Teaching Yoga Class

Friday: January 29th

I am feeling pretty proud this evening. Today Yen, Alley and I woke up at seven for our morning yoga class. We were all pretty exhausted from last night. I offered to teach yoga. I had offered to lead a class a while ago but the thought somewhat terrified me. Then I realized that this fear made no sense. In only ten days of living here I have a mutual love with these women.  So this morning I led my first yoga class and I felt right at home.

Being a dancer for so long has made me comfortable with movement but uncomfortable with speaking. I have been practicing yoga on my own for some time now. I knew how to set a class but did not know how to explain a beginning meditation or the flow between each posture. Alley and Yen were the perfect students to practice on. Alley has taken about three yoga classes, most of them being here, and Yen has been practicing for years spending some of her life living in an ashram. Once I began I was no longer nervous. I was strong, confident, and at peace with my current life. After class Alley and Yen were very kind. They enjoyed the beginning flow and the deep stretches at the end. I don't think that I could have hand picked a better people to teach my first class to. Thank you so much, you beautiful women.

We spent the rest of the day working our butts off at the guest house site. We began clearing a trail for Brian to dig a trench for the house's power lines. When we got the the end of the trail it was time to cut the massive tree we had taken down the day before. Never have I seen a tree more beautiful than this one. It is Scott's favorite tree on the property. Since we had to take it down for the guest house we are going to repurpose it in many ways so it lives on. Christian had been chainsawing for a while so I offered to relieve him. I cut for about an hour and it was everything. It was intense, exciting, loud, heavy, hard and liberating. When I shut off the chainsaw I let out a kind of battle cry from how much adrenaline I felt. My blood was pumping, my ears were ringing, and all of me was sweating.

Tim and Brian headed in and we worked for a bit longer. The second we got back I began to crash. My body had been worked to its limits. Now I feel sore all over. Typically I love being sore because it means I worked out really hard at the gym or had a hard yoga or dance class. Now I am proud to be sore because I exerted my energy for manual labor. My soreness is not for my personal gain, it is helping build Scott's dreams for the wonderful Lost River Hostel.

Tim and I shared a nice talk on the living room couch. We talked about different aspects of life. The good, the bad, and all of the moments in between. Tim has experienced so much in his life. Some experiences of his life have been so hard I hope to never encounter anything like it. Others are so inspiring that I hope to achieve even a few of the things he has done. He told me how much he enjoyed visiting orphanages in Thailand and China. He adores children and is so wonderful with Li here at the hostel. It is interesting that as I get to know everyone here I realize how different and similar we all are. We have all experienced completely different lives but we can work well together as a family and a team.

So all in all everyday is getting consistently better. I TAUGHT YOGA!!! I accomplished one of my dreams and was reassured that it truly is something I want to pursue.

Sun Salutations in the Sun Room

Thursday: January 28th

As I write this blog post I am torn. I just left a deep conversation in the kitchen with Li and Alley about life's hardships. I love that I am writing this blog but it is interesting to take a step back and realize that in order to remember all of these memories I have to take time away from the current moments I am experiencing to remember the ones I have experienced.

Anyways... today was a learning day. I woke up upset with some of my housemates. Actually extremely upset and disappointed. This feeling took me to a dark place that wanted nothing to do with. I kept to myself until Alley and Yen were up. I went into the kitchen to talk to them about how I was feeling. Yen shared her wisdom of how to deal with other humans. First off, letting other humans control your attitude means they have control. You should be the only one who has control over your attitude and well being. It is yourself who allows these negative feelings and energy into your body. Alley explained her technique of taking a step back to decide whether the situation was really worth her time or energy. Ninety percent of the time it is not.

We had our morning pow wow on the rood. I began to learn a lot about myself during this time. Alley and Yen shared life stories about stress and I quietly took mental notes. I realized I need to focus more on the positives of people versus the negatives. To feel physically and mentally healthy I need to express my feeling through movement whether it be dance, yoga, or even journaling.

 After enjoying the morning air and view we went into the sun room to practice yoga. Yoga was truly special today. Our practice was led by Yen. We were in the sun room, facing the sun, practicing slow sun salutations. My life is beautiful. While we practiced a quick standing shavasana, I closed my eyes and looked toward the sun. There was a design beneath my eyelids. It appeared to be raindrops layered on top of one another. I told Yen about it later and she explained that it was the sun's gift to me in gratitude for our practice and sun salutations. I really enjoyed thinking of it this way.

