All week long I had the group shouting "I AM A GOLDEN BUDDHA!". What seems cheesy proved to be totally moving and transformational...what you think, you become. Shift your internal dialogue and you shift into a powerful space. I was inspired by this simple affirmation when reading the final chapter in Gabrielle Bernsteins' "May Cause Miracles". Yesterday in Rome, I got a necklace made up that read "Golden Buddha" and I wore it with a smile, thinking back on the amazing week that was had! 

Golden Buddha

In 1957, a group  of Tibetan monks was informed that they would have to move their sacred shrine because a highway was being built on that land. A focal point of their inhabitance was a huge clay Buddha, which also had to be relocated. Moving the Buddha was no small feat. The monks arranged to have a crane move the Buddha to their new location. The moment they started lifting the Buddha on the crane, the clay began to crack. To make matters worse, rain was pattering down, deepening and widening the cracks. To protect the Buddha from further damage after it had been moved, the monks covered it with tarps overnight. During the evening, the head monk went under the tarps with a flashlight to check on the clay Buddha. Upon shining light on the Buddha the monk noticed golden shimmers of light radiating from the cracks. He brought back his chisel and hammer to chip away at the clay and uncover the shimmer from within the Buddha's frame. As the monk chipped away at the clay Buddha, he realized that it was not clay after all– the Buddha was made of gold. Surprised by his discovery, the monks were eager to determine the heritage of the Buddha. They learned that many centuries earlier, their predecessors worshiped the Buddha in its golden form. These ancestral monks got word that the Burmese army was coming to destroy their community and attack them, so they covered the Buddha in clay to protect it. The monks were killed in the attack, but the army placed no value on the clay Buddha and therefor left it unharmed.

reason for this story… "Inside we are all Golden Buddha's, but we grew to believe we were made of clay. Our ego's false perceptions led us to grow into a belief system that covered our inner light. We've spent years, maybe decades, masking our truth. Now it's time to embrace our light and reconnect with our Golden Buddha within." – Gabrielle Bernstein

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Roma.

Rome (noun) : a town in Italy that can be summed up by three adjectives... chic, antique and totally romantic. So in love with this ancient city paved in cobblestones! Today's schedule was jam packed with every touristy site-seeing thing on the list...with a break for lunch, where I had the most delectable octopus salad (with potatoes and olives, lemon juice + evoo) and grilled eggplant with tomatoes. Amazing. Breathtaking. Heart warming. Romance-inducing...Roma.

Stella

Stella was our horse at the estate. She would wander the property, walk into the house if you forgot to close the front door, and would post up on our patio to enjoy our shade on the daily. On this morning she interrupted my cup of tea to have me pull some figs off the tree for her. Naughty horse...

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Goddamn Gelato.

I would drop kick a small child right now for some damn gelato! Seriously. Enough is enough. Im trying to be all "shanti shanti" about my cleanse and pretend that I'm content only eating vegetables for the next two years, but goddamn- I say, GODDAMN...I could really use a gelato right about now. My wolf pack (of 7) has been enjoying gelato wherever we go, and while roaming the streets tonight [in Rome] we stumbled upon the best gelatoria in the country. I had a small lick of my moms coconut gelato and it was truly, absolutely, hands down the closest thing to heaven that exists here on earth. The best part was the man who owned the place, whom took his gelato *very* seriously...giving specific instructions for how to consume this sweet treat (pistachio before coconut, coconut before chocolate). He couldn't wrap his head around WHY all my friends were having cones and I was NOT. Quite frankly, I couldn't either! But then I centered- reminded myself that this cleanse is going to truly heal me- and I took a bite of my green apple, sipped some water and tried to erase thoughts of fresh bread, coconut gelato, aperol spritzs and homemade pasta.....
On an encouraging note though, the whole crew was hungover this morning and watching them all defeated, dehydrated and delirious made me happy that I'm off the booze. As my mother reminded me, Rome has been around for a LONG time- so I'm sure that it will still be here, serving up delicious gelato when I return.

We cruised on foot, meandering without any specific destination in mind. You can't help but to stumble across amazing architecture and breathtaking sculptures, fountains and monuments. This city is magical, with its cobblestone streets and cozy back ally's. We popped into a restaurant on one of the romantic side streets and had a proper Italian meal. I thoroughly enjoyed my no-frills grilled squid- which was seasoned only with olive oil, lemon juice and a touch of salt. Perfection.

Tomorrow they are calling for 80% chance of rain. Meh, what to do? And so it is. One more full day in Italia before I start the journey home...

