During my initial yoga teacher training in 2007, we played a game called “the beauty I see in you is...” Each student was paired up with an unfamiliar person in class and asked to sit crossed legged facing each other, knee to knee. One of the things I have always enjoyed is my personal space. I was convinced that this yoga program was determined to break this quality down in me and force me to become a close talker. Super uncomfortable about being in such tight quarters, to self - preserve, I said something along the lines of, “Sorry, had onions for lunch,” and maniacally laughed. What a perfect way to start; making my partner think that I’m one crazy bitch.

The purpose of the exercise was to repeat this phrase, “the beauty I see in you is…” over and over again with direct eye contact. The sentence needed to be finished differently each time. For some reason I can’t remember who my partner was or what was said, but I do recall tears streaming down everyone’s face as the words began to shift from the physical beauty of a person to more abstract images. For example: the beauty I see in you is, your radiating heart, as opposed to outwardly attributes of face and body. Sweet, simple affirmations to help the person seated across discover themselves and become closer to their truth. It broke a lot of us down.

However, some things don’t change. If I can feel your breath on my face as we talk, no offense, but I will back up.

Let’s be cliché shall we? As we all know; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one person perceives as pretty or attractive is not necessarily how another will acknowledge it. We all have thoughts on what we deem as sexy, gorgeous, handsome and cute.

There is no right or wrong; it just is.

But what does seem to be true across countries, is the idea that if we connect to the positive energy of a person, animal or place, it generally creates a stronger sense of attractiveness. Most people will say in a relationship that once they got to know the heart of their partner, they became even more handsome; also, the reverse can be true.

Either way, physical beauty is only so deep. If you have a shit personality, no amount of hotness will save you.

Indonesia is fucking gorgeous. I don’t care who you are or where you’ve been. When you drop into these Islands you’re going to have a mental orgasm. She’s a stunner. She’s not perfect, but pretty damn close. If you stay here long enough and dive into the culture, you’ll see her flaws. A few blemishes will become obvious: burnt garbage, the division of rich and poor, the unsavory smells, the way some animals are treated, and the inability to walk on the streets without tripping over uneven cement. But I’m conscious that these issues take place around the world, so overall she’s got a lot to offer.

I choose to look beyond these things – not ignore, but I’m not here to change this country in an aggressive “look at the perfect foreigner” kind of way. I’m here to change myself and hopefully make connections that will ripple effect into my home, community and beyond.

I stare into her heaving bosom. She breathes so vibrantly, that I can’t help but breathe in rhythm with her. She’s so inspirational. So soothing as she fills me up moment by moment with the most amazing sights sounds and experiences.

As I write this, I am in the interior of Bali. This is an area that was recommended to me by a good friend. He said that this place would blow my mind. It has. My house is about $50.00 US and could probably handle a family of six comfortably. I am traveling alone; but it feels as if my extended family has come to visit: the birds, crickets, cows, moths, snakes (I’m sure) that surround my house in the hills make me feel right at home.

When I woke up this morning, I started to make my way across the open air patio to the precarious spiral staircase down to the toilet. Bleary eyed and pee pee dancing, I took a moment and looked out into the distance. Immediately, I felt this massive wave of energy blast my body. I stood still and observed the intense colors and beauty surrounding me.

Holy shit, I’m in paradise.

Through eye snot, I blinked a few times to clear my vision. Directly in front of me stands the largest volcano in Bali; reminding me, it could take me out at any time. I backed up and bowed.

My connection to this place just reached a new level.

I cried. In fact I bawled. I can’t even tell you why; except that the power of this place brought me to my knees.

I don’t miss the traffic, the busyness, the noise and the distractions. This place is a reflection of me. I look out in nature; the roaring ocean, the delicate sand and the greenery that’s laid itself out like an acrylic painting to support the distant mountains, and I see me.

The early morning haze hangs in the sky, much like the veil that gently covers our own beauty until we warm to the fact of how precious and perfect we truly are, from the inside out. As dawn turns into late morning, the clouds slowly disappear and the radiance of our souls begins to shine thorough. The sun just turned up the dial and we’re glowing. If nature has taught us anything, it’s to allow things to unfold in an organic ebb and flow. What we can be sure of, is as the night flows into day, our mist will clear and our beauty will be known. Do we resist? Sure. Are we scared? You bet. But for the first time we can look beyond our skin and truly feel the staggering beautiful person we are becoming.

You are nature unfolding day by day. And you can't hide nature.