We then went to the woods to log and fill the truck with useable wood. I have become more comfortable with the chainsaw. After about ten minutes of continuous cutting your body becomes exhausted. I am positive that I will be sore in the morning.

After lunch Li and I finished tarring the roof. It was actually kind of stressful to be on the roof with an eight-year-old. Anytime he walked within five feet of the edge my heart clenched in my chest. Thankfully we figured out a routine so I was near the edge while he worked on the center. I now know how to tar, lay down tar paper, and then tar that tar paper down successfully.

Tim and Brian were going out to dinner so the rest of us decided to do the same. We went out for a cheap pizza and returned home to play games. Games are always fun and a great bonding time. After games Li wanted to play more. We told him we would play in a little bit while Alley and I shared stories about current and past relationships. Li joined in and we spend the rest of the night talking instead of playing more games. Well, this now takes us full circle. I am grateful to have this experience and to be consciously learning from it everyday.

Wizard Sheep

Wednesday: January 27th

Yesterday Christian and I spent the day working on the mural in the closet. Here are some of the paintings we did!

 

I painted the massive sun overlooking "Billy's Castle" in the living room closet. Christian painted a snake dragon attacking a group of sheep. Thankfully the mama sheep is a wizard and her force field was able to save all of their lives.

We decided to go out and explore the West Baden Springs Hotel. My pictures did not do it justice. I have chosen some pictures I found online to give you an idea of how insane and random this hotel is.

This is what the inside of the dome looks like. We sat in the dome lobby for over an hour laughing and pretending that we could ever afford a room even for one night. 

Let me reiterate that this hotel is across the street from a McDonald's, in the middle of nowhere, in Indiana. 

Cold Potato

Monday: January 25th

Here are the highlights:

Christian, Li and I cleaned the sun room. The sun was shining, so the room was warm. Li and I joked that the newspaper on the windows sounded like R2D2.

The kids, Alley, Christian, Li and I went into the woods where the guest house is going to be built.  I, Emily Marie Henderson, used a chainsaw to defeat some small but strong trees. We logged the trees and loaded them into the pickup truck. Working outside is extremely empowering. Alley decided to try driving the truck for the first time on the muddy woods terrain. It was pretty terrifying for all parties but we made it out just fine, minus the huge tire marks we left on the lawn.

Scott arrived with a ridiculous amount of food. Christian was exhausted from manning the chainsaw for most of the afternoon. As Christian took a nap I captured the alone time for yoga. I had not practiced by myself since I arrived at the hostel and it was just what I needed. I lit my candle and practiced gratitude as the sun went down. After an hour or so I heard my phone start buzzing. This is what I received:

These insane txts made my day.

After dinner the adults hung out for a bit. Yen shared her intentions of volunteering at the Lost River Hostel. She hopes to one day open a healing center/hostel/retreat. Being so passionate about all kinds of healing techniques she wants to have a center where people can come to heal and meditate. She believes food, herbs, and yoga can save the soul. I am fascinated with Yen because she has found such a beautiful balance in life. She is not calm until everything, I mean everything, is clean, yet she meditates whenever she gets the chance. We could all be sitting around talking sharing stories and she will listen while she practices her yogi breath. She realizes what she needs in life to feel bliss everyday. Everyday yes, but not all day every day. I appreciate her attitude so much because she is conscious of the good and the bad. Dealing with the bad and being grateful for the good. At least once a day she expresses her gratitude for a specific moment or meal.

The night ended with everyone goofing around the kitchen. We learned how to play hot potato from Li. We searched and searched for the perfect item to play with. Finally we came to our senses and used a potato. Hot potato was getting too loud so we tried cold potato. Li was making it up as we went. It turned into the silent game where the loser is the first one to laugh. Alley lost immediately, and then so did the rest of us.

Tiny Human

Sunday: January 24th

Sunday was very different yet exciting. Christian, Alley and I were assigned the task of picking up our weekly vegetables from Living Roots Ecovillage. To get to the farm we had to drive into French Lick in a crazy red farm truck. To turn on the truck you need to use a screw driver. Need to roll down the windows? Simply reach into the door panel to find the correct wires. It was awesome. When we arrived we thought it was just like any other farm. We were completely wrong.

