What a great day-off we had on Sunday! Heather and I decided to walk into town with Frederike and Hannah, who had appointments to get pedicures and such. Heather and I had to turn around, however, to redirect Isa, the wiener dog, back to Nica Yoga so she wouldn’t follow us all the way. Once we re-climbed the big hill, we walked the 2 miles to town, checked out one shop, and immediately found a bakery with a cinnamon roll and apple cake.
Our day consisted mostly of shopping for souvenirs and eating. We had omelets, coffee, fruit smoothies, brownies, fish tacos, fish nachos, and I had a couple of beers. It was all incredibly delicious and filling. We had originally planned to go back to Nica Yoga to get ready to meet friends for dinner, but we changed our minds, stayed in town the whole day, took a dip in the ocean, and met up with our fellow yogis at the Cervesceria, where a (somewhat) live band played flamenco music. Maybe the lead guitar and bass were played on a keyboard by the same person. Whatever. We tried to go salsa dancing for Hannah afterward, but the dancing doesn’t begin until at least 10p. We all had to get ready for our finals Monday and Tuesday anyway. So, we went home at 9p and prepared.
I had my 90-minute teaching final the next day at 2:30p, and I was nervous! When we did our 60-minute practice teach, I was nervous but excited. The 90-minute held more weight. My theme revolved around growing from a seed to a tree and thinking about growth in the individual life. It all turned out ok with my most noticeable slip coming in a loss for “Tuck your…..whatever.” Ummmm….yeah….that was supposed to be tailbone.
In the two days of finals, each person from the group gave their own and took everyone else’s 90-minute classes. We were doing about 4.5 hours of yoga a day, and we were completely exhausted. On Tuesday evening, we had our written final exam – a 65-question written test to complete in 1.5 hours. Oh my goodness. All my test anxiety came back, especially when I got to the question, “What breath do you always use in vinyasa yoga?” Always? Always? I don’t know. Always is such a strong word. My teacher came over, looked at the question, and said, “Don’t overthink it.” Do you know who you’re talking to? “Does always mean USUALLY?” Yes, she said. Oh, ok, and I typed Ujjayi – Victorious Breath.
In all, everyone passed. We all wore white and everyone looked so amazingly beautiful! It was sad to say goodbye to these amazing people whom I had met only 4 weeks prior, but felt like I’d known my whole life. I had to keep reminding myself that I didn’t know their last names or most of their histories. It’s crazy how you can be so close to people that you hardly know and feel so connected and full.
I left knowing that I would see some again, some I would not, but if that opportunity every came, I would take it in an instant. Our group was incredibly diverse, loving, accepting, honest, open, and real. Our teachers were the examples of those things and more. I thank Tara, Henry, and Stacey for their passion, presence, and dedication to teaching us and ensuring our success. I am blessed to have had this incredible and enriching experience and know that it will affect my life from this point forward.
Luckily, I did not have to completely end my time with everyone right away. I continued my travels in Nicaragua for a few days with four of my yogi compadres as we traveled to the island of Ometepe.
