Tuesday, May 31, 2011

yoga: honduras immersion


We are so excited about our first major yoga retreat event! Reflections Yoga of New York has partnered with Paya Bay to produce "Honduras Immersion," a teacher training and yoga immersion program. Paula Tursi and her group of yogis will, of course, be using our brand-new 1,200 square foot yoga pavilion! The dates are July 21 through August 18, 2011. You can sign up for a week or the entire month. For more info click here.

port royal, roatan

No place on Roatan is more closely associated with the island's pirate history than Port Royal. The largest and deepest bay on the island, the harbour and its surrounding area still has vestiges of its role as a pirate center during the colonial period.

The beautiful, serene bay as it looks today. One can easily imagine a group of pirate ships moored in the harbour; and a vibrant, rowdy pirate town on the shore.

Remnants of an old pirate galleon, perhaps?

Port Royal is nearly directly across from Paya Bay Resort, on the southern shore of the island.

Monday, May 30, 2011

don't limit yourself!

You can limit yourself by the story you have created about you. Here are some simple examples of how the story we have created about ourselves can limit us:

I am no good at math. I have never been able to dance. I am not a very good writer. I am very stubborn. I don't sleep well. I am very moody. I struggle with my weight. My English is not good. I am always late. I am not a very good driver. I can't see without my glasses. It is hard for me to make friends. Money seems to slip through my fingers.

The moment you become aware of what you are saying, you can delete these things and rewrite your story!

- lessons from The Secret

Another one I hear very often: "I'm not good with names."  People also like to embrace their disease: "My diabetes. My herniated disc. My high blood pressure." Embrace it and it's yours to keep.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

photo of the day


The dense black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) forest that makes up a large part of the Wetlands Reserve at Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

a mental idol

Man made 'God' in his own image. The eternal, the infinite, the unnameable was reduced to a mental idol that you had to believe in and worship as 'my god' or 'our god'.

- Eckhart Tolle

What amazing clarity Tolle has.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

sacred space

Yesterday, our master builder, Miguel Padilla, and his construction team completed the roof on Paya's yoga pavilion. (Note that some scaffolding is still in place).





The word sacred is one I find appropriate for this extraordinary space. The energy you feel when you are there is beyond description. I spent some time with Miguel late this afternoon admiring the accomplishment. He said something very interesting: "One of the reasons this place is special is because I built it with love. You and your family are very kind to me, and this is one way I could express my gratitude for that."

the power of life itself

Through the present moment, you have access to the power of life itself, that which has traditionally been called "God." As soon as you turn away from it, God ceases to be a reality in your life, and all you are left with is the mental concept of God, which some people believe in and others deny. Even belief in God is only a poor substitute for the living reality of God manifesting every moment of your life.

- Eckhart Tolle

Wow.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

my hometown

Built around a series of beautiful adjacent bays and cays, the town of Oak Ridge, Roatan was my home for the first eighteen years of my life. My frontyard was a coconut walk, beyond that was a beach, and beyond the beach a coral reef with a 100 foot drop-off. For a kid with an active imagination, it was a wonderful place to grow up. So lucky!

your state of consciousness is primary

Whenever you become anxious or stressed, outer purpose has taken over, and you lost sight of your inner purpose. You have forgotten that your state of consciousness is primary, all else secondary.

- Eckhart Tolle

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Monday, May 23, 2011

the Universe speaking to you

You are receiving thousands of messages from the Universe every single day. Learn to become aware of this communication from the Universe, who is speaking to you and guiding you in every moment. There are no accidents and no coincidences. Every sign you notice, every word you hear spoken, every color, every scent, every sound, every event and situation is the Universe speaking to you, and you are the only one who knows their relevance to you, and what the communication is saying.

Use your eyes to see! Use your ears to listen! Use all of your senses, because you are receiving communication through them all!

- lessons from The Secret

quote of the day

It is when we are trapped in incessant streams of compulsive thinking that the universe really disintegrates for us, and we lose the ability to sense the interconnectedness of all that exists.

