Kurt Koontz's Blog, page 7

Truly Celebrating a Life

Last Thursday at 2:00 PM, I arrived at Jumpin’ Janet’s Bar where Janet choreographed a beautiful send off for her beloved mother.  The parking lot was packed and every side street was lined with cars.  I walked into the crowded bar only knowing Janet.  I...

Jeanie

For the past 27 years, every other Tuesday around 7:45 AM, I hear my garage door open and my dear friend Jeanie arrives to clean my house.  Her daughter used to do housekeeping for my father so these two ladies have been in my life...

Transitions

Last week, a friend of mine said, “I hope you enjoyed Costa Rica.  Was it bittersweet to leave?” I replied, “All sweet, no bitter.” She said, “Kurt, I think you have taken a bit too much tea.  How can you not have regrets about leaving?”...

Future Tripping

As a solo traveler, many of my friends often ask me, “What are you going to do when you get there?” Another common question is, “Are you excited for your trip?” Most of my trips are for at least a month, so these are logical...

You Choose

During my yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, our guru would often talk about finding stillness in the body and how that creates tranquility.  He said, “Life is so chaotic and most things are beyond our control.  During practice, you are able to control the movement...

Footprints

My time in Costa Rica is rapidly coming to an end.  I keep taking long trips and they keep ending!  When I stay at home, my day-to-day routines create an illusion that life is stable and saturated with a false sense of permanence.  I change...

Twisted Thoughts

A big part of any yoga practice involves twists.  If yoga is not in your life, then this is very easy to explain.  Imagine sitting upright in a chair with your feet facing forward and firmly planted on the ground.  Without moving your hips or...

Blue Zones

Dan Buettner worked with The National Geographic Society to identify the “blue zones” of the world.  To qualify, these locations needed a statistically significant concentration of people over 100 years of age and large populations that age well without common health problems like obesity, heart...

Lighten Up

I snuck out of town last week and moved into a 225 square-foot home in the jungle of Costa Rica.  The town is Nosara and my abode is near Playa Guiones.  This is a sleepy surfer town with an intense yoga vibe and a passion...

Beautiful Changes

Spring is booming in my hometown.  The foothills have been carpet bombed with bright yellow balsamroot flowers.  Icy waters are barely contained by the river and creek beds.  Yellow fuzzballs sprint across the water trying to keep up with their elder grey goose parents in...