REDEFINING BALANCE PR 2014 ~ getting trashy in paradise

“look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” ­ - Albert Einstein

REDEFINING BALANCE PUERTO RICO ~ adventure retreats in paradise filled with surfing, yoga, rock climbing, slacklining, AcroYoga, Thai Massage and... trash collection?! Yup, we got a little trashy this year...and it felt darn good!

Every year these retreats seem to rise above and beyond with regards to the incredibly talented, outgoing cast of characters who travel from countries around the world and join some of the locals from Rincon to create such an amazing weeklong experience.

The idea had crossed my mind about emphasizing the importance of environmental awareness as one of the principles behind Redefining Balance as a concept to integrate people back into the outdoors. Teaching in an environment where the water is so clear and the rock quality is so pristine allows us to provide amazing experiences with incredible photographs for students to remember. The hope is that these experiences will also help to create appreciation for these parts of the world and inspire small individual acts of conservation and mindfulness to live a more eco conscious and sustainable life when students return to their hometowns.

Our past retreats have always included beach clean ups and emphasized the importance of carrying reusable bags, a personal water bottle & to­-go ware to help reduce single use plastic consumption. This year we took personal sustainability efforts to a whole new level and actually made it a “challenge” complete with awesome prizes donated from eco­conscious sponsors.

Based on a “trash tour” that I did 5 years ago to fundraise for children living in trash dumps in Cambodia, the Redefining Balance eco challenge was a one week elective “choice” that the students could take on in which they would be responsible for holding on to all of their personal trash from the week that was plastic or styrofoam (basically anything that would float in the ocean). A big part of the reason for focusing on this particular type of “floating trash” was to raise awareness about the North Pacific Trash Convergence, a large land mass of trash floating in the middle of the ocean. Students who chose to take on the eco challenge strived to keep all of their trash for the week to under the size of a small or gallon sized Zip lock bag.

Many accepted the challenge and in the end 19 students (of the original 35 on the first retreat) had bags to show for the final awards ceremony. We celebrated the last day of the retreat and the closing of the eco challenge with an outdoor party catered by our friend’s Chilling & Grilling taco truck and Brooklyn Cleanse juice bar...both of whom brought reusable plates and glasses for all of the food & drinks! And to top it off, thanks to goal zero we were able to power a turntable and mixer off of solar panels, a battery pack and portable speakers so as to throw in some live music from one of Rincon’s favorite locals, DJ Don.

All in all it was an amazing way to wrap of the first retreat and the first ever group eco challenge which then had many students from the second retreat also requesting that they get to do the eco challenge as well. It was kinda awesome...people were actually requesting the ability to carry their own trash for the week!

Our second retreat, called Redefining the Inner Balance, has all of the same activities as the original Redefining Balance but with a group half the size and a focus on daily meditations based on the 5 elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether. Kadri leads the group through amazing meditation techniques to help you to tune in to these principles and then we apply connection to the elements when we are out climbing (earth), slacklining (air), surfing (water), acro & yoga (fire) and practicing thai massage (ether) to release all those sore muscles!

For Redefining the Inner Balance the eco challenge was renamed the “eco meditation” and rather than competing for prizes students were encouraged to just observe their actions and see what came up with regards to trash and consumerism. It was really cool to have the group get together for the closing group circles at sunset and talk about their experiences with trash and what was challenging, especially in a town where so much of the food is still served on styrofoam plates with plastic utensils. 

All in all the eco awareness spread throughout town with local businesses actually changing the way they served food simply because so many students complained about the disposable single use straws, plates, glasses & utensils. Rincon is slowly catching up and working towards a plastic bag banaswell. And on behalf of all the students who helped make the Redefining Balance PuertoRico 2014 season possible we are donating 5% of our proceeds from the retreats to the Surfrider Foundation & the Access Fund two amazing organizations that fund initiatives to preserve surf breaks and climbing areas around the world.

Special thanks to prAna, goal zero, coco hydro / big tree farms, Joshua Tree Organics, Ocean State of Mind, the uncharted studio and Raw Revolution for sponsoring the 2014 eco challenge and for all of their amazing prizes & support.

And congrats to CHELSEY GREENE for winning the eco challenge with just one plastic straw to show for a week’s worth of trash!!!