Golden Buddhas

Slow paced living, and fast car driving. That's how I'd describe Italy. Everyone and everything is pulled together in the most elegant yet simple way. The meals are never ending, but the dishes are honest and fuss-free. "Content" is a word that I keep hearing from everyone, and it makes ME feel content. Someone said to me recently, "So, you get PAID to make people feel good? That's pretty awesome". Yeah, you're right...it IS pretty awesome. This trip has been all about healing- the mind, body and spirit. We have meditated, screamed affirmations, explored kundalini yoga and booty-popped our way through a vinyasa. We have eaten...again...and again...and again. Stories and laughter are present at every meal we share, and slowly everyone has emerged from their clay exterior to settle into their true "golden Buddha". Years ago, one of my teachers Laura Wharf, looked me in the eyes and said, "Cailin, what is your sva dharma [life purpose]?" And I replied, "to help people enjoy their life." Thanks to Paraiso Adventures for bringing me on board to make this happen in the most delicious, elegant, relaxed and exotic way! I am so excited for all of the joy that we will bring to others through this partnership and I'm already counting down the days until our Colombia retreat! It was sad to say goodbye to all of these Golden Buddhas (or "golden boo"s as Larissa would say), but I know that ill be seeing them again soon...

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Orvieto Photo Journal

Touring About and Luxury Living

Today was an outing day. We kicked it off with a booty-popping flow at 8am amongst the olive trees. Some were skeptical of "hip hop yoga", but it was an instant hit- and everyone was singing it out and laughing it up by the end of song #1 ("can I get a..." By Jayz). We ate a delicious breakfast and then were off to Orvieto, yet another picturesque breathtaking Italian village. The heart stopper was the gorgeous striped cathedral that truly captured your heart for a beat. We mozied through the cobblestones streets and passed in and out through the abundant shops peddling hand carved olive wood goods and ceramic dishes and tiles (both of which I bought...). We stopped for a bite to eat in a cafe where my mom and Cara had wine and paninis (correction: the worlds BEST paninis- smoked duck, aged cheese, and fresh herbs!) and I had a candida-cleanse-friendly caffe Americano decaffienato and a platter of salami and artichokes. They had chocolate gelato, and I pretended to hate sweets.... 

We left town after a few hours and headed to the hot springs in neighboring Tuscany. They are shwanky Italian style hot springs (apparently the Italians don't like to get dirty?), so there are bath robes and slippers, and the hot springs are funneled into pools and waterfalls. We had a "picnic" here in between soaking and sleeping, and sipping wine (them) and decaf americanos (me). It felt good to relax a bit- my first real relaxing day of the trip. One of my favorite things was lounging in a robe....robes always make me feel like I'm "big pimpin'" (as JayZ would say..."). It was just a luxurious afternoon. The sun is setting now over the Tuscan sky as we pack up our belongings at the spa and head back to our beautiful home. It's been a fun day, but I'm looking forward to some hot tea on the cozy couch in the house that already feels like my home....

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Civita

Today we took a field trip to the picturesque town of Civita. The population is now 25...compared to the 4,000 that lived there before the earthquake. I sipped a (decaf) espresso and enjoyed the sites with our lovely team of ladies.

Italia.

Yesterday I gave five massages and taught two yoga classes. In between were some massive Italian feasts and I managed to sleep a few hours before waking up to give my first massage of the day at 7am! The (amazing) people on this retreat cannot get enough of my classes and my bodywork, which makes my heart so happy! I've said in the past, it's not "hard work" it's "heart work". Amen. This is SUCH a fun group and I cannot express all of the gratitude that I have for Nina...she's such a spectacular person to work with and play with...I so look forward to our future projects (there's a lot of them, so keep your ears open).

Also, meet Stella- she's the resident horse, who just strolls around looking for a nuzzle every now and then...

Home Away From Home...In Italy.

My retreat is on a sprawling estate in Central Italy, nestled amongst their hundreds of olive trees and vineyards which provide us with bottles of wine and liters of fresh pressed olive oil. The grounds provide all we need, with a year round garden and a hen house- which always has fresh eggs. I'm so grateful to be part of such a sustainable yoga retreat! Today's forage: arugula, lettuce, Swiss chard, sage, thyme, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, and squash blossoms! 

The house itself is *unreal*, truly something out of a fairy tale. Pictures would never do it justice. We are tucked into the countryside, where the loudest thing you'll hear is the breeze. The sunshine is warm and bright during the day and the nights are cool and comfortable, making for a great sleep. I keep pinching myself to make sure it's all real. So so so much gratitude to Nina for making me a part of the Paraiso family, it feels like home...

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com