We met Michael, the owner of the farm, on arrival. He offered to give us a tour as he gathered our vegetables. Inside of a large normal looking farm building was a community center for the ecovillage. There was a kitchen, tons of books, tapestries hanging from the wall, couches and tables, and a yoga/healing room. We exited through the others side of the building to find a village of multiple two story tiny houses. They were larger than your average tiny house, more like a studio apartment with a second floor.

Michael gave us a tour of the green houses while he picked us fresh kale, bok choy, and cabbage. He then showed us the Eathen Dome that is under construction. The dome is made almost entirely from the earth. The walls are made of straw and clay with a finishing mixture of sand, clay and flower. The walls look like drywall painted with a clay paint. Inside the Ether Dome he began talking about the programs they offered and what the ecovillage is all about. Living roots has lots of different learning programs including healing arts, organic gardening and farming and natural building and energy systems.

Michael was so welcoming and even invited us to join his weekly yoga class, the monthly community potluck and the annual seed exchange. It blows my mind that these communities and people even exhist. We left the farm with fresh organic local produce and a refreshed souls. The Living Roots Ecovillage may be another adventure we have to add to our list of life goals.

Dinner was something we were all looking forward to now that we had so much fresh produce! Alley, Yen and I worked together to make a vegetarian masterpiece for dinner. I was in charge of the salad while Yen and Alley created veggie burgers with a mustard yogurt sauce and a butternut squash soup. Working in the kitchen with these two fascinating women has been such a special experience. Before dinner we all stand in a circle holding hands. We take turns sharing where we are from today and what we are grateful for. Today I was from the kitchen and thankful for this fresh produce and meal. After everyone shares we take a moment of silence and then sing "yum" they way om is chanted in yoga. Our nightly gratitude circle is one of my favorite things about dinner. When we all sat down for our amazing meal I felt proud, inspired and thankful.

I spent the remainder of my evening hanging out with Li. We tried to play his game lazer maze but the lazer piece was broken which made the game impossible. We began talking about his life in his home country and his time in America. He told me about his best friend Edwardo who still lives in Venezuela. Li told me that he had not met another friend worthy of being called his best friend. He had met people who came close but it was not the same connection. He said kids at his school would say someone was their "best friend" but didn't really mean it. He told me about bullies he had encountered at school and how ugly their personalities were. He expressed that some people can handle bullies but since he is sensitive being picked on really gets to him. I asked him why people picked on him. He told me it was because he is different. The whole car toy and action figure craze really never made sense to him. He would rather create art or read a book. When other kids went home to watch television he was watching documentaries. He told me all of the documentaries he watched in first grade really paid off. We talked for hours. I told him I didn't want him to leave in a week. I said I am probably going to cry when he leaves and he responded "Oh, I am definitely going to cry!" I have known this tiny human for five days and I have so much love for him already. Secretly I am glad the lazer did not work and that we spent the night talking instead.

Chainsaw

(referring to) Saturday: January 23rd  

Yesterday as a whole was absolutely amazing! Christian and I got to sleep in a bit and immediately got to work outside. The goal  was to get the excavator up the hill and down the path towards where the guest house is going to be built. This task involved Brian driving the excavator, Christian cutting down trees, vines and stumps in the way, while Tim and I moved the cut trees off the path. This goal was accomplished before breakfast because we all worked together! I actually felt on top of the world. I don't know if it was the sunshine mixed with freezing temperatures or the adrenaline of hard work but I felt great!

Christian was a machine with the chainsaw. He was cutting everything from vines to big trees. Tim and Brian were extremely impressed. Though I already know Tim kept reiterating how wonderful of a man Christian is and just how lucky I am to be with him. While Christian and Brian were figuring out which trees needed to be cut ,Tim and I shared some interesting conversation. He told me about his travels and was so excited to hear that we would be WOOFing in Europe. He told me about his time in China. He explained that as a tourist in china if you stay longer than thirty days you are assigned a watcher. A watcher is literally someone, working for the Chinese government, who follows a specific tourist around 24/7 and watches what they are doing in their country. Tim also attended church in China so he was assigned two watchers. I also just tried to look up Chinese watchers and not a whole lot came up about the topic...weird.

The rest of the day was pretty calm. I hula hooped in the sun room for a bit and helped Alley puttied the bathroom walls. We talked about our families, relationships and why we came to the hostel. The more I get to know Alley, the more I enjoy her company. She has a very laid back approach to life and deals with stressful or awkward situations light heartedly. We are going to paint a tree on the bathroom wall together and I am looking forward to learning more about painting from her.