I’m naked – standing in front of my bathroom mirror, wearing nothing but clear lip gloss. What a strange thing to be doing, but it’s necessary. Whispering, I declare: “I like what I see reflecting back at me.” But it wasn’t always this way. I’ve dealt with many body issues from the time I was in my early teens to… well… at times, even now. However lately, I’ve been able to laugh at my monkey arms, gangly legs, short torso and hairs that grow in the most awkward places (thank you Indo-Fijian father).

But in this moment, it’s not about the shape of my body I’m concerned with, as I pull at my face and pinch my skin (it’s a weird habit), I’m aware of the real layers that are starting to peel back, revealing something more interesting and worth mentioning.

What I have always struggled with, is the beauty that lies within. It’s been an on-going struggle to love and embrace the spirit of who I am. I have felt too loud, too opinionated, too aggressive, too controversial, too passionate and too BIG.

To read the rest of the article click here:

http://muuve.com/motivation/strip-down-and-stand-up-becca-pati/

If there was one adjective that could possibly sum up the complexity of who I am, I would definitely choose the word: colorful. I feel that it encompasses all areas of my character and the path I walk. However, there have been many other words used to describe me throughout my life; some to my face and others behind my back. Here’s a list of them in no particular order: bitch, strong willed, controlling, beautiful, angry, fun, committed, creative and fiery. Interestingly, and being completely honest, many of them have been fairly accurate— in certain circumstances, I actually have been a beautiful angry controlling bitch.

However, there is one word that I want to put in a little ball, chew on and
spit out. It’s a word that some people along my journey have expected me to be…and that is: perfect.

Perfect was the monkey on my back.

Here is the whole article published in ELEPHANT JOURNAL

For the past few mornings, I’ve been unrolling my yoga mat out on an old
wooden dock in the town of Placencia, Belize; where I’ve been staying for a
week. The edge of my mat is a few feet from the lagoon and as I practice my yoga, I am completely aware of the beauty surrounding me: the exotic birds, the calm water and the brilliant blue sky that reminds me of how vast this world truly is. After about 30 minutes, I am beading with sweat and begin to cool down with a short but powerful meditation. I sit with my eyes closed and simply allowed the whispers of the Universe be my source of focus. Today, I was able to allow my mind and body to drift into a place of well-deserved relaxation.

But more often than not, I can’t seem to settle down. Instead, whether I’m
trying to meditate or not, my mind chooses to remind me of past situations and future events that usually cause me some type of anxiety or fear. It natters from beneath my thick hair, scalp and skull; distracting me from the present moment, where I generally feel at peace. My mind and I have recently gotten into a love/hate relationship with the constant conversation that zooms around my head.

If you would like to read the full article - click here: MUUVE FITNESS

To put it mildly, I grew up religious.

In fact it consumed most of my life.

But as I started to age and become filled with questions, there were not as many answers coming back that satisfied me. As a kid, I remember struggling constantly with one specific concept that just didn’t make sense: the belief that there was only one road to reach the Divine.

But it wasn’t just that, there was more—a good portion of religious folks didn’t respect differing points of view and would actually segregate themselves, creating a clique…even in the same faith!

Huh? What?!

As a young girl, this mentality didn’t sit well with me. As an adult, after traveling around the world and connecting with the most beautiful people from all races and religions, I realized that this way of looking at life was deeply flawed.

It became so obvious to me that ego, power, and control were all wrapped up into this delusional belief of we are right.

To read the rest of the article click below:

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/06/dogma-downward-dogs-dont-mix-becca-pati/

When I fly away to exotic locations, I feel the weight of the world slipping off my shoulders as we start zooming down the runway. No matter what I've been working through or the stresses I've had - it seems they start to dissipate; knowing I'll be far from it all, even for a few days.

Recently we journeyed to Placencia, Belize, for just over a week. What a wonderful place to sit in a hammock, drink rum and practice yoga. My husband and I needed the break, to regain perspective and to let go.

But letting go is not easy on a short trip. It seems that it takes a day or two to get used to being on holidays and then another few days at the end of the trip ramping up the energy to come home. So really, we had 3 days to truly find the essence of the "beach holiday." By that I mean if someone was to ask you what you were thinking... you'd literally tell them to "fuck off" or on a more polite note maybe say something like, "Umm... nothing" or "What to eat" or the classic, "What my next drink will be." You know how it is... the less mental energy the better.

So FYI, for those of you who like to chat a lot about deep meaningful "things" on a quick stress free holiday - we cannot travel together... I'd walk out into the ocean and drowned myself, just to get away from the serious conversation.