For more pics & info on Redefining Balance please visit facebook.com/redefiningbalance or follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/redefiningbalance

As for the rest of the retreat adventures...we’ll let the pictures tell the stories Enjoy!
~ adi

photos courtesy of: Brian Mosbaugh // slacklinemedia.com, Ryan Martin // of­rion.com, Kadri Kurgun // kadrikurgun.com, Danielle Robidoux // daniellerobidoux.com, Tamar Melen and Richard Baimbridge

 

Redefining Rest

It is interesting to look back, especially as the new year approaches.  
The past three days, the weather up here in Bend, Oregon has been nasty.  And after a solid week of training it seemed like a good time for a rest day.  But instead, for some reason each day we resisted the temptation, and ventured into the outdoors to train.  We almost made it through Wednesday, but ended up at the gym for an 90 minute lifting session as a "warm-up" for an evening yoga class.  Thursday was bitter cold, with unseasonal downpours, and high winds.  Certainly we would have been justified in hunkering down next to the fire with a good book, but someone got the idea that the conditions were just about as close to what we'd experience in the upcoming Patagonian Expedition Race, and the idea stuck.  A cold, wet (but somehow still fun) 3 hour training ride on our Ellsworth mountain bikes ensued - complete with fartlek pushup sprints at the end.


Friday, however we were all determined NOT to train.  Our bodies had certainly been sending "rest" messages for days, and finally we listened.  But by mid afternoon we were going pretty stir crazy, with random guttural screams and spontaneous wrestling matches erupting around the house.  The rest day seemed to stretch on forever.  


Is I tried in vain to go to sleep, I wondered if why I(we) were like this.  If it had always been this way.  I certainly feel lazy much of the time, and enjoy sitting around with my morning coffee till it is late in the day. But something seems to always push me out of that place of physical contentment before too long.


An hour later, still unable to sleep, I was sorting through old computer files, and stories I'd written.  I came across a movie I'd made over two years ago...and it seemed all to familiar...
(the text below the movie is what I wrote that day....)





The day after we finished our monster AcroYoga teaching weekend, we were in desperate need of a rest. And we tried, but YogaSlacker Dan had flown all the way from Minnesota to Arizona for the Acro workshop, and we couldn't let him go back to the cold north bitterness without showing him exactly what sort of things he'd be missing....so we kept the climbing to 5.10 and 5.11, and since Chelsey was teaching yoga classes all day - there were just three of us so we all got a bit of rest while the others climbed. The routes were all long (35m) and really really disgustingly sustained. As someone in the video says - "we are gonna need another rest day after this rest day..."




May you all have at least some relaxing moments on this last day of the year....


Jason

Team YS- Looking forward to Patagonia Race and back on the Abu Dhabi Race

Chelsey here-
With the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 3 weeks  behind us and the Wenger Patagonia Expedition a month ahead of us, we don't know if the hardest is ahead of us.... or behind. We are extremely blessed to have the opportunity to travel and explore both places, and in all actuality- the two races couldn't be more different from each other. However, in every race we do, we always learn a lesson (or five or six) that can be easily translated to future races (and very often life in general!). In Abu Dhabi, we learned how much the mind comes into play. As a slackline and acroyoga teacher, I am constantly trying to wipe fear out my students psyche. I find myself telling them that the reason they are falling off the slack line or can't “get that pose” is because of the way they approach it- with fear and doubt in themselves, or an ego that needs the validation (I know this all to well from my personal experiences). Once fear and lack of confidence gets into my psyche, it is hard to push past it. In many ways this is what happened to our team during this race. We lost confidence in ourselves.

Luckily we didn't experience this feeling all at once, but I saw it happen to myself and some of the guys at different times throughout the race.

As Jason mentioned in an earlier post, depression and doubt hit Daniel and I at the same time. At the end of the first day of racing, we found ourselves in 30^th place. After having such an awesome season back in the states, we came to Abu Dhabi feeling pretty prepared and I was personally extremely ready to unleash some fury! All this deflated that first night. I wasn't hungry despite the long day, I was too full of fear and doubt to gorge myself on all the good food. Daniel didn't have this problem (he will probably eat even when he is dead), but I could sense his disappointment during his very quiet dinner.

The next day we had a mountain run into a long bike up to the top of the famous mountain - Jebel Heifet. Once there, an even longer mountain run/climb section would take us the 3000 ft back down to the valley and then all the way back up to the top. Despite this sort of technical terrain being one of our major strengths, I was not excited. Andy was excited enough for both of us, hooking me on a bungee tow system and setting a blistering pace across the jagged terrain. When we got to the bikes- our beast of a biker Daniel was not feeling it. Usually we can all count on him to be the pace setter/motivator and even help tow the slowest of us up the hill. “It's all in your head Daniel, you got this, ” I said. “Yeah, well, in my head you are a bad ass too.” Ouch.

We got up the hill, at what seemed like a snails pace - but by the time we got into the mountains, it seemed like our spirits and legs were back. We struggled in frustration to pass many of slower teams during the tricky sections, and when our chance finally came our team motivated as one. Calling on our years of experience in the mountains we made a bold route choice and bounded and climbed down a steep section, passing 7 full teams in under a two minutes. We ended that day with a much better time and attitude.

Andy's breakdown came in the desert. He was convinced that we were not going to make it to the last mandatory checkpoint in time. He had hit his wall and didn't see the point of going on. It was a difficult scene as Andy, a brilliant physics grad student lost the ability to do simple math and swore over and over again that given our current pace there was no possible way to reach the end before the cutoff. We had a bit of a team blow out in the shade of a tiny bush, and never came to a consensus, but we had no choice but to continue on. We kept on in silence, pushing the pace as hard as we could and made it to the finish line with 2 hours to spare.

It wasn't until hours later, that Andy even realized that he had been so far off in his simple calculations.

We ended up finishing the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge in 14^th place. We were the top American team. Our goal was top ten, but it's just another reason to make an appearance next year. Even though stage racing isn't our teams strong point- we have come to realize that competing in them only makes us stronger, smarter and more humble- which is always a good thing.

In the end, one of the most powerful lessons I learned (again) was how important communication is – especially with people that are the closest to me. Being able to say sorry, being open with one another and most importantly- being able to laugh at myself and the others makes a strong foundation for relationships to grow on. We have seen teams crumble over the simplest arguments, and always thought we were beyond that. Not so. We nearly imploded several times, and it was due to fear, ego, mis-communication, and taking our closest friends/teammates for granted.

Back in the hotel (fed and rested), we took the time to have an honest shakedown – talking openly with constructive feedback for each other and the team. We plan to try to make it a regular discussion, but on the off chance that we forget, no worries. In a month, we'd be in the Patagonian wilderness, and these big races tend to force a lot of honesty...

Chose your own adventure...

On some days it seems like I could flip a coin and decide to keep on traveling, living like a vagabond and partaking in some of the greatest experiences with amazing people around the world...or I could find a nice place to settle, buy some land, set up a yurt with a garden, have a family, dogs, horses etc. and live a happily rooted existence. There is no doubt in my mind that I could be happy in either scenario and as my climbing partner graciously pointed out to me the other day, before getting on a steeply graded 5.12 climb:

"you don't have to do anything... but it is up to you to chose your own adventure"

I chose to climb, having never been on a climb more difficult than a 5.11 in my one and a half years of climbing experience (the grades start at 5.0 and increase in difficulty, typically up to 5.13 with occasional routes in the 5.14, 5.15, 5.16 grade). The climb, or "adventure" was amazingly challenging, especially with the altitude in Colorado taking a nasty hold on my breath. Somehow I managed to get through it, resting in the ledges and off-width areas after pulling moves that I never imagined my body could do. It was a choice and I'm glad I took it, not giving into fear which often tells us we shouldn't or can't.

The best advice I ever got came early on when I was 7 years old and my dad told me:

"your time is the most valuable thing you've got. Use it wisely and enjoy it while you've got it"

"Wisely" is up for debate as many people would question why someone might give up financial income, job security, material possessions and worst of all move out of an apartment in NYC with cheap rent to pursue teaching yoga in all forms around the world. Despite the fears that come with this lifestyle (usually financial or being left stranded without a place to stay) I can say that the choice to live this nomadic lifestyle of service, devotion and adventure has left me extremely fulfilled.

Every morning I wake up excited for what each day brings and who I might encounter as I travel to new as well as familiar places. Teaching yoga, especially slacklining and AcroYoga, has introduced me to the most amazing people with whom I have shared phenomenal experiences and adventures with in all shapes and forms. And at the end of the day I rest my head knowing that ultimately I love what I do and the life I feel so privileged to live- even when there is sacrifice...and there is sometimes a lot of sacrifice, usually in the financial and relationship department. Regardless of income, I feel incredibly blessed and privileged to have the choice to live this way and be happy. It seems that happiness is the biggest choice we must all learn to make and it occurs independent of excessive wealth, although having some money in the bank can definitely help.

In these moments, when I freak out about finances or where I am supposed to stay in an unfamiliar setting, or what to do after my car is totaled in an accident...I first try to identify the fear in the equation. It's the same fear that popped up when I decided to stop working as a graphic designer full time to teach yoga instead, as it seemed more fulfilling. This fear popped up when I gave away all of my stuff and moved out of my apartment of 7 years and into my car which then got totaled in an accident. This fear plagued me when I decided to move to Japan, a country where I knew no one and commited to teach yoga for 3 months. And this is the same fear that holds me back from trying new things like climbing more difficult grades or surfing bigger waves.

