Don’t you love when things come full circle? This painting has returned to me after 15 years. It was a part of my Peace or Drama music and art project. So many layers of meaning here – Lori Putnam painted it for my song, “Do You Remember.”

Here’s what Lori wrote about the painting in my Peace or Drama book:

Along the southeastern coast of Italy, just at the “spur” of the boot, there is an area referred to as the Gargano. This was a particularly beautiful day with a warm breeze rushing up from the Adriatic Sea. We followed the path of St. Francis of Assisi’s pilgrimage and came upon this big 12th-century farmhouse surrounded by old trees. Perhaps it was the reflected light from the deep red poppies that caused the sky this day to appear more bluish-violet in nature.

Travel is a meditation in and of itself. Our senses come alive and our spirits revive. I recently finished reading a book that my mother gave me, The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. In the back pages there was a Q & A with the author, and I was struck by how she described her idea of a perfect day:

Waking in the old town, grabbing an espresso, then slowly walking the narrow streets until I come across some subtle reminder that life has been lived in that place for millennia. I would let my fingertips trace the contours of colored tile, or faded fresco or sculptured stone, and imagine a woman, about my age, doing the same a hundred years before, three hundred years before, a thousand years before. I would wonder how our lives are different and how they are the same.

She, too, is talking about Italy. Not as a resident, but as a traveler. This is how I feel about Portugal, and what I want most to convey when leading people around the southern coast.

I describe my trip as a wellness journey, and sense of place plays the biggest role. I was first inspired to lead tours after reading Traveling with Pomegranates, a memoir by southern author Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor as they travel Europe together:

Pilgrims are poets who create by taking journeys…..the voyage will lead us to whole new continents of depth and meaning.…[If] we keep going, we might even come full circle, but with a whole new consciousness.

Full circle – I am really feeling this phrase today. A friend and colleague, Lisa Engelken, just invited me to offer yoga meditations for her tour of southern Italy in June, which starts a week after my May retreat ends. I am over the moon (another “circle” idiom of note).

Want to join for one or both adventures? Spend a wonderful week with me in southern Portugal (May 23-30) and then meet up again in southern Italy (June 7-13)! Learn more about Slow Travel with Lisa’s Cilento: Into the blu.

Heading back to Portugal soon, where I’ll be leading a free Zoom info session about the Renew, Relax, Retreat in May and October. This is your chance to learn more or simply enjoy a virtual tour of southern Portugal. 

Thursday, March 5 at 12 noon eastern/9 am pacific (half-hour session, plus time for questions afterwards). Email me for details and Zoom link.

So excited to see the latest issue of Sutton Place Social magazine, with news and photos of the retreat in Portugal. Morris the cat got his own feature, too!

Yes, 2026 dates are set – is this your year to visit Portugal? Come solo, with a friend, or even bring your own group (and set your own date). I’m flexible!

I’ve also updated the accolades page with recent quotes from the latest retreat group. Thank you for your lovely comments. I’m encouraged to shine on in Portugal! 🤩

I made a promise to share about our 2020 House Hunters International episode, as I am always reminded of it when I lead the Portugal retreats.

The group in October were interested in the episode, as well as hearing about my music career. They were mostly from the Bay Area and they got me reminiscing about our time in San Francisco – which seems like forever ago, but it has actually been less than six years!

We filmed the San Francisco scenes on my 49th birthday. Mark biked around the city with his cycling friends, eventually leading the film crew to the top of the Lyon Street Steps, where I was teaching an outdoor yoga class. The spectacular view of the bay was shrouded in fog. It seemed like the perfect SF moment.

A couple of weeks later, we were filming in Tavira, Portugal. Four days of 10-hour shoots, a heat wave of brutal sun making us squint and sweat in front of the camera. We had to wear the same outfits most of the time, to make it look like we were visiting all three locations on the same day. We got a much-welcomed costume change for our “six months later” shot in our apartment on the final day of shooting.

I always refer to our episode airing debut (March 7, 2020) as the day the world shut down. What a surreal memory! That time also signifies a shutting down of my musical pursuits as I knew them. We had recently moved across the country to NYC. For the first time in 20 years, I stopped pursuing live in-person music gigs, as there were none during lockdown. As things eventually opened back up, my attentions shifted.

In the past five years I have done a handful of live gigs in New York (when asked, and without much pursuit). I still sing and dance in my yoga classes (as always, the Singing Yogini) and have had the chance to use my original music in two art meditation video projects. I even have a new song (which I refer to as my Five Year Song) and I hope to record it during this year, my 55th on the planet.

We have a five year old cat, Morris, who came into our lives last October. He’s been to Portugal twice so far. As for me, I just took my 19th trip to our home away from home. It’s a thrill every time.