Traveling is good for the soul. It doesn't mean that you forget who you are and act like a stranger in your own body, but it does mean that you can chill out and release some pent up emotion by dancing, laughing and wearing totally inappropriate clothing. That's the purpose of being on vacation - to let yourself vacate from the norm.

So get on a plane, jump in your car or take a freaking bus... but get away once in a while. You don't have to go far, but a change in scenery is a great way to shift your thinking. You are everywhere you go, so choose to pack mentally lighter - you'll be amazed at how refreshed you will be when you come home. And it is always nice to come home.

Believe me, you'll have plenty of time in your life to feel stressed - so give yourself a break and get the fuck outta here...

I’m completely stunned. I slowly let the phone drop from my ear, out of my hand and then onto the desk. I don’t even remember what exactly what the receptionist said, but what I heard was “Sorry, it will be about a year…” The anxiety starts to rise. Please breathe. I just need to keep breathing. FUCK!!! I can’t catch my breath. I’m going to die, I am sure of it. I sit down and immediately start sliding off the oversized computer chair and crumble onto the cold hard floor. I am falling falling falling into the dark abyss of mind that won’t let me have a moment of peace so I can think clearly. Instead it grips me with fear, telling me that I will definitely die and that no one is able to save me.  I can feel
the frantic energy of my husband as he sits awkwardly cradling me in his arms; repeatedly asking me in a loud shaky voice if I am ok. I am not. He calls 911 as my negative mantra is said aloud through choking gulps of air, “They’re going to let me die,” “They’re going to let me die.” 

Read more of my article published in ELEPHANT JOURNAL

Have you ever been doing something that you truly enjoy, when someone interrupts you and you’re surprised that two hours went by, yet it only felt like 15 minutes? That experience is called being in the “flow.” This idea of simply allowing the energy of the activity to carry you away to a place where nothing else matters, except in that moment, is a very rare and
precious thing. Unfortunately, many of us are unable to hang onto that beautiful feeling; the alarm goes off, the phone rings or the kids scream, and we get jolted out of our bliss and immediately back into our shoulders up around the ears, butt clenching busy lives.

When I teach my yoga workshop “Discover your Flow,” it's sequenced 
with the idea of aligning our bodies with how I view the vinyasa practice: free, floating, moving and expressive. This style of class focuses on easy ways to make our physical flow less strenuous and more efficient (so we can save energy for arm balances and inversions!). However, this class is also about finding that place within ourselves where we can release the hold of “perfection” and relinquish the box that we fit ourselves into – on and off the mat. 

The challenge is to find a way to let go of our desperate grip on the river bank of life, so we can be carried downstream to exactly where we need to be. Sometimes we’ll hit rocky waters and other times it’s smooth sailing. When we find our “flow” we are able to rest in each moment, knowing that we’ll be looked after. Are we ready to trust the process of what the Universe has in store for our lives?

Being in the flow is truly where the excitement of life is; resting in each moment and releasing control. Let's let go and start living!

When I stand on my mat, something magical happens.

Ta Da! Welcome to Yoga…
It brings a smile to my face when I think about my first yoga class: the room was on fire, my yoga clothes were too tight and I couldn't catch my breath.

After a few months of accidentally dehydrating my body (I wasn't drinking enough water to support the sweat), I knew I needed a change. A friend of mine convinced me to try another style of yoga, which was completely different from what I was used to. She was in very good shape, so I thought this could be a promising shift.

Unaware of what I was getting myself into, I decided to drop into a class, mid-enrollment. After doing yoga once a week for two months, I was an expert—right?

Ha! What a joke!

I had no idea what I was in for: quad-burners, back-crushers, hamstring-screamers, arm-killers and Darth Vader breathing.

Where was I?

READ THE REST OF MY ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN ELEPHANT JOURNAL:
MAGICAL MOMENTS OF YOGA

The Flies
I’m sitting in a relatively relaxed position on an open air platform at an earthy yoga center located on the Island of Gili Air, Indonesia.

I’m trying to meditate. 

It’s not going very well.

From the first moment I landed on the shores of this beautifully picturesque Island, I found the breeze refreshing, the vibe chill but the flies outrageous. One my biggest concerns about traveling here, were the deadly animals that could possibly come out of the bushes and attack me. This fear has dissipated, however, because even though there are spiders and lizards, they generally keep to themselves and don’t affect everyday life.

The one thing I have put into practice, though, is ducking while walking under low hanging branches, so that spiders, the size of your hand, will not brush against the top of my head.

To read the rest of my BLOG click on:

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/10/meditating-with-a-fly-in-my-eye-becca-pati/