This fear tries to rationalize with me, presenting arguments as to why taking a chance, or an adventure, might not make any sense at all. My mind babbles on and on making up excuses to plead its case of resistance and for many people my choice to go beyond these voices still might not make sense. But in the end I chose to go with my heart as I know that I would rather find out, even if I have to learn the hard way, what could be rather than sit back and wonder what I missed out on. Every time I take fear on, I learn something new about myself, and this to me is living. Opportunities are rare, and regret is a poison that sits in our hearts when we allow something to pass us by.

So for the meantime, or at least until I actually chose to flip a coin and commit to it, I will continue on this path and trust in the process. If health, happiness and the company of good people doing great things continue to bless me on this journey then I will persevere with the belief that I have chosen the right adventure for this point in my life.

And if the time comes to throw down roots, then I will always have the experiences and lessons learned stored inside to remind me that all great adventures begin when we chose to take a chance on something different.

-Adi Carter

Team YogaSlackers

Slacking for a better World

Into the climbing fray – in Frey

What better way to recover from the Patagonia Expedition Race, than a little alpine climbing? At least that was the idea. (Don’t worry, the race report, videos, and images are all coming!!!)

One thing that I forgot was that South American countries are large. Very large. The bus ride from Punta Arenas to Bariloche took 36 hours. Luckily I was wearing my compression socks from Swiftwick, and we had lots of free food handouts from teams that didn’t want to take their food back home on the plane.

We spent the night in beautiful alp-esque Bariloche, and then the next day hiked into the the soundstage from the Sound of Music.

Where else can you take a bus (1.60 USD) from a rustic chocolate filled downtown to a world famous ski resort; and then hike for 3 hours above a beautiful deep blue lake and end up in a spire rimmed cirque more perfect than Disney himself could have imagined. Oh, and at the rim of the cirque, right next to another pristine lake, is free camping and a stone hut Refugio that serves pizza and beer. Welcome to Frey.

Water was taken right out of the lake or a mountain spring, and there were little campsites scattered all about, ringed with rock walls to keep the wind at bay...not that there was much wind when we were there. It really was hard for us to imagine what could be done to improve the place. There were no crowds, and no human waste (thanks to a strict policy of using the maintained outhouses), and climbing a whopping five minutes from our door-, uh I mean, tent-step.

Our next four days were spent climbing amazing spires, including Torre Principal – at 2405 meters high – the tallest point for hundreds of kilometers.

The climbing started out a bit scary, as Chelsey and I had both anticipated having severely swollen feet after the race, and thus had brought shoes (thanks Evolve) a full size to big. But since our feet had been cold and wet almost the entire race, the swelling was minimal. So we were left with loose shoes….

After failing miserably on a runout and blank 6c (5.11), we spent our time climbing super classic and often improbable looking 5.9 and 5.10 cracks and corners. We met a couple of solo climbers named Jason and Sophie and joined up to form two teams of two for our climbs.

We climbed Sifuentes-Weber with Sophie, and it had all of us squealing with delight at the final headwall, complete with a stout looking final overhang that had a huge chicken-head perfectly placed for optimal jug hauling.

Our climb (with Jason) of the 6 pitch Clemezo on Torre Principal, led us to exclamations of “this must be off route,” or “there is no way this goes, must be an old aid climb,” on almost every pitch. The 5th pitch saw us climbing out of a huge cave, stemming onto a huge detached blocks and eyeing the old wooden pitons with disbelief. We ended on a ledge, shared with giant condors – one which landed mere feet from Chelsey and eyed her hungrily. We’d heard tales of them carrying away baby sheep, so Chelsey was a bit freaked out. I imagined a crazy scene with Chelsey being plucked off the climb, only to still be tethered to me via the rope and belay. The condor struggling to fly away with a great meal, me trying to reel in my new fiancee.

We made it down just before dark, and did the hike back to camp via amazing moonlight.Each day was incredible, and the nights were too. The starry sky rivaled that of the best planetarium.

As luck would have it, our food supply (still surviving on left over race food and marvelous Alpine Aire meals) ran out and we headed back to Bariloche less than 12 hours before the quake struck.

I am releived that it struck at 3:30 AM, so no climbers were out on the rocks. I can only wonder if that classic climb Clemezo – with it’s precariously stacked blocks and flakes still exists. Perhaps the members of Team YogaSlackers will get credit with the last ascent?