My Footprints

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

2008-12-23T00:47:00.000-08:00

This trip has enriched my life and presented the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of the Indian, Tibetan, Newari and Nepali cultures while uncovering a deeper understanding of myself. For this, I am humbled, inspired, and grateful.

Studying Hinduism, and the Yogic practice provided a window of understanding some aspects of the diverse cultures present in India. I learned about the overall organizational structure of Indian culture and the observed how they process their experiences. Indian's are both very logical and linear in their thinking; all occurrences have a traceable reason. Paradoxically, because Hindus have a strong relationship with lord Brahma, and all of His manifestations, often, the reason for the occurrence can be traced to the ordained action of God. Hence, all of the rituals and temples dedicated to each god and goddess, or aspect of Brahma. Logical yes, but also very mystical.
In addition, this experience has helped to lay the foundation necessary to integrate Buddhism into my daily practice. I connected ease-fully with the Tibetan culture and found myself naturally in alignment with their way of being.
We have so much.
Thank you for joining me and for your loving thoughts and prayers. I look forward to seeing your beautiful faces.
With Love and many Blessings,
Tashi Delek, (May you have good fortune)
Michelle

Agra and Boda Gaya

2008-12-22T21:50:00.000-08:00

I took the train from Varanasi to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. The Taj is a beautifully constructed marble mausoleum that is adorned with traditional Mughal (Muslim) patterns that have been etched into the marble. Some of the etchings are painted recitations of Muslim prayers, while other etchings have been inlaid with coral, lapiz, jade and onyx stone. The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to commemorate his late wife. The mausoleum was built after the death of Shah Jahan's third and favorite wife. A large garden and fountains extended out from the Taj Mahal and behind it lies the Ganga river, tranquil. A large Mosque and the living quarters of the Shah's other two wives are built around the Taj. The Mosque is still active. The architecture is exquisite, and revealed in the construction are several optical illusions. Inside the Taj is the burial site for both Shah Jahan and his wife. The monuments I saw are replicas; the real tombs lie underneath the main quarters of the Taj Mahal.
This trip also included a tour of other important Mughal temples and burial sites of Muslim emperors. I saw the tomb of the great emperor Akbar, who conquered most of northern India and later converted to Buddhism. Akbar is known for exercising religious tolerance. Akbar's tomb is also adorned with intricate geometric designs characteristic of Mughal empire.

Boda Gaya is located in the India's poorest state, Bihar. My friend and I, whom I met at the ashram, took a taxi from Varanasi to Boda Gaya, where Siddhartha, while sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, attained enlightenment and became Buddha. Boda Gaya is an important pilgrimage site for Buddhist and is considered the center of the Buddhist universe, the Navel of the Earth. The Bodhi tree sits behind the Mahabodhi Temple and is encapsulated with numerous stupas ( carved statues) that honor the Buddha. I made an offering at the Mahabodhi temple in front of the Buddha and then sat in the garden near the Bodhi tree to meditate. All around me were Buddhist practitioners making full prostrations in front of the temple. It was so peaceful and calming. I felt honored to be there. As I stood beneath the great Bodhi tree, a leaf fell from it's branches. I picked up the leaf, recognizing it as a great gift and blessing.

While in Nepal

2008-12-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

My time in Nepal truly touched my heart. I met wonderful people who extended such loving kindness and generosity toward me. May this generosity continue through my thoughts and actions.

Instead of living at the nunnery, which was outside of Boudha, and too far to travel from daily, I had the opportunity to live at the Odiyana Buddhist Center with Brandon and Andy, two Dharma practitioners, and Lopan Kelsang. The Lopan is a teaching monk who has his Ph.D equivalent in Buddhist philosophy. The Odiyana family opened their hearts and their living space to me; when I arrived in Boddha, my initial living arrