Moody Blue's Cruise

I just got back from an amazing vacation where I taught yoga on the MSC Poesia on a cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman. It was truly an incredible experience. Every morning I held a yoga session to the music of The Moody Blues which was the theme of the cruise. I was set up on the stage on the pool deck and every morning there was such a great turn out of amazing men and women of all ages awake to experience my yoga teachings. Usually I teach hot power yoga so it was quite a change to tone it down and make it more accessible for everyone. I must say that it is also a huge challenge to maintain your balance on a cruise ship, up on a stage, with the wind blowing and a mic pack attached to your back and a mic headset. Not to mention that post-Jamaica braids make headstands almost impossible and at the least very painful. Each morning had its own twists and turns: from the pool area beginning to fill up with water as people were wrapping up their practice to the time change and sun beating down on everyone to the wind nearly blowing my mat off stage. It was so worth it though because the sun rising and the ocean and sky views were just awe inspiring. A big thank you to everyone who joined me in the mornings for such a unique experience!

It was really great to meet people from all over the world and experience the music of so many great bands. Being significantly younger than most of the cruise passengers I am embarrassed to say that it was my first time hearing most of the bands and their music. Although, I had seen the Moody Blues a few months ago when they played at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. Better late than never though. I was blown away by Little River Band and The Zombies. The musicianship, vocals, and harmonies of both the bands were incredible. Ambrosia was another band that I was truly impressed with and it was really great to meet everyone and get an inside experience that most people in the world have not had.

In Jamaica, my boyfriend and I set out on our own to encounter as much as we could in 6 hours. Well not totally alone as we had Charles as our escort and private tour guide. We shared a drink up on a hillside that overlooked Ocho Rios. It was perfection with the wind blowing through the trees. I found that to be a great time to really practice and understand the true nature of the yoga tree posture I do everyday. The strongest trees are really those that have some flexibility to them and allow the wind to just blow through while staying firmly rooted. I think at some point I even ended up making friends with the trees including one that looked like a dinosaur. Either that or I was convinced that it was another "Jack in the Bush" as they call one native Jamaican who dresses up as a tree near the roadside on the way up the hill.

After some brief handstand practice in a field that I realized one handstand too late was covered in prickly burs, we headed back down the hill we met a boy who did one handed back flips down the road. Then it was off to try some freshly caught jerk fish by the water where you could take a raft ride on a raft made of the trees. After some brief shopping with the nicest ladies ever offering us many samples of rum as Bob Marley played over the speakers, we eventually made it to a little beach where I was talked in to getting my hair braided. While slightly painful, it was actually very liberating to have my hair off my face and not getting tangled as the salt water tends to wreak havoc on my curly hair. We met Richie Rich who introduced us to his little beachside grotto with rock caves shielding the sun and cute little table chair setups for relaxing and enjoying a Red Stripe. He sang us one of his tunes which is still stuck in my head: "These little girls..."

After the beach, we headed to the falls. We were escorted down the rocks and to wonderful waterfalls with fresh mineral water pouring down completely cleansing and healing. Walking up the rocks of the falls we encountered a naturally made rock chair where the water poured in and massaged your back. It was breathtaking.

Last we headed to the Jerk Centre for some authentic Jamaican jerk chicken and one more Red Stripe. Spicy perfection. Then it was back to the cruise ship, but not before handing off our last dollars to some women who had sewed our names into some Jamaican souvenir bracelets. All in all it was a fabulous encounter even if it was slightly overwhelming with the constant draining of our wallets. You gotta love vacation. Yah Mon. No Problem!

The next day in Georgetown, Grand Cayman we took a more relaxed approach and decided to just walk along the roadside until we came to a sign indicating beach access. We found our own private little beach near a resort that was setting up for a wedding in the distance. The blue of the water is indescribable. There were a lot of rocks, but after our Jamaican falls experience our feet were water -rock prepared. We lied in the beautiful white sand and basically just cooked ourselves. The breeze was so nice that you hardly felt the intense sun beating down and plotting to burn your skin.

After spending much too long in the sun, we walked back down our little pathway and stopped for a bite to eat at Da Fish Shack. We each tried some Cayman beers: my boyfriend went for the CayBrew, while I tried the darker IronShore which is more to my tastes. We shared some delicious fish tacos and enjoyed the shady respite from the devilishly deceiving sun.

All in all it was an amazing vacation and truly memorable experience. I hope you all get to experience your own similar adventure soon.

Peace and love!
Lucia
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Mission Radio Show- Complete

I just finished my first online radio show interview! It was great to be on Facets of the Heart and discuss my album, Studio 71 as well as introduce some new material. I like the improv spontaneous nature of interviews. It's fun to try and come up with witty meaningful answers on the spot while attempting to keep your thoughts on track and avoiding sounding like an idiot.

It was an hour show, but the time flew by. It was one of those things where when it was done you stop and think "Um, what did I just say?" I hope I didn't make a fool out of myself. I know for sure I didn't give enough credit to the people who played on the album.  Live and learn. Now at least I'm prepared for the next interview and I can prep beforehand so I make sure to mention everything and everyone that should be mentioned.

I'm dreading my Grammy acceptance speech. I'll probably just get up to the podium and start crying at the overwhelming experience. How do you even prepare for something like that? I always hate when people read pre-prepared speeches, but I also can't stand the people who just get up there and ramble on. I like when interview answers or acceptance speeches sound genuine and real in the moment. That is so tough to create though when you run the risk of completely blowing it at the same time.

My tips for interviews:

1) Relax and breathe. The emotion you convey is just as important as the actual words being said.

2) Know your intention. Are you promoting a show? Selling something? Conveying a certain message? It helps to know what you want the interview to accomplish so that you can steer your answers in that general direction.

3) Be true to yourself. If you have nothing to hide and you're just speaking your truth then your task is much easier.

4) Release the energy. Any nerves or anxiety are really just the build up of energy in need of a release. Run around, do push ups or jumping jacks. Do something physical to release the energy and bring you back to a more peaceful relaxed state.

5) Have fun. Again, how you feel about the experience will come across just as strongly as what you are saying. If you're enjoying yourself then others will too.