Coqui--The National Frog of Puerto Rico

The signature sound of Puerto Rico is the coqui (ko-KEE), a tiny frog who sings all night long. For a miniature frog, it has an out-sized voice. At any given moment, and anywhere i am, i can hear at least a dozen male frogs singing.

Yesterday's yoga retreat focused on the throat chakra, and our mantra for the day was I own my power. The coquis certainly own their power. They have a very well developed throat chakra!

For some of us who are introverts, claiming the power of our voice is challenging. I take my intention from a line in the Metta Sutta: Straight-forward and gentle in speech. How can i be straight-forward and say what needs to be said? How can i be gentle in speech without bottling up my feelings or without telling a white lie?

The coqui can be my guide.

Birding for Iguanas

We thought we were going birding at dawn, but what we actually saw were iguanas. A lot of them. Two of the birders had excellent binoculars. They kept zooming in on iguanas perched on the limbs of dead trees, enjoying the early morning sun. One of the birders got the knack of sighting them and could see more than a dozen iguanas with her bare eyes. Later, we read that there are 110 iguanas per acre here in Puerto Rico.

This seeing of what we were oblivious to is something that happens in meditation. It's called mindfulness as we become aware of the details of our experience. Seeing and really seeing. Hearing and really hearing. Touching and really touching. Feeling and really feeling. Mindful of the hills and valleys of the mind.

Those iguanas have been there all the time, and i never even noticed.

The Yoga Retreat Begins

Our yoga retreat has begun. My neighbors flew down yesterday (and avoided a big New England snowstorm). Now 10 of us are living at an Italian villa here in Puerto Rico.

The top floor is our yoga room / balcony. The middle floor is a 3-bedroom condo, which sleeps six. And the bottom floor is a 2-bedroom condo, which sleeps 4.

We had our first yoga class at 9 this morning--a leisurely hour-and-a-half. What a great way to start the day. Actually, one neighbor and i meditated at 7. That's how we started our day.

Meditation. Yoga. Meals with friends. Relaxing in the warmth and grateful for this blessing of neighborly love.

Red Hibiscus

Puerto Rico's national flower is the red hibiscus--a beautiful flower that lasts for one day.

We can relate to temporary beauty. Our own beauty also lasts just a short time. Dating may be hot and heavy in our twenties, then dry to a trickle in our thirties, even though we still look great. By 50, we are no longer sex objects, and by 60, we have become invisible to all genders and all ages.

Outer beauty fades, but inner beauty still shines.

The hibiscus last for a day. Then it is gone.

We last for a few brief decades, and then poof! Gone.

"House" Plants Living Outside the House

We are in Puerto Rico for a yoga retreat. Walking into town for breakfast, we passed by this collection of "house"plants--all living outdoors, suspended on a tree.

The Buddha suggests that meditators seclude themselves in an empty hut or at the base of tree. These potted plants are secluded from the heat of the sun by the shade of this big tree in someone's front yard.

I am renting an Airbnb condo, which is not exactly a secluded hut, but at 7:00 in the morning, i Skype with a meditation friend, and we sit together in cyberspace for an hour--secluded from all the possibilities that life has to offer.

In this way, we clear away the clutter of life to make time for what really matters.