Wandering-expantsuit-yoga

I Don't Believe in Ghosts

Wandering-expantsuit-yoga — Fri, 08 May 2026 19:25:17 GMT

First I should define what I mean by “ghost”. I don’t believe there are spirits of people who died that are just out and about that some people can see. (How come no one ever sees a homo erectus or someone from a million years ago floating around, did they all die super happy?) But I do know my brain can play tricks and at times when I’ve been very stre…

Learning A New Rhythm

Wandering-expantsuit-yoga — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 19:28:17 GMT

When I first moved all I could think was “I get to be immersed in another culture this is going to be great.” And almost right away I…started teaching my regular schedule, ordered furniture from IKEA, spent a lot of time at MEO trying to get wifi, looked for the food that I liked to cook and…wherever you go, there you are. Moving to another country is w…

"I Don't Want To Have Kids" to "I Didn't Have Kids"

Wandering-expantsuit-yoga — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 15:45:17 GMT

“You’ll change your mind” was something I heard over and over again going through my twenties and thirties. It was what people would say after they asked if I had or was planning to have kids and I answered “nah, I don’t want to have kids.” I almost always found it insulting that, without knowing my reasons, my loads of reasons, someone would say that. Then in my 40’s people would actually say “oh you still can still do it”. And now, well into my 50’s people smile and nod and say “oh!” or give a side “good for you I love my kids but hahaha…”.

From Corporate Life to Owning a Yoga Studio

Wandering-expantsuit-yoga — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 14:05:52 GMT

At about year 6 of owning a yoga studio I was done. Cooked. I would own it for about two more years and then sell it. But around year six it was weird. It wasn’t a struggle anymore. The studio was making a little money, I didn’t have a business partner to deal with anymore but I was completely burned out. It was open 7 days a week. Part of what people like about a small business is supporting the owner which is a great feeling. But, when people know and support the owner, there’s no “buffer” between your “studio policies” and you. “I forgot my wallet I’ll pay next time” is a tough one to hear and really, what are you going to say to the person who’s been coming to your business religiously over the years. I had great students and really no one ever screwed me over but there were a few fun instances: I had expiration dates on class packages and I guy came in with something that was long expired and money was so low at the time and I said “um, I’m sorry these classes are expired, if you buy a new card I’ll give you a few extra so you don’t lose out” and he basically told me to go fuck myself.

Eleven Bags

Wandering-expantsuit-yoga — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 16:55:41 GMT

It started with a pro’s and con’s list. Pro: health care. Con: you have no friends or family or connections and you’ve never been described as “makes friends easily and fast”. Pro: you want to live in Europe, learning different languages, you don’t want to die thinking “what if I had”. Con: you don’t speak Portuguese. Pro: you can make a nicer life in Portugal and continue to be a yoga teacher more easily than you can in the US. Con: cost of moving to another country. Moving is one thing but moving to another country is a whole different ballgame.

Decision? I’m doing it. Fast forward 8 months I have a Portuguese immigration attorney, a 90% completed visa application, an apartment I’ve never seen in Lisbon, a one-way plane ticket and twenty boxes shipped to arrive at what I think is my address sometime in February of the following year.