If I had nowhere to go in the world, I would come to Ojai. I would sit under the orange tree; it would shade me from the sun, and I could live on the fruit. —Jiddu Krishnamurti
When the editor of LA Yoga, Felicia Marie Tomasko, asked me to write an article about “daytripping in Ojai” for their October issue, my only concern was not straying too far beyond the 800 word count. While my idea of tripping in Ojai is a walkabout in the river bottom with my pack of dogs, or an early morning hike up Horn Canyon, I also enjoy roaming around downtown, especially with an out-of-town friend in tow. So here’s what I’d do if I had a day (a long day!) to trip north-south, east-west around the valley.
Ojai Valley, California’s Shangri-La
I have been blessed to live in the Ojai Valley for more than fifty years. My first home here was in the middle of an orange orchard in the East End of the valley, not far from where the world-renowned spiritual teacher Krishnamurti lived during the years of his talks under the oak trees.
It still feels magical to pick sweet, juicy oranges straight from the tree. When I wake up in the morning, the orange glow of the rising sun is reflected on the majestic mountains that surround the valley. At day’s end, the mountain peaks give off a glow in the evening light known as the Pink Moment. The intense, ever-changing beauty of Ojai makes an ideal setting for practicing yoga in solitude, out in nature, or with other yogis and yoginis at events like Lulu Bandha’s annual Ojai Yoga Crib (held in October) or at the studios themselves (Lulu Bandha’s, Sacred Space and 52 Weeks of Peace).
To read the rest: http://www.layoga-digital.com/layoga/201210#pg77
LA Yoga magazine is available free at Rainbow Bridge, Farmer & the Cook, Soul Centered, yoga studios, coffee shops and other places all over Southern California.
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