Vol 2. Exploring Yoga on the Other Side of the World | 在地球的另一端与瑜伽相遇

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Sep 3, 2022

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The story of my first encounter with yoga and 8 German girls who changed my life in Morocco. ｜描述我在摩洛哥与初识瑜伽并遇到改变我人生的8个德国女孩的故事。

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Dec 5, 2022 03:26 PM

Dear friends, it’s been a while!

朋友们好，好久不见！

For the past six to eight months, I’ve been struggling with my mental health due to the demands of my work and other commitments like moving house. I didn’t want to add any extra pressure by not updating my blog, so I’ve been quiet for a while.

In this letter, I want to tell you a story about how I found love, peace, and connection through yoga in Morocco.

最近几个月我一直很忙，忙于课题、展览和搬家等事情，所以精神健康状态非常不好，我不想再给自己带来更多的压力，所以我没有更新日志。

在本期信件中，我想讲述我在摩洛哥与瑜伽相遇，重新感受到爱，和平与连接的故事。

At the end of August 2022, I flew to Morocco by myself. After a 20-hour flight, I took a five-hour train ride from Casablanca to Marrakech and settled into an eco-farm for a month-long residency.

It was there that I met Anetta, a German yoga teacher who was visiting with a group of seven other girls.

2022年8月底，我只身飞往摩洛哥，近20小时的飞机后再搭乘5个小时火车从卡萨布兰卡到达马拉喀什，开启了在生态农园长达一个月的居留。

我是在到达的第三天遇到瑜伽老师Anetta的。从从德国来的她带着7个德国女孩来这里进行为期一周的瑜伽疗养。

From the moment I met her, I could see that Anetta’s beauty shone from within. She would practice yoga alone at night, lighting candles in Yoga Shala for herself slowly and gracefully, strolling barefoot in the garden to feel the warmth of the earth, embracing the sky with open arms and smiles in the bath of fresh air, and holding my hands tightly when she felt happy for me.

Anetta非常美丽，她的美丽是从内心深处散发出来的。她会独自在晚上的瑜伽屋里，点上蜡烛缓慢优雅地做睡前瑜伽练习；赤脚在花园中漫步，感受地球的温度；在新鲜空气中张开双臂微笑地拥抱天空；在真诚为我感到高兴时，紧紧地握住我的双手。

As someone who is used to wearing a polite mask in Tokyo and interacting with others, I have to admit that I was initially reserved around everyone: after all, I’d seen plenty of girls in Tokyo who embraced elegant living and a love for the earth as a brand.

But once looking closely, you know that Anetta’s beauty is not branding, but comes deeply from her heart. Because before loving everyone, she loves herself in the first place, and that this love and affection became the cornerstone of her resistance to outside distractions: she won’t do things that go against her own intentions and intentions. She could close her eyes and meditates quietly in the midst of chaos. She also has a very childlike side: happily picking and sharing ripe figs when she found them in the garden, happily smearing her hands with wet mud over her face while hiking.

习惯了在东京戴上礼貌而友好的面具与大家往来的我，不得不否认最开始对大家都抱有保留的态度：毕竟将优雅生活和热爱地球作为一种品牌包装的女孩，我在东京见多了。

但是，只要你细致的观察，就能发现Anetta的美丽并不是包装，而是深深来自她的内心。因为你知道，她在深爱着大家之前坚定地爱着自己，并且这份爱与感情成为了她抵御外界的干扰因素的基石：她会对违背自己本意与初衷的事坚定地微笑拒绝，在纷扰的环境中遵循内心的指引安静地闭眼沉思。她也有非常孩子气的一面：在园中发现成熟的无花果时开心的摘下并分享给我们，在登山时遇到湿润的泥泞时快乐地用手将模样涂抹到脸上。

Thanks to Anetta, I felt the beauty of yoga for the first time in my life. Under her guidance, I realized that yoga is not it is not about pushing yourself to your physical limits or achieving self-improvement. Instead, it is about slowing down, listening to yourself, and finding peace and joy in the present moment.

从Anetta身上我人生第一次感受到了瑜伽的美好。我渐渐认识到，瑜伽不仅仅是一种运动，更是一种生活方式，是一种在现代快节奁的世界中放慢脚步、认真对待自己和他人的方式。

In a peaceful Traditional Berber House 3000 meters high in the Atlas Mountains, Anetta gathered us and shared her past, where she was unsure of herself and suppressing her inner self; but when she embraced her true self and blossomed naturally, opportunities and friends came her way.

