yoga on the road: reconnecting in rochester

Since I stayed in Chicago all week after our event, I didn't spend much time in Rochester before the next event. We arrived on Thursday and our event started Saturday morning, bright and early. Usually, we arrive in a new city on Monday or Tuesday and have the event (in that city) the following weekend...so I am a bit off on my usual blog schedule - sorry for the long wait :)

Even though I was only in Rochester a few days, my time there was very well spent. The first day of our event was great. We were pretty packed all day, which makes time fly by. This event was a festival, downtown Rochester. Everyone who came our way was pretty friendly . It was a little strange for me to be in that part of NY. Before last week, the only NY experience I had was in NYC - which is quite different than the suburbs of Rochester! It was nice, though, to see that NY is more than the image of what we blast all over the media and fancy reviews. NY has a suburban side, too. I know it sounds completely generic that I used to associate the entire state of NY with NYC, but its true. I bet a lot of people don't really see the softer side of that state. If it weren't for this tour, I probably wouldn't have ever known any different. In fact, we saw two full rainbows, during our time in Rochester. Doesn't get much softer than that!

The most exciting part of my time in Rochester was dinner with some dear friends, Saturday night. My friend Jen and her husband Joel drove to Rochester from Pennsylvania to meet for dinner. Jen and I met on that Sayulita Yoga retreat also... in fact, Jen is Midori's daughter that I saw in Michigan. Jen and I were instant friends when we met a few years ago in Mexico. Our moms would do their thing and Jen and I would venture off on our own, from time to time. Don't get me wrong - we both completely adore our moms, but it was good for all of us to have someone else to bum around with, when desired. Anyway, Jen and I always have a blast together, so I was thrilled to see her and equally thrilled to finally meet her husband, Joel.

We met for dinner at a place called Eros, downtown Rochester. During her high school years, Jen's family lived in Rochester - so she new the good hot spots in town. Dinner was fantastic, the company was fantastic, and (just as I imagined) Joel was just as fantastic as Jen. I love seeing two people together that are so happy and such a good fit for each other. I already knew it would be this way, but it was great to see it in person. Jen and Joel are the kind of people who can have a very intelligent and stimulating conversation one minute and then laugh hysterically till tears come rolling down your face the next. I am so grateful I got to spend time with them that evening. It really made my day! At some point on this tour, we are hoping to meet up again...which would be quite the treat.

Sunday was the last day of the event and it rained most of the day. I didn't get to teach as much as I usually do, which makes the day creep by slowly. People were still interested in doing yoga, but with rainwater everywhere, it made things a little difficult. Sunday evening, Pedro, Sunie and I went to Highfalls Brewery to see a concert. Tristan Prettyman was playing in Rochester Sunday night, so I had to try and catch her. Unfortunately, I didn't realize she went on at 6pm. Fortunately, there were two more great bands playing after her set. When we got there, John Butler Trio was just finishing up and G Love was about to take the stage. The show was awesome. It was an outdoor concert, which I love. It rained a bit, toward the end, but no one cared. We just danced in the rain. At the end of the show, all 3 bands came out and played together, so I was very happy I at least got to see Tristan :) It was a great night out in Rochester. We were exhausted from working the event, but it turned out to be well worth it!

Overall, my time in Rochester was short-lived, but packed with excitement and fun. Its such a great feeling to reconnect with old friends and make new memories. Traveling the country has allowed me to see and do so many cool things with so many great people in my life. I am excited to see what this journey brings next!