Kazula Yayaya

By Russell Burns

Evan Stanford, a young yoga teacher is seeking to find peace with the early death of his parents. The obstacles he faces come from within, the people around him and nature itself. With the help of friends, family, and a new love interest, Jenny Anderson, will he be able fulfill a lifelong dream for both himself and his parents to find peace?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Russell Burns
• Release date: Dec 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005160777

Russell Burns

In addition to being a writer, Russell proficient i other forms of art including painting, ceramics, music and photography. He attended the University of Texas College of Fine Arts as a painting major. He also spent over 20 years playing music in Austin Texas and Los Angeles with tours through the south and southwest states, plus the UK, France and the Netherlands. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States , Europe, Central America, and Australia. He spent a year photographing nature and wildlife of the U.S., including having his work displayed in the National Museum and Wildlife Art in Jackson Wyoming, in addition to being published in several magazines and websites.In 1999 he suffered a broken leg at the knee joint and he needed a replacement for his daily running routine. This is when he discovered yoga, and spent the next decade, first on his personal practice, then on becoming a certified yoga teacher, including becoming a registered Yoga Teacher Training School.In 2017 while traveling, he decided that with all of these experiences, he was ready to put them to use and write a book. This book became Kazula Yayaya, a tale about a young yoga teacher, his life, his love, and his dreams.

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Kazula Yayaya

A yogi’s tale of life, love, and the pursuit of a dream.

By Russell Burns

***

Copyright © 2017 by Russell Burns

All Rights Reserved.

***

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 1

Jenny is daydreaming looking out over the bay when her dancing coach says,

Okay, Jenny, let's try it again.

Then her mother chimes in, You know the audition for the city ballet is next month and there is no way you will be good enough if you don't concentrate.

Focus, focus, focus, mocks Jenny’s little sister Emma.

Emma, don’t you need to get ready? her mother asserts.

In the distance, Jenny sees boats cruising in and out of the harbor, and she wishes she were relaxing on the deck of one of them, heading out for a day on the beautiful blue water.

One of the boats is a 35' classic wooden sloop that’s slowly motoring out. A teenager, Evan Stanford, walks on deck toward the bow rolling up a dock line readying the boat for a sail down to the Bahamas.

His mother is below deck making sandwiches while his father listens to the weather radio and is seated at the helm.

A voice comes over the weather radio.

We're expecting a front to move off to the east late this afternoon, and we'll have a 15 to 20 knot wind gusting to 25, with seas from 5 to 7 feet.

Sounds like it’s going to be a great day for some heavy weather sailing practice. Put out the 105!, calls out Mr. Stanford to Evan.

Evan opens the hatch on the foredeck and pulls out the end of a white sail and begins attaching it to the forestay.

We'll be coming out of the jetties in about 10 minutes, so you might want to have everything ready and secure in the cabin, Mr. Stanford calls out to his wife, Summer, below deck.

Aye, Aye, Captain! she replies with a grin, as she finishes putting containers in the refrigerator and securing the latches around the galley.

Behind the boat in the distance, up on the cliff Jenny stands outside on the upper deck of their house. The wind is picking up and a gust of wind blows her long auburn hair. She hears her mother say from the driveway below, Jenny, we need to get going, we don’t want to keep him waiting.

Jenny is familiar with the choreographer she is going to meet, and doesn’t care for his strict attitude and inflated ego. Although, she knows her mother has pulled some strings to get her this introduction. She reluctantly goes along with it. Still gazing out towards the bay, she slowly steps down the back staircase and gets in the car.

After a full day of sailing The Stanfords have made their way nearly fifty miles offshore. It’s early evening and the sun is beginning to set. With full sails, the boat is moving along nicely and waves slap the bow as it cuts through the water. The boat is leaning over to the port side a little too far, so Mr. Stanford eases the main sail to right her some. With the adjustment, the boat picks up speed and Evan and his dad both smile and savor the moment of having such ideal sailing conditions.

Mr. Stanford looks at Evan and says, Nice job, son, we’re getting 6.5 knots, and if this keeps, we’ll arrive ahead of schedule.

If it keeps… Evan replies.

Water is lapping on the side rail, and then splashes on deck. Spray hits Evan in the face and he smiles, and then wipes it off. Evan is now at the helm, caught up in the rush of the strong breeze, holding the large steering wheel with both hands, and balancing against it. His father is sitting to the starboard side enjoying watching his son steer to boat.

Okay, son, we appear to be clear of any nearby ships, and the boat is steady so I’m going to join your mother below and get a little sleep.

All right, Dad. I’ll be fine. Evan replies.

Your mother will be up here in about an hour. But remember, if you need anything at all, just ring the bell. He says pointing to the ship’s bell mounted on the side of the steering console.

I’ll be fine Dad, really.

Mr. Stanford smiles and goes down the steps into the cabin to lie down.

Evan feels an overwhelming sense of adventure and confidence.

I am a 17-year-old young man at the helm of a 35’ sloop headed for the Bahamas. This is awesome.

About 45 minutes have passed since his father disappeared below, when suddenly WHAM … the boat crashes into something causing Evan to fly forward and slam his chest into the steering wheel and hit his head on the compass mounted above wheel. He has the wind knock out of him and is trying to breath.

He sits back and reaches up to check his head, then sees blood on his hand. The bow of the boat is sinking and being overtaken by the waves. Evan realizes the boat is going under.

Dad! he yells out trying to get his balance and stand up.

Mom! You guys okay? he yells . . . no answer.

He rings the ships bell, and yell, Help, I need help!

The boat is filling up with water fast and has engulfed the cockpit.

Oh my god, what do I do?

Action overtakes panic. He remembers …free the life raft … before it’s taken down with the boat. He rushes forward climbing over the cockpit to the box mounted on the deck where the raft is. He struggles to feel the latch as the waves begin to slam into his body. The boat is almost completely submerged.

He screams out, Mom, Dad! No answer.

The latch finally pops and the raft springs out and begins to fill with air. He hangs on to the line attached to the life raft with one hand, and he reaches to grab the edge of the doorway leading into the cabin with the other. He tries to pull himself down to look inside the cabin for his parents, when … POW … the boom strikes him in the head as the boat heels over fully to port. He lets go of the boat and the raft, grabs his head, and tries to catch his breath.

Focus. Breathe!

The waves crashing over the deck slam his whole body.

The stern of the boat lifts slightly, and then quickly sinks under water. The boat is now fully submerged, on its way to the bottom, nose first. Again he swims down to try to catch up to the boat.

Mom, Dad! Must get them. Where are they? Were they knocked unconscious?

Deeper and deeper the boat submerges until he can no long hold his breath and the boat disappears into the abyss.

He swims back to the surface. A few hundred yards away he spots the blinking strobe light, that’s attached to the life raft. In his exhausted state he struggles to catch up to it, then pulls himself over the side and collapses onto the floor of the raft.

What am I going to do now?

***

CHAPTER 2

Seven Years Later

It’s a beautiful spring day in Portsville, a small seaside community that has seen a doubling in its population as the weather warms during the summer months. Evan rides his bicycle to work on sunny days like this one, and today he stops at the bakery and buys a pepper croissant, some scones and ginger tea. He works at 4th Street Yoga Studio as a yoga instructor, teaching public and private classes Monday through Saturday. In his free time he creates abstract paintings, and from time to time sits in as the drummer with a local band of friends called the Sadhus and Shivas, a new age band made up of some of the local yoga types.

Good morning, Sara, he says walking into the foyer of the studio.

Good morning, Evan. You have two privates today, one at 1:00 and the other at 3:00. Did you go to Ellen’s Bakery? she smiles up at him from the reception desk.

Yes, he answers, giving her a petit lavender scone from the bag, and watching her grin, as she smells it before taking a bite.

He walks into the small kitchen and warms a cup of water for tea, and takes it into the front room of the studio to where he readies the space for his 9:30 a.m. class. He turns on the overhead lights, closes all the drapes except for the one with the large window. He puts on some soft yoga music with Sanskrit lyrical chanting.

He eats the croissant and sets the tea on the platform at the front of the room and sits on a blanket. He crosses his legs, closes his eyes, and places his hands on his legs with palms up, then takes a couple of deep breaths. He places his hands together with the palms over his heart and slowly exhales, takes his hands to his forehead, his lips and then his heart, then lowers them back to his lap.

Right thought, right speech, right action he repeats to himself.

Slowly, he opens his eyes and looks out the window as people walk by. He looks longingly at the blue sky as he eats, and drinks his tea. A couple of students walk in the room and say good morning, unrolling their mats on the floor and sitting down. Over the next ten minutes twelve more students come in the room and take a seat on their mats in three rows across the room. After all the students are seated and appear ready to practice, Evan sits on the edge of the platform smiles and says,

Good morning, my name is Evan, and thank you for coming to my class today, He continues, Let’s go around the room and please say your first name, and how you are feeling today, as he finishes he motions to a young lady at the front of the room. Ruth, and fine.

Lori, good,

Kim, fine.

Sandy, okay.

Toni, waking up. as the room follows with a soft laugh.

Tim, I’m good.

Deanne. It’s been about a month, since I’ve been in, but I’m good otherwise.

 Marco, muy bien.

Aimee, si bon, looking at Marco.

Tammi, I love the sunshine, she says in a playful voice.

Elle, fine.

Liz, good.

Erin, fine.

Jenny, I’m okay, a voice says coming from a cute girl on the back row. Someone new in his class…

Okay, Evan begins. Let’s come to a comfortable seated position, with our eyes closed, and begin to deepen our breath.

During class Evan walks around the room observing the students and offering verbal recommendations as needed, assisting with the form of the postures. Standing a couple of rows over from Jenny, he notices her having some difficulty, appearing to come from her hips. She sees him begin to walk toward her and quickly corrects her posture hoping he hasn’t noticed.

After class he thanks the students as they leave and as Jenny walks by, Evan says, I enjoyed having you in class today, and I hope to see you again.

 Me too, namaste, she replies with a smile.

He continues, Perhaps between dance classes?

She quickly glances back with a curious look and slowly a move nodding her head in yes motion then begins to smile. She continues towards the door disappearing in the crowd of students.

After his students leave, another class begins to fill the room for the next instructor, Hillary, who says, Carl wants to see you.

He knocks on Carl’s office door.

Come in. Carl snaps back.

Evan walks in to see Carl on the phone.

So that’s the deal, I’ve got ten teachers wanting that class. I’ll give you until tomorrow.