在阿特拉斯山脉海拔3000米的山中小屋里，Anetta聚集起我们并分享了她的过去，她曾经也不自信，迎合他人并压抑自己的内心；但是当她拥抱自己热爱的事物并自然绽放她的魅力之后，机会与真正朋友都来到了她的身边。

Then she handed me the sharing stone in her hand and asked, “Yang, do you have anything to say?” Suddenly I was a little overwhelmed. But when I looked at the stone in my hand and stammered about the stress I had accumulated in my life in Tokyo, I don’t know if it was because of the beauty of the nature or the warmth of the girls’ attention, but I sobbed and found the courage to open up about the struggles and stress I had been carrying within me.

然后她将手中的象征分享的石头交给我，问“Yang，你有什么想要说的吗？”突然之间我有点不知所措。但是当我看着手中的石头，吞吞吐吐地讲我在东京的生活中积攒的压力时，不知道是因为自然壮大之美还是女孩们温暖的注目，我开始泣不成声。

“It has been a long time since I was used to greeting others with a smile, and I haven’t shown true feelings in front of others. The warm hugging with you girls made me realize how much I have lacked true embraces in the past few years.”

我说，习惯用笑容迎接他人的我，已经好久没有在他人面前展露除了快乐以外的感情了；我说，与大家自然的拥抱让我意识到，我这几年来多么缺乏真情的拥抱；我说，谢谢大家教会我瑜伽的美，教会我释放自己感情，拥抱真实的自己。

Then, as I looked around, I saw tears filling the girls’ eyes; they embraced and held my hands, telling me that my smile was so lovely and that I shouldn’t cover it with my hands.

然后，当我抬起头来时环顾四周时，我看见女孩们的眼中都含着泪水；她们拥住我的肩，握住我的手，告诉我，我的笑容如此的可爱，用手遮住太过可惜；告诉我，我值得拥有更多自信与爱，因为我的内心如此纯洁和美好；告诉我，一个人来到异国他乡，迈出了改变自己的旅途是如此的勇敢。

Then one by one they hugged me tightly.

接着她们一个一个紧紧与我相拥。

At this moment, I realized people could feel my inner core beyond my outer appearance, so all the things I couldn’t let go of and was afraid of were just illusions, weren’t they?

在这个瞬间，我意识到，哪怕是当时蓬头垢面身穿工服个头矮小的我，人们也能越过我的外表而感受到我的内核，那么所有我无法放下和恐惧的事物，都只是我的幻象，不是吗？

And so, as we sat on the luggage rack of the jeep, wrapped in the strong winds of the Atlas Mountains, we flew downhill. At that moment, I knew that the old me had been buried on the 3,000-meter peak, and that a new, deeply loving, and confident version of myself had been born.

于是，当我们坐在吉普车的行李架上，被阿特拉斯的山峦强壮的风裹挟着飞驶下坡时，我知道，过去的我已经被埋葬在了3000米的高峰上，而崭新的，深爱着自己的，自信的我诞生了。

On August 31, I had a deep conversation with the girls. I realized that the fixed idea of “growing up” is an illusion, and that it is more important to accept yourself in the present moment and let things be what it is. I learned why die we build up fake confident, and how to drop the mask and forgive your true self. Sometimes, we build up fake confidence as a way to protect ourselves from feeling vulnerable or exposed. But in reality, this only serves to distance us from our true selves and others. By learning to forgive ourselves and let go of the mask, we can start to embrace our true selves and connect with others more authentically. This can lead to greater confidence, happiness, and fulfillment.

在8月31日，我与女孩们进行了深入的交谈。我意识到“自我成长”的思想其实只是一种错觉，更重要的是接受当下的自己，让事物保持它最本真性。我了解到为什么我们会建立虚假的自信，以及如何放下面具并原谅真实的自己。有时，我们建立虚假的自信是为了保护自己不受伤害或暴露。但实际上，这只会让我们与真实的自己和他人保持距离。通过学会原谅自己并放下面具，我们可以开始拥抱真实的自己并与他人更真实地联系。这可能会带来更大的自信、幸福和满足感。

We danced in the shala and laughed as we swam naked in a cold pool late at night. Half of my body felt the warmth of the lime floor and half felt the nourishing water of the pool. As I looked up at the starry sky, I felt like I was a part of the earth.

我们在烛光环绕的shala里随心起舞，在深夜的冰凉泳池里赤身裸体，放声大笑。我半边身体感受石灰地板的温暖，半边身体感受池水的滋润，眼中倒映着漫天的星空。我成为了地球的一部分。

On September 3, Anetta’s demeanor became much more relaxed and happy after the yoga retreat.