- Eckhart Tolle

Sunday, May 22, 2011

bliss beach wedding

Yesterday, special guests Stephanie and Christopher celebrated their wedding on Bliss Beach. I took the photos that follow right before the ceremony began. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.






Saturday, May 21, 2011

take action

Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it's no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.

- Eckhart Tolle

10 best summer trips of summer 2011


Roatan is #9 according to this National Geographic Top 10 List. The photo they chose to depict the island is rather incongruous, unfortunately. Roatan is not known for shark diving as few sharks visit our reefs (the water is too warm). In order to see sharks, divers go to a deep water reef that is some distance from the island.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

boat trip!

Earlier this week I accompanied a group of special Paya Bay guests on a boat trip to Barbaretta and Pigeon Cay.
Departing the resort.

Captain Ramon and first mate Eric.

Half the fun is getting there!

First stop was Jade Beach on Barbaretta Island.

The beautiful waters of Jade Beach.

Then it was on to Pigeon Cay.

Some folks had arrived before us...

Snorkeling one of the best sites in the Caribbean!

awareness

Awareness is the power that is concealed within the present moment. … The ultimate purpose of human existence, which is to say, your purpose, is to bring that power into this world.

- Eckhart Tolle

A spiritual teacher who has had a profound impact on my spiritual life once told me, "Awareness is the first lesson we must learn on the path of spirituality."

Monday, May 16, 2011

yoga pavilion update

The yoga pavilion's roof armature is now complete. Tomorrow the construction team will start adding the roofing. (Note that some supportive scaffolding is still in place. Once it is removed, the entire 1,200 square feet of floor space will be unobstructed.)


2012 paya calendar

A "sneak preview" of Paya Bay's 2012 calendar is available for your information (click image to see larger version).  The Paya Calendar page on our site always has the latest calendar info.

give to receive

Whatever you want to bring into your life, you must GIVE it. Do you want love? Then give it. Do you want appreciation? Then give it. Do you want understanding? Then give it. Do you want joy and happiness? Then give it to others.

You have the ability to give so much love, appreciation, understanding, and happiness to so many people every single day!

- lessons from The Secret 

photo of the day


A colorful hammock on the main deck. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Robert and Johanne Bellerose

happiness vs. inner peace

Is there a difference between happiness and inner peace? Yes. Happiness depends on conditions being perceived as positive; inner peace does not.

- Eckhart Tolle

Sunday, May 15, 2011

photo of the day

Early morning view of the the bay on a hazy day. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Robert and Johanne Bellerose

accept

Accept - then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.

- Eckhart Tolle

Thursday, May 12, 2011

nestled in the trees

Paya Bay's new yoga pavilion takes form in its privileged location amidst the tropical trees and vegetation on one of the property's highest points.


the precious now

Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.

- Eckhart Tolle

Monday, May 9, 2011

photo of the day

Stairs leading to Buccaneer Landing. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Photo: Tammy and Charles McKay

evolution of consciousness

Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.

- Eckhart Tolle

Saturday, May 7, 2011

photo of the day


Mangrove canal on Roatan's south shore.  Paya Bay offers a tour of the island towns of Oak Ridge and Jonesville which includes a fascinating trip through the mangroves.

Photo: Tammy and Charles McKay

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

the voice

Can you look without the voice in your head commenting, drawing conclusions, comparing, or trying to figure something out?

- Eckhart Tolle 

This is one of the most important spiritual lessons I'm learning so far.  For the longest time I was convinced the little voice in my head "was me." Not only "was the voice me," I considered my little voice to be one of the wisest and most intelligent voices around. I gave it a lot of weight in my second to second decision making. I'm realizing more and more that little voice, while it has a role, is definitely not the main actor in who I am.

Monday, May 2, 2011

this moment of now

Stress, worry, and anxiety simply come from projecting your thoughts into the future and imagining something bad. This is focusing on what you don't want! If you find that your mind is projecting into the future in a negative way, focus intensely on NOW. Keep bringing yourself back to the present.

Use all of your will, and focus your mind in this very moment, because in this moment of now there is utter peace.

- lessons from The Secret 

and then there were rafters

Miguel and his team worked very hard last week to get the roof rafters in place on the new yoga pavilion. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.