 3-2-1 Jump!
 Samoa is a destination of culture, nature,
peace & tranquility, and most of all it is a calming supportive
place to focus on your journey inward.
I came to Samoa for a two-week yoga tour with my
friends, Taialofa and Kevin, who own and operate Raw Shakti Yoga.
Both, having a long history with Samoa, made them the ultimate guides
for my time here.
My adventure began on the main island of
Upolu where we balanced the days with a bit of yoga, healthy eating and
cultural exploration. Time was also dedicated to running since I
am training for the Boston Marathon as a supporter of AIDS Action (see
www.aac.org/scott for
information on how you can help support this very important
run!)
During this time, conversations about lifestyle,
goals, dreams, and life in general came up. I would lay awake at
night contemplating my own goals and dreams and how those align with
what I am doing now. Having such a supportive "peer-coaching"
team at my side that did not criticize my thoughts, but validate them,
really meant the world to me. And set on the stage of a
living paradise, this truly was the cherry on top that helped me to dive
in and start living.
Looking back on all that I learned in these two
weeks I feel it is more than most could hope to learn in a
lifetime. I have a much stronger idea of who I am and vision of
where my life is going. I feel blessed to know people like Kevin
and Taialofa and only hope that someday I, too, can spread the peace
that they have shared with me in Samoa.
Scott Oglesbay
The Power of Yoga: Who
Would Have Guessed?
 Now, I was on the verge of a
major expedition. Mt Silisili, the tallest
mountain in Polynesia outside of New Zealand and Hawaii, is
only about 200 feet shorter then
I should have remembered: Raw
Shakti is all about encouraging participants to get over there physical
and mental limitations and blockages that have crept up on us over time
and age. Two years ago, before the
Although I was in
better shape than I could remember, I was still worried. This was going
to be a serious, three-day expedition! As we filled gallon milk jugs
with water, repackaged food, added clothing, tents, stove, fuel
and first aid, etc, the packs got heavier and heavier! The
car was totally loaded with equipment, packs, food, water, and people.
We spent the first two nights preparing in a beautiful, ocean-side,
delightful, family run beach fale resort. Fales are simple,
thatch-roofed shelters with hand-woven palm frond blinds that could be
let down for privacy and weather protection. While at the fales, meals
were served family style by the Samoan family who owned them. What a
treat!
We learned that a
pick-up truck would drive us in for a way before we started to hike. The
old truck did a valiant job plowing through brush and weeds higher than
the cab roof! As soon as we all got out and got our packs on, our
guide began immediately cutting away the very worst of the vegetation.
Nonetheless, we still had to high-step and push through vegetation that
was always up to our waists and sometimes higher than our heads. This
went on for many miles. There was never any trail, and without our
guide, we would have been lost in no time. With packs ranging from 20
pounds for the youngest daughter (the guide brought his 2 daughters with
us!) to nearly 70 pounds for Kevin, we all had our work cut out for us.
Our guide’s
youngest daughter began hiking with her arms wrapped around a garbage
bag held in front of her. Her dad saw that that arrangement wasn’t going
to work. He fashioned a completely woven bag for her out of a single
palm frond and cut a pole for her so that she could carry the bag over
her shoulder. She never once complained or had anyone take the bag from
her. She was the toughest eleven year old that I had ever seen!
The brush and tall
grass finally gave way to rainforest and the trail got much
steeper. After eight hours, we decided to stop at the first flat place
that we could find. Our guide cleared a small area to set up our tents
and tarps and Kevin got dinner underway on his new kerosene stove. We
were all exhausted and went to bed around
The next
morning, we were up at first light. It was cool enough for us to
see our breath! That was an amazing experience in a tropical
jungle!
Fortified with a
hearty bowl of oatmeal and carrying daypacks with water, food and first
aid, we took off for the summit. The trail got even steeper! Soon I was
breathing and sweating hard wondering where all of yesterday's
physical stamina
had gone?
We came upon an
orange tree that our guide's father had planted decades ago for weary
climbers to enjoy. The oranges were quite refreshing. The
father had been a guide on this mountain and had only recently stopped
guiding at the young age of 86! I also learned that our guide was my
age, 58.
We set out again
and came out of the jungle onto a huge lava field covered with volcanic
rocks and bushes. We were surprised to discover that many of the bushes
were blueberries! Serious picking, gathering, and eating ensued! Iosefa,
another companion who was hiking with us, began gathering blueberries to
present to his mom who had hiked Silisili once years ago and had told
him about the blueberries. What a novelty eating endemic
blueberries!
The footing across
the lava field was tricky. The fragile cinders, some very large,
easily shifted and sometimes collapsed under my weight. Our guide took
all of these concerns in stride and by choice he wore no footwear
at all for the entire trip!
We plunged back into the jungle
for the final, multi-hour push to the summit. Again, there was no trail.
We climbed endlessly over and under fallen logs and branches, slipped on
mud, got hung up on vines and made our way continually upward.
Fortunately, there were no known bugs, animals, or plants to worry
about.
Finally, the last
hour's climb to the top! Steeper and steeper. Finally, there it
was...the top! I'd made it! I was very pleased to learn that we were
probably one of only a few hundred people who had ever climbed the
mountain in all of its history. I was even more pleased to learn that I
was only one of a handful of "Geezers," as I referred to myself, to make
it to the summit. I took off my shoes off, lay down, proped my feet up
against a tree trunk, and truly
relaxed.
We offered
thanksgiving to honor the mountain for the lessons it gave us. As we
looked out over the expansive view, the guide sang a Samoan prayer, then
Kevin chanted a Sanskrit Yoga prayer, and then Iosepha chanted a Bahai'i
prayer. This crowned the climb!
We made it back to
base camp for dinner. The following day, we got up early, broke
camp, and hiked down the mountain to our guide's home. We were
hosted by the guide, his wife and family to a wonderful dinner in
traditional Samoan style.
Our return to the
beach fales was like returning to the finest hotel! Wonderful hot meals,
a soft grassy area to practice yoga, a real shower, and toilet, a
soft bed, and of course, plenty of time to cleanse and soothe our
scratches from the long climb through the
jungle.
As I lay in my fale
during the evening, I marveled how far I had come both physically and
spiritually since, another world away, Kevin first said, "Lets just
try a few things." I was amazed, that just two years later, I was
trying things again that I never thought
possible!
Peter
Ketcham
 Yoga Studio
Partnership Program: All yoga studios please connect
and receive the benefits of expanding your offerings and open your
students to the world of Yoga Adventure
Travel!
2006 Yoga Adventure
Retreats:
The healthy vacation alternative! The wave of the future
is to get healthy and feel rejuvenated while you vacation! Explore the
world with our professionally guided tours. Nurture
yourself!
Web Site: We
have made many updates and changes to
our Web site. Please enjoy reading about our adventures and mission
at www.rawshakti.com. The
list of professional Raw Shakti trip leaders is growing, each
inspiring us in new ways. They will be leading mindful yoga journeys
into the heart of
  Highlighted AsanaTadasana or mountain pose. This is a pose
that may let you to ground your center. If you are feeling a bit
off-center try this for a couple of minutes and observe how you
feel after. To begin, place your feet next to each other. Both feet
should point forward. Then pick up your toes and spread them the
best you can. If you have not done this before and you wear narrow shoes
squishing your toes together, this may be a bit of a
challenge. With spread toes, if you can, feel your heal, big toe
and little toe balance you on each foot like a tripod. Feel your feet
connecting with the earth or office floor if that is the case. We
have set the mountain in place now we will build the mountain
starting at the feet. Now bring your awareness to your knees. Are
you knees over your ankles? Play with bringing your knees
forward and back. Let the knees come to a resting position over the
ankles. Now the hips and pelvis. The hips shoud be aligned over
your knees and slightly tuck your pelvis under. This stablizes the
lower body. Now think about energy rising from the earth coming
through your feet up your legs into the pelvic region. Now we will let
that energy go through the upper body. To do this bring your
shoulders in line with your hips and let your chin be parallel to the
earth. Soften your gaze and find a point to concentrate on. This
concentration point adds to the benefits of the pose. Concentrating on
one point helps to still the mind and stabalizes your posture. Now
actively reach your hands down by your sides palms facing outward.