She sat on a small bench in the back kitchen, swaying gently back and forth, and spoke to me with gratitude. “I’ve been quite aloof and serious this week,” she said, “but I could sense that you understood and gave me the space I needed. I am grateful to you for that.”

9月3日，Anetta在整一个yoga retreatment 结束之后，表情和举止都变得轻松愉快了许多。

她开心地摇在后厨的一个小板凳上说，“我这周因为责任而表现的较为冷漠与严肃，但是我能察觉到，你理解并充分给予了我个人空间。我特别感激你。”

My heart pounded with emotion as she spoke. I had always known that I was sensitive to the state of others, but this was the first time someone had recognized it and expressed their gratitude. I felt my heart open up completely to Anetta at that moment. Furthermore, I told her honestly, “At first, I was skeptical of you because I was afraid of being hurt. But then I realized my mistake, and I now feel very guilty.”

我心潮澎湃。虽然我一直知道自己很擅长体察他人的状态，但是这是第一次有人感受到我的用心并向我表达了感激。

那一瞬间，我觉得我的心完全向Anetta敞开了；我诚实地告诉Anetta，“最开始，自身因为害怕受到伤害，我一直对你持有保留和怀疑的态度。但是之后我意识到自己的谬误，我现在感到十分愧疚。”

Anetta laughed heartily at my admission of guilt. “At first, I couldn’t open up fully to you because you always had such a big, goofy smile on your face,” she said. "But as we talked more, I realized that your words and actions were full of wisdom. You have a very different kind of seriousness and earnestness that is both charming and convincing. "

“And by the way, as a model, I know how exhausting it is to have to smile all the time. So don’t feel like you have to force it!” (At this point, we rubbed our cheek muscles and laughed together.)

Anetta放声大笑。她说，由于我的笑容过于灿烂，仿佛一个傻大哈一样，最开始她也没有能完全敞开心扉。但是在与我深入交流的过程中，她发现我的言行举止中都透露着智慧，特别是在讨论一些问题时，我表情中流露出的与平时截然不同的严肃与认真，如此有魅力和说服力。

“你的笑容如此美好与可爱，但是你不用强迫自己时时刻刻都面带笑容。作为模特，我知道一直强迫自己笑有多么累人。”（说到这里我们不约而同的揉了揉各自的脸颊肌肉并大笑起来）

I wondered to myself, why Anetta seemed to say exactly what I wanted to hear.?

I had always been self-conscious about the corners of my mouth drooping naturally, and I was afraid that people would think I was angry if I didn’t smile all the time. As a result, I always forced myself to smile when I talked to people, even though it was exhausting.

However, Anetta was the first person to tell me I didn’t have to smile all the time, and that my true and confident expressions were beautiful without the mask of a smile.

我心想，为什么Anetta总是能告诉我我一直想听到的话呢。

嘴角天生下垂的我，从小就害怕自己普通的表情会带给人生气的印象，所以跟人说话的时候总是强迫自己笑着。结果，多人聚会的时候，自己总是会特别疲倦。

但是，这是第一次有朋友亲口告诉我，我可以不用一直笑着，我完全卸下笑容的面具后真实而自信的表情也如此美丽。

In Morocco, I felt warm and loving emotions I had never experienced before. It became clear to me that it was time to leave my old circle of friends and embrace my true self and the wider world.

在摩洛哥，我感受到了从未接收到的热烈情感。我清楚的意识到，是时候离开自己多年来所忍受的圈子，去拥抱真实的自己和更广阔的世界了。

After returning to Japan, I decided to become a yoga teacher and enrolled in a program to study and learn more about the practice. I plan to take a break from school next year to focus on my teaching.

我回到日本，在继续自己学业的同时通过学习成为了一名瑜伽老师，并且计划明年休学。

Meanwhile, Anetta continues to organize yoga retreats and work as a model in various places. I hope that more people will have the opportunity to participate in her retreats, as the world needs her and her yoga.

而Anetta在各地进行模特的工作的同时，继续组织瑜伽疗养的活动。希望更多人能有机会参加，这个世界需要她与她的瑜伽。

Anetta’s personal website

Pantiara Yoga - Join transformative Yoga Retreats with Anetta in Morocco and Greece

1,5 years ago, I told the universe I want to walk international runways and create my own Yoga Retreats. This felt like a crazy and very distant reality. I was a medical student back then, living a completely different life, but I whispered this wish into the universe and came to achieve my dreams...

https://pantiara-yoga.de/

Anetta’s Instagram

www.instagram.com

https://www.instagram.com/pantiara_yoga/

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