Why do you travel?  Better yet, what do you LOVE about travel?   For each of us, we may be able to relate with similar answers, and simultaneously need to introspect to a deeper level to understand what it is within us that calls us to a certain place or experience around the globe. Journeys of a profound level usually take us far beyond the common desire to explore a new place, learn a new language and simply be in 'paradise'... they take us to internal places that we may otherwise not discover without stepping outside the 'box' of our daily life rituals.

In this issue of Global Soul Circular, we invite you to travel with us to new pieces of paradise around the globe in 2010!  See our upcoming trip section for exceptional journeys that are being led to COSTA RICA,  BALI, and HAWAII.   Each journey offers a deeper immersion into the local culture, with the Eat, Pray, Love Bali tour taking you to meet Ketut and Wayan;  a Costa Rica yoga retreat offering you the opportunity to retreat beach-side, while learning how to surf in Malpaís, one of the top west coast surf destinations; and Hawaii's journey taking you through powerful yoga practices coupled with journeys to waterfalls, surf waves and traditional Hawaiian bbq's!  

Reach that deeper level of travel by opening up to true flexibility in your yoga practice and exploring the idea of becoming like a local when you are in a new space.  I chose to place the picture of this water lily in this Circular, as it reminds me of a very profound moment in my travels around-the-world.  We had been in makoros (dug out wooden canoes) in the Okavango Delta in Botswana for most of the day, exploring the 'no fences' paradise of African nature and wildlife... we had been chased by elephants, approached by hippos, and witnessed one of the most breathtaking sunsets amongst high grass reeds extending from the waterlogged base below us.  We had to learn how to balance in the canoe to stand up, put faith in our polers (the local guys using huge poles to push the canoes along through the delta) and share in laughter, amazement, and challenges all at once.  So how does the water lily come into the picture?  We were in the middle of nowhere ...pretty much a 3 hour paddle from any known civilization...  and tucked into this wild, more rustic spot, and floating along the top of the delta waters are these gorgeous flowers.  I remember being so inspired by their strength to beautifully thrive in a place where they could be easily crushed or thrashed by hippos, elephants, or makoros.  Shortly after this thought, JB (one of my new local friends in Botswana) stopped the makoros, and he initiated a moment where the local guys (4 of them, with 8 of us) extracted the water lily from the water (talk about a long, thick stem) and with pure love and care, taught us how to turn the stems of these lilies into a beautiful necklace.  My first thought was - "oh no, they're destroying the lillies".... and then I soon realized they shared a similar compassion for these precious 'ornaments' of the delta, and wanted to simply share in the beauty of their presence by teaching us more about them.  As we were amidst this moment, I realized that all of the run-around of my daily life back 'home', all of the worries of the world, and challenges in life, were nothing in comparison to taking a few minutes to just breathe and smile in the delight of being enammered by a simple flower, and revel in the fact that there was nothing more important than getting to know and understand its strength. Could it be a metaphor of life? ... I'll leave that up to those of you reading this.  Our group cherished these flowers throughout our journey, kept our lilies with us for the days we camped without fences (an African thing... you know, lions, hippos, rhinos and more!)... and left them as an offering to the space we had shared with the wildlife before we paddled away.

May this year offer all of the travel dreams you wish... and may Global Soul Adventures help you to create and embark on THE most profound journey you've ever encountered!

Wishing you continued FUN, sunshine-filled, and soulFULL travels in 2010!

Live it up TODAY,



Kate LaCroix, Founder & Director

In honor of Valentine's Day and our upcoming Eat, Pray, Love Bali Tour in May, the top photo of the heart made of flowers is actually from one of the bird baths in Ubud... the Balinese fill their streets with LOVE on a daily basis, in ritual expressions as simple as this.

May you follow your travel dreams in 2010....