High fives all around. I have no regrets of the last five years. I still relish the memories of playing music on the regular with my friend Steven Strauss, San Francisco native. How proud I was to hear us both (along with full band) blasting through the loudspeakers at the SF Giants game years ago. I shared this story with the retreat group as we danced and sang together in a secret garden at the Igreja de São Francisco in Tavira.

I wish you all a thankful and happy November, full of cherished memories and promise for the year to come.

A week ago at this time, I was floating in a natural salt pool with my new BFFs. Buoyant as balloons in the “salino” water, we giggled as we floated into each other like slow-motion bumper cars. There at the border – with a Portuguese castle on one side and the bridge to Spain on the other – we took in the open sky as our bodies felt weightless and free.

The very best thing about leading these retreats in Portugal is the instant community that emerges from traveling together. Most of this group were strangers to me, but from the get-go (our welcome dinner at the Pousada) we had smiles and laughter and camaraderie in sharing our first meal.

Here’s to a week of pleasurable experiences! My dear retreat participants, I miss you already. I cherish the renewed faith in humanity, the joy, the gratitude as we spent our time together.

You know how they say strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet? I wholeheartedly agree! I am so thankful to get to know this group, and even more thankful to introduce them to my favorite sights and favorite people of Portugal.

My heart is full.

What is it about blue skies and blue waters that make us feel so soothed? Both are merely reflections – if we scoop it up in our hands, it’s clear. Skies and waters can be moody, just like us, and they influence each other. Just like us.

Last month I got to visit southern France, and faced a field of lavender for the first time. It also gave me that “good blue” feeling. I brought home the freshest sachets of lavender from Arles – the place where Van Gogh lived and painted some of his most famous works – and a whiff can transport me there in an instant.

Last weekend we celebrated my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary at the spot where they went on their honeymoon back in 1965: the Fontainebleau Miami. 💙

“Ol’ Blue Eyes” adorned the walls – Frank Sinatra was a fixture at the Fontainebleau, especially in the colder months, where he and other members of the Rat Pack performed countless shows. Talk about a cure for the winter blues!

In 1959, Sinatra hosted a televised comeback show for Elvis after his military service. This too happened at the Fontainebleau. My mom said, “Two of my favorite idols, together!”

My parents, Kathy and John, happen to be two of my favorite people. We feel so lucky that the whole family could join in the fun at such a dazzling place. The staff treated my parents like royalty, and they deserved every minute of their 60th anniversary celebration. They said they are going back for their 70th! 🥳

💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙

Make some fun-in-the-sun memories with me at the Renew-Relax-Retreat. We have a great group going so far, and there are still a few spots open for October 11-18. Contact me for details. Deadline to sign up for October is 8/31.

Travel to faraway lands is inherently mysterious. I just arrived from a 10-day European adventure, not with my usual travel partner (husband Mark), but with a few friends – old and new – as we became a merry band of innocents.

Mystery with the language, the weather, the lay of the land – each day we faced something new and exciting. Some of us had been to some of these places before, and thus we shared what we knew and what we didn’t know along the way. We enriched each other’s experiences.

My friend and colleague, Dawn Summers, recently sent excerpts from Mark Twain’s 1869 travel book, The Innocents Abroad. The words rang true for me:

“Just in this one matter lies the main character of life in Europe – of comfort.  In America, we hurry – which is well; but when the day’s work is done, we go on thinking of losses and gains, we plan for the morrow, we even carry our business cares to bed with us, and toss and worry over them when we ought to be restoring our racked bodies and brains with sleep….

”I do envy these Europeans the comfort they take. When the work of the day is done, they forget it. …They are appreciative of life and its manifold blessings. …We bestow thoughtful care upon inanimate objects, but none of it upon ourselves. What a robust people, what a nation of thinkers we might be, if we would only lay ourselves on the self occasionally…!

“…The change that has come over our little [travel] party is surprising. Day by day we lose some of our restlessness and absorb some of the spirit of quietude and demeanor of the people. We grow wise apace. We begin to comprehend what life is for.”

I enjoy big-city energy, but I am drawn to quieter places, where I can feel my body and mind unfold within more subtle rhythms of living. 

As Dawn will be joining us for the October retreat, I look forward to learning from her experience as I offer up what I know about this little corner of Portugal. Perhaps it is calling to you too. 👀

October is the perfect time for an escape. We have such an amazing trip planned. I can’t wait to share this beautiful place with you.

Meet me in Portugal! 🤗

Fall 2025 retreat: October 11-18

Early Bird Special: Save $200 when you place your deposit by June 30.

Email me for details and pricing.

Photo by Monika Zdziebkowska – a city center view in Tavira, Portugal, our home base for the retreat.

Read all about it, check out videos and more on the retreat page.

I was talking with my yoga students about the movie, Flow, which is up for an Oscar in the best animated feature category. It’s a beautiful rendering of animals who retain their true animal nature (instead of being anthropomorphized) as they navigate an uncertain future. Earth and water play a significant role here, forging community between unlikely comrades. The message: things can change in an instant; we must learn to help each other in order to survive.

In our class today, we worked on creating flow – moving energy, lymph and blood, lubricating the joints and muscles, bringing balance to all of our bodily systems. I know I feel better when I work with people towards a common goal.

I am here on this planet to be of service to others, using my own unique palette to bring out colors for all to see. This is true of each and every one of us. We hold each other up. ❣️

Last week in meditation class, we talked about fear. We sang and danced to U2’s “Stuck in a Moment.” I shared the lyrics and many people resonated with this: 

Fear is a disturbance of root/earth chakra. We want protection, stability, security – but if we stay stuck (heard of “anal retentive”?), then we are afraid to move. Gather in those pelvic floor muscles – strength at the root keeps us from having a “leaky vessel” – and learn to harness (not hamper) your energy. ❣️♦️🏮

Morris and I are celebrating our escape from NY winter (Mark too, of course) when we head to Portugal later this week. Stay tuned! 🐾

Join me for a yoga/meditation class online, or meet me in Portugal! 🤗

Dates for 2025 retreats: 

May 24-31 and October 11-18

Early bird window for May retreat closes soon – sign up by the end of February to save $200! Email me for details and pricing.

It’s the shortest day of the year, and I’m sharing big-time news. 🤠

The Grand Canyon meditation video is out, and free for all to see! As I mentioned before, the live footage of the canyon is absolutely gorgeous. Seeing the final cut of the video moved me to tears. 

Click on link or any image and it will take you there. This is a companion piece to the Yellowstone meditation video – two ways to bring peace into your holiday season. 🥰

Favorite Views and New Adventures 🤩

August has been an exciting month already. I returned to DC to film a meditation video for the 1874 Grand Canyon painting by Thomas Moran, his companion piece to the Yellowstone painting that I explored a couple of years ago for the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum.

A few days later, Mark and I celebrated our 30th anniversary.  Where has all the time gone?

We head back to Portugal soon, with a pit stop in Dublin, Ireland for the FSU game that happens to be on my birthday. 🥳 It’s our first time to the “Emerald Isle” and we are feeling lucky! Mark and I met at Florida State 36 years ago, as freshmen, and started dating our junior year in 1990.

Come help us celebrate 2024 in our beloved town of Tavira! Just a few weeks left to sign up for the October 12 trip to southern Portugal. Retreat details here.

My uncle, Jim Buie, just wrote an article about Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun. I read this book over a decade ago and it was one of my favorites. The subsequent movie was fun, but I found the book to be richly satisfying – you really felt like you were experiencing Tuscany with her. 

Mayes’ sense of being at home in the world is the same thing that keeps bringing me back to Portugal. I like the “me” that I am there, and I bring that “me” back to my life in the US. I never thought I’d be living in two different places at once, but for now this is working, and it’s helping me to thrive. 

My uncle’s article points out that the best kind of travel is not just about sightseeing. He quotes Mayes: “It’s because you want to grow. You want something to happen to you, you want to be changed. You want to be changed into something you are.” I found another illuminating quote from one of Mayes’ later works, A Year in the World: 

Travel pushes my boundaries….The own-little-self is unlocked from the present and released to move through layers of time.

After fifteen trips to the southern coast of Portugal over the past six years, I’m still in love with the idea of sharing this beautiful place with the world. Of course, I will always be somewhat on the outside looking in  – much like Wes Anderson says he is a tourist in Paris, even though he has lived there for almost twenty years.

An outsider perspective has its perks. At the very least, it’s breaking up my patterns, my routines. At best, it’s forging a sense of community with people of a different culture – connecting on a very personal level, instead of through social media or the constant news cycle. I bring this inspiration back to New York and hold onto the feeling as long as I can. 💙

My goal is to give a glimpse of this through my retreats. The best possible experience of relaxed travel in a limited amount of time. Maybe I’ll write a book on my Portugal adventures someday. For now, I have written a mini book on the day-to-day activities of the retreat.

Email me and I will send it to you! 😊

Our fall retreat is October 12 – 19, 2024.

Remember, this is not a yoga retreat. Morning sessions are optional; you could choose to sleep in. We do have a color theme for each day – these meditations are simply bringing our focus to the beauty all around us. And it adds to the fun! 💛