note: Steak is cheap here), after we all mingle and chat like 25 year olds (Great scene, all we really needed was a fire but then its 75 degrees outside). 

We talk about:

1.Kangaroos

2. Guns and how screwed up the US is- "If we had America's gun laws, 20 of us would have walked into the bar tonight and only 5 of us would of walked out," says the mate Michael.

3.Rugby

4. Beer- If an Aussie male drinks cider, he is a "pussy".

5. The influx of Asians in Australia

6. All the towns everyone is from and what is NOT special about each

      We are all staying at Flinders Motel for a month. There is a consensus it will extend past.  I like the motel because it is only five minutes from the pubs, beach and mall.  Plus it has this ratchet kind of dodgy ("shady" in AUS) look all dark with common kitchen and laundry with no dryer. Spring Break 1978! Where we are suppose to go to in a month reminds me of the new lofts in Pasadena, Calif. My room is shared with a girl from Indonesia who is here to learn English. Yes, she knows very little and she chose Australia to learn English, not my first choice.

North Wollongong Beach 

       Australia does have the potential to be my first choice in the category of where I want to live for the next few years. Aussies have done amazing job with their country, they have found that balance between appreciating what they have and wanting to progress ahead. Their backyard is amazing, full of history and natural resources while a sustainable and efficient vehicle sits in the driveway. I read somewhere on pamphlet that Australia holds the records for most inventions, and I can definitely believe it.

Turtle Love