Into the Wild: Yoga in the Desert
Three days of re-connecting to body and mind
Sometimes we're so preoccupied with our daily lives, till we stop noticing all the good things that surrounds us. I received an eye-opener reminder just a few weeks ago, in the form of an invitation to an Iyengar Yoga workshop in Ein Gedi, which came from a friend in Greece. I completely forgot that one can find a true treasure, just two hours away from Tel Aviv.
I immediately accepted her invitation and found myself in a luxurious room, facing a view of the desert's mountains and a moonlit sunset that takes your breath away.
And I haven't yet mentioned the Kibbutz's wondrous botanical garden, abundant with flora so magnificent that it makes you mumble repeatedly, "Is this real?".My childhood memories classified Kibutz Ein Gedi as a detached, dreary location. The years, so it seems, have done it justice.
When everyone went to Ein Gedi springs, I preferred getting into a jeep with Wella, Greece's most senior Yienger teacher and Rina Tawil, Israel's veteran instructor.
Three women in one car, ready to take on the desert. As we three belong to the Yienger community, differentiations like age become something one leaves behind.
In the middle of the night, the jeep raced and took us to Kedem, to the natural sulfur pools. The four pools did not only burn with heat; they also glittered under the moon light.
Following that unique experience, we continued our nocturnal adventure to Masada. We were accompanied by a young guy from the kibbutz, which had a crash on us girls. Throughout the night we remembered how the moon is truly a perfect source of light.
The next day, at 6:45, the workshop began under the guidance of Efrat Michelson. Besides me, there was a group from Jerusalem on the one hand, and a group from France on the other. It was four days and three nights of girls' trips; of sleep and relaxation to the body and mind.
I was glad I had the opportunity to be just me, as one. Not anyone's mother or partner, just a person in the midst of the wild, experiencing a re-connection to the self.