Yoga, Cardamon & Tea

After seeing the sights in Mumbai Ross and I headed south to the state of Kerala to spend a relaxing week at a yoga retreat just outside the small town of Munnar. Feeling like we needed to recharge and longing to stay put for a whole week we signed up for a 7-day yoga course. We are really glad we did, it was absolutely beautify there, and so quiet! There are acres and acres of tea plantation surrounding Munnar so the whole place looks like it is covered in a bright green carpet. On our long drive in from the airport we were both amazed at how beautiful and green the countryside was.







Our home for the week was at a small oasis placed on a hillside in a cardamon plantation. We woke everyday before sunrise for our morning round of sun salutations and then would practice again every afternoon with Harish, our yogi for the week. He and his wife run the Kaivalyam Retreat and did an amazing job of making us feel at home there. In between all the yoga we helped out on the farm picking cardamon and black pepper, learned the theory behind ashtanga yoga, went hiking in the surrounding area and toured the plantation grounds. We were also treated to 3 delicious organic vegetarian meals a day, I don't think we have eaten so well the entire trip.





On one hike through the area we even spotted a wild elephant! We could hear him rustling in the jungle below us and we waited quietly for about 15 minutes and finally got a peak at his ears and trunk, it was really exciting! If you look closely you can see the trunk in the picture below.





























All in all it was a great way to spend a week an we both feel more rested, relaxed and ready to tackle the road again.