Research shows that the average attention span (in humans) is 8.25 seconds!  That is shorter than the attention span of a goldfish (a goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds). Can this be true? If it is true, you, my audience, will miss out on much of the above video. I did my best to curtail the number of Icelandic images, but, even so, the video is 5 minutes long. The song you will hear is by Eivør. Here’s to hoping you will take more than 8.25 seconds to enjoy this slideshow and blog post.

Iceland!! Even with its dark cold winter days and, in general, its unpredictable weather, Iceland appears to be a Utopia of sorts. Icelanders believe there is no bad weather, just the wrong choice of clothing.  Iceland is the most peaceful country on earth. The country does not have a weapons industry. Iceland does not have a military and the country’s police are not armed. Women have six months paid maternity leave and men also have six months paid paternity leave. They can take their maternity or paternity leave at different times and they can split it up as needed. There is virtually no crime.  According to one website on “world happiness”, the happiest people in the world live in Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, and Iceland (in this order).

Iceland is beautiful, covered with mystical and rugged landscapes.  Some areas are covered in thick lush moss. I have never seen such soft moss. It beckons you to lie down for a while. The moss feels like a dreamy bed of memory foam.

 

Going to Iceland is like journeying to another planet. Black sand beaches, cliffs, lava fields, volcanic plateaus, mountains, fjords, glaciers and glacier lagoons, waterfalls, rainbows, and glacial rivers dot the landscape. Geothermal heat warms up hot houses, where tomatoes and other produce grow. Iceland hosts 60% of the world’s puffin population. We did not see any puffins because by September, they migrate to warmer climates.

And the hot springs are oh-so-relaxing!

I was in Iceland just three weeks ago with twelve very lucky yoga retreat participants. The peacefulness of the island is calming and the bright light, which comes in at an angle, makes the landscape look even more beautiful. We, surprisingly, had fabulous weather for a number of days (“fabulous” is defined by a mild daytime high of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and blue skies). At the very end of our time in Iceland, we had heavy rains. Even so, our entire time in Iceland was lovely.

Northern Lights: The Aurora Borealis light show took place on our first night. During our orientation meeting, I asked each person if they would be okay being woken up in the middle of the night in order to see the Northern Lights. There was a unanimous agreement to being woken up!  We were jet lagged and tired on our first night, but all of us knew that with the night sky so clear, there was a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights. Everyone slept with their ringers on in case someone saw the lights and texted. Before going to sleep, I pulled up the shades next to my bed and rearranged the pillows and down comforter so that I was facing the window and the star-filled sky. I fell fast asleep.

The Northern Lights made their eerie and spectacular appearance around 11:30pm. However, I am the world’s heaviest sleeper, so Amy could not wake me when she knocked on my cabin door. She and Einar left a number of text messages on my phone. Einar’s messages were urgent, “Please go have a look at the Northern Lights. They are spectacular tonight! Not to be missed!!” Even so, I slept through the numerous dings on my phone! What woke me up at 11:45pm was a series of loud whoops and hollers by the resort staff. They were all outside marveling at the ever changing green swirls and beams in the night sky! I opened my sleepy eyes to my green-lit room and I quickly jumped out of bed, put my coat on over my pajamas, grabbed my hat and gloves, and put my bare feet into my  boots. I quickly found Amy outside. Earlier she was unable to wake anyone up with texts and knocking on cabin doors. So, together, we went back to the cabins and pounded vigorously on cabin doors, waking up our group of yogis. Success! Well worth the sleep interruption.  Thrilling as you can see in the slideshow.

I’m sure there will be an Iceland retreat encore sometime in the future. Einar asked me if I’d like to change the program, but I am reluctant to change an already perfect itinerary.  It will stay the same for next time.

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