With an inhale raise your hands out to the side (adduction) while
extending out through the fingertips. Depending on your range of
motion, bring the arms parallel to each other by your ears. If you
are able, put your palms together. Now make sure those shoulders
are still relaxed! Now integrate your posture with breath. This
would be especially good to relax you during the day if you are working
at a computer. Imagine energy coming into your body with the inhale
through your feet up to your pelvis then image with the exhales the
spine elogating and the energy going up out your fingertips. Do this for
one minute. Now gently release your arms down by your side
(abduction). Ask yourself if you feel different. This would be
especially good if you are working at a computer to relax you
during your day. Maybe a few co-workers will do it with you or a friend.
Enjoy the mountain pose and all it offers.
Namaste,
Kevin
Red Lentil Curry
Serves 3-4
vegan
Red lentils are my favorite kind of lentil and
they lend themselves nicely to this dish. Because of their versatility and
high nutritional value, I suggest keeping some in your pantry to toss
into soups and stews throughout the year. This mild curry makes a
delightful midwinter meal when paired with basmati rice.
Ingredients:
1½ cups white basmati rice
3 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1-inch piece of ginger, shredded
2 tbsp olive or canola oil
2½ cups dried red lentils
1 cup vegetable broth
5-6 cups water
2 tbsp garam masala curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground cumin
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Prepare rice in a rice cooker or on stove
top.
Combine the first five ingredients in a skillet and sauté for
about 5 minutes over medium heat -until onions are slightly
translucent. Add lentils
and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat to continue
simmering, add water a cup at a time until lentils are cooked through
(more water may need to be added as it is absorbed by the lentils). The dish should look slightly
soupy. Add spices and salt
to taste. Serve over
rice. Enjoy!
Peter Ketcham
 Pete lives in Keene, NH.
He sings barbershop harmony and he enjoys the outdoors. He is an avid
traveler and is becoming hooked on yoga. He enjoys the ocean and life
below the surface. He particularly likes to dive with sharks and he
would be quick to tell people that sharks have a very undeserved
reputation! Pete began meditation back in 1972 through the TM movement
and he has recently renewed his interest in meditation through learning
yoga asanas and about the yoga lifestyle from both Kevin and Taialofa.
Pete currently takes yoga lessons from Taialofa's mother, Josephine, and
he practices yoga every day. As the result of his yoga practice, Pete is
dedicated to pursue yoga to continue to improve his health and level of
daily joy.
Scott
Oglesbay
 Scott is an explorer
and traveler extrodonaire! I
will most often be found circumnavigating the globe, searching,
observing and diving right in. Based in Boston, I
have worked in the travel industry for nearly a decade and am
currently working for Grand Circle Travel. As a natural born
traveller, I have found my way to many places
in the world. Exposure
to these countries has affected me in many ways; none quite
as much as my tour with Raw Shakti in 2006 to Samoa.
Being an
avid traveller isn't enough for me, though. I have developed an insatiable
taste for knowledge; learning languages, massage techniques and yoga are
my focus inbetween adventures.
Learning is one of the most important things we can do for our
minds, our lives, our world!
The time
has come for me to share all that I am to help make the world
a better place, one happy soul at a time.
This April 17th I will
be running the Boston Marathon (26 miles) in support
of AIDS Action. Please feel welcome to support this important
effort by donating to www.aac.org/scott before I
run! This is a once in a lifetime marathon that means a lot to me
and those who have been affected by HIV.
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Canoe Canada 
