JANUARY 2025 Newsletter
Often when I start these, I have no idea what to to say. Unusually, this time I have so many things I want to share, I don’t know which to choose.
After spending most of the Fall in Asia (Bali, Taiwan, Nepal and India), I came home to spend the holidays with my family, who were all (and continue to be) absolutely perplexed by my decision to vacation by trekking in Nepal as winter set in.
Admittedly, several times during this 18-day trip, I’d think to myself: this is such a weird way to choose to spend my time “off”. In the first picture, I think the ambient temperature was in the high teens, as I was desperately trying to filter the next day’s water before all of the streams froze.
And yet, time and time again, I realize that I’m never more refreshed than when I come back from a long hiking trip. So I thought I’d try my best to explain why, to you and my mom.
There was an article in the Atlantic that I read a few years ago, that likened the impact of social media to the following: you’re at a party, and rather than your usual ears, you have these massive Elephant Ears that make it so that you can hear every single conversation in the room at the same time. Consequently, you can’t actually hear anything at all.
I think this is an apt analogy for life generally. There are so many moving pieces, that the constant juggle of life makes it difficult to feel like you can ever just hold what you have in your hands. When I’m in the mountains, my ears shrink back to their appropriate size. I can’t worry about what’s not directly in front me, because what’s directly in front of me requires all my attention.
Wake up, do the bathroom production, try desperately to stay warm, put your gear on, pack your other gear, have breakfast (and worry for a change that you’re not having enough instead of fighting to have less), walk, jump puddles, stay warm but don’t sweat, balance on rocks, drink enough water, put on sun screen, look at the insane mountains around you, move out of the way for the donkeys. Stop for a tea. Have lunch. Walk, walk, walk. Arrive at tonight’s tea hut, put on all your layers (and I do mean every single one), filter water, set up your sleeping nest, pray you go to the bathroom, have dinner, maybe look at a map to see what’s on deck for tomorrow, and then hopefully sleep twelve hours.
My nervous system shifts and resets. Although there is always something to do, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m capable of being so completely present because being cold drowns everything else out.
Standing in the middle of the Himalayas surrounded by people who live here literally awes the brain chatter away.
I’m completely and fully there.
I always say to my students and friends and family: your body doesn’t need a vacation, your mind does. In fact, your body needs to remember how to be used all day long (and not in a “work out” kind of way), and your ears need to remember how to only hear what is immediately surrounding them.
Happy New Year, my darlings.
Here’s to new ways of thinking about what time “off” means, rest and restoring.
All my love,
Amy
Inspired by Paulo Coelho’s novel, “The Alchemist”, I embarked on this very journey when I was eighteen years old. Morocco captured my heart with its colorful medinas, desert landscapes, and incredible food. Andalusia had its own magic — whitewashed stone towns, epic architecture, and stunning natural beauty.
I was transformed.
Nearly twenty years later, I can’t wait to go back.
And to take you ladies with me (I just decided to make it a Women’s-Only retreat!)
Last year was good — so good I had to do it again.
he perfect MDW getaway: a world away and yet there’s a 4.5 hour direct-flight from NYC (and Boston).
We’ll stay in a charming, renovated convent in a tiny fishing village with sweeping landscapes of mountains and black sand beaches. We’ll do the yoga and the breathing and the hiking and bathe in geothermal waters and eat the freshest fish and baby pineapples as we explore all the wonders of this magical island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Join me for a deliciously long-weekend of the best living.
Come replenish.
Nyc popups
Saturday, January 25th 3:30pm - 5:30pm: Afternoon Delight @ Kula SoHO - Int./Adv.
Sunday, January 26th 4:00pm - 7:30pm: An Evening (Re) Treat @ Kula SoHO - All Levels