My goal for tomorrow is to wake up early to spend some time with myself. I am going to take myself on a date to the woods. I enjoy waking up with myself while everyone else is still sleeping. It has been hard finding a balance with alone time and group time here. Right now I am alone but it almost feels lonely because everyone else is together. I want to see how spending my morning alone and tomorrow night with everybody makes me feel.

I continue to learn more everyday and look forward to applying all of this new information throughout my time here and in future projects in my life.

Miss you so much my Hendersons!

Refueling the Mood

Friday: January 22nd

I am currently sitting in our room listening to Yen, Chrisian and Li jamming downstairs. Christian playing guitar, Yen on the drums and Li playing the medlodica. Listening to a child improv on an instrument is unlike anything else. This is the perfect writing space. Thanks to Alley our room has rainbow christmas lights which makes this space such a cozy corner of the house.

Today was all over the place but lovely. I woke up this morning in a bit of a funk. Though I am so glad we came to volunteer here this is a huge adjustment. Only a few weeks ago Christian and I were living in a spacious one bedroom apartment in downtown Portland, Oregon. We now live in a seventy square foot room in an old farm house with seven other people in rural Indiana. We do not have a closet, shelves or drawers in our room and everyone shares the same bathroom. I knew stretching would be my answer today. Before I interacted with anyone I retreated to the hobbit hole to stretch out my mental and physical tension. When I did make my way to the kitchen to make tea Yen expressed that she was also in a weird mood after being up all night. Christian and I went upstairs to clean up the room a bit. I began crying and wasn't sure why. I had a strong it was due to the massive am mount of change happening in our lives. The change is not bad or good it is all different from what I expected. Before we knew it Li was knocking on our door telling us it was time for breakfast.

Tim and Brian went outside to start working with the excavator while the rest of us cleaned up breakfast. It was snowing again which made things difficult for the massive machine. They decided that it would be impossible to work outside so they were going to take the day off and rest. We decided to have a chill day for art and resting! Typically we get two days off a week which we can choose however we please but we decided it would be fun if everyone took one off together.
The day consisted of painting, making beads with Sculpie, movies, pasta and refueling my mood. It was nice to have a relaxing day to hang out with everyone.

Crying this morning may have been exactly what I needed, even more than stretching or journaling. I have noticed time and time again that crying is sometimes the best release. It is a physical reaction to stress, sadness, or negative tension in the body. Being able to recognize our emotions and realize what we need to cope is extremely important especially in times of change. I now feel happy, excited and actually had a ton of energy throughout the entire day. Thank you tears, you have saved the day again.

To Brownyn: I miss you and think about you almost everyday. I loved sharing my Sculpie with everyone the way you always shared with me! I hope school is going well and I cannot wait to talk or skype with you soon! LOVE YOU!!!

Frozen Pipes

Thursday: January 21st

I woke up today slowly but surley to an all-white West Baden Springs, Indiana. It looked magical. Yoga taught by Yen started a little after nine which was great for the most part. Halfway through class Brian woke up and realized the pipes to the kitchen sink had frozen. It was made clear that it was time for everyone to go outside immediately to fix this problem. We began digging out the snow outside of the kitchen sink while Christian crawled underneath the house to place a space heater under the bathroom plumbing. After the pipes to the kitchen were exposed, Brian figured out that only the on/off valve had burst. We all took turns wrapping a water pipe heat cable around the main water pipe. While we took turns, Brian and Tim shared stories about life in Alaska. After the pipes were wrapped, we had to wait to see if we had fixed the problem. Christian and I began painting the living room closet while breakfast was being made. For the rest of the day we finished the closet, worked out in our room and began sanding and staining the blonde wood in the staircase.

Before we knew it it was already seven. Other than eating we had been going since nine in the morning. I was physically and mentally exhausted. We all gathered in the living room to jam for a bit. Yen let me borrow her guitar and I began playing "The Girl" by City and Colour. Alley immediately recognized the song so we played and sang together. Half of my mind was dying of nervousness while my sanity reminded me that this is a safe place. The second Alley started singing I joined in and it felt so right. The most beautiful moment was watching Yen play guitar while Li jammed out on Christian's melodica. Her smile grew as she watched her son close his eyes and become one with the music. By the end of the night I was so tired but felt extremely accomplished. In one day I shared a yoga class with new friends, was taught how to save frozen pipes, painted a closet, stained most of a staircase, pushed my fear of singing in front of others aside and had a hula hooping contest with an eight year old. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity.

Fact: In Alaska all of the plumbing and pipes are on the roof of the house under boxes. It snows so much that it would be impossible to dig out underneath the house. Also a lot if times the roofs are red so they can be identified when the snow reaches the top of the house.

Recipe: For mopping the floors fill a bucket 1/3 with water, a splash of white vinegar and ten drops of essential oil.

Beautiful Housemates

Day One: Tuesday January 19th

A mile away from Indiana's opulent West Baden Springs Hotel, sits what will one day be The Lost River Hostel. Right now it is a modest farmhouse inhabited by seven volunteers from around the globe. Over the next few months, they will build another house for guests, a parking lot, a bathhouse and more. Two of those volunteers are me and my boyfriend Christian. Yesterday marks the beginning of our a six-week journey, in which we will share a home with strangers who will become friends, and work with untouched nature that will become a new home for guests.

We arrived to the Lost River Hostel around eleven a.m. yesterday. We both were nervous but excited. When we rang the door we were greeted with hugs from our new friend and housemate Brian. When we arrived everyone was slowly waking up after a long night of jamming. Scott, the owner, gathered everyone in the living room for a meet and greet as well as the morning meeting. Every morning there is a meeting to discuss what everyone is going to be working on and who needs help with what. We were assigned the closet in the living room which needed to be painted and then turned into the art storage space. Others were in charge of working on the bathroom walls, adding electricity to certain rooms, emptying the sun room, and staining the blond wood. We ate pancakes with a homemade strawberry syrup and was given a tour of the house. The hobbit hole is a wonderful little space to escape to, the kitchen is huge with all open shelving, and every room upstairs has a chalkboard wall. Our room is probably fifty square feet, if that and its absolutely perfect. Scott left, we cleaned up after breakfast and began moving into our room.

Slowly we began to meet all of our wonderful housemates. 

Alley: turning twenty four in two weeks, originally from California. She went to UC Irvine to study art and graduated the same year as me and Christian. She was working at a Jewish Deli and decided she needed a change. Took an Amtrak from LA to Indiana with her boyfriend Billy. Together they traveled across america enjoying the views while struggling to sleep.

Billy: I met him for twenty minutes but sounds like a hell of a dude.

Brian: A thirty seven year old man who has experienced more than most do in multiple lifetimes. He has been to every state in the US, has traveled to hundreds of other countries, living in about fifteen or so of them. In his time here on Earth his careers have been but are not limited to: the military, badass chef, engineer, professional tree climber (arbor master), programmer. He is knowledgable in how to do everything in and around this old farm house.

Yen: Is how I believe you spell her name. A beautiful Venezuelan woman who came with her son Li by her side. She is a strong follower of Buddhism and a yoga teacher and I look forward to all that I will learn from her.

Li: Yen's eight year old son may be my best friend here at this point. A lover of adventure, crafts, and staining wood around the house. His world currently revolves around Billy complete with handmade Billy pants and shirt.

Tim: A kind wise man who has also traveled the globe. He has received multiple PhDs and has taught in China and India, offering us jobs in either country if we pleased. He has been to every country in Africa, most of Europe and Asia. All of the housemates tried to convince him to grow a beard but he thought it made him look old so he shaved it off.

Li took us to check out the cave located at the front of the property. We were assured we would be completely covered in mud and that it was well worth it. I followed him down into the tight tunnel towards the slightly larger space at the bottom. When my body was about half way down the rabbit hole I decided I had gone far enough. I wasn't really in the mood to squeeze myself into a space that I was not positive I could escape from. Christian went further than I did and as promised we were both covered in earth.

We enjoyed getting to know everyone as we started settling into our new home. We ate leftovers for dinner and planned a yoga class for the morning. We all watched the movie Green Inferno which is absolutely ridiculous and I would not recommend it to anyone, but it was fun suffering through it together. I stayed up talking to Alley and Yen about life stories, relationships and art. I slept soundly excited for what awaited.

Fact:
Tim shared with us that when you hike Machu Picchu in Peru the locals give you coca leaves to help your body adjust with the elevation. The leaves also give you a hell of a boost for your hike!