Hippy Dippy Yoga Retreat--Day Fourteen

Yoga a Go-Go

Photo by the author, Mark Tulin

On the last day of our retreat, we had breakfast as usual—bean sprout tofu with a hint of salmonella. We also had buckwheat toast dipped in honey that the bees made this morning. And lastly, we drank a super drink consisting of powdered horseradish, cumquat skin, and pink flower buds—guaranteed to make the chest hair curl. There was no word about the Going Away Party, although we all assumed that the party would be at the yoga studio after breakfast.

“I hate to leave this place,” said Eddie. “I’ve lost fifteen pounds since I’ve been here, and I haven’t been burping as much gas.”

“I reduced weight, too,” Mindy said. “Look, I lost all my belly fat,” and pinched her midsection.

“I’ll be glad when it’s over,” said Phillipe. “Too many mountains and too much sunshine. I can’t wait to return to cloudy gay Paree.”

When we entered the studio, it was like a dream. We were back in the sixties at the Whisky a Go-Go with all the great L.A. bands like The Doors and The Byrds. There were strobe lights, political dissidents, psychedelic Day-Glo posters, and dance cages for the Go-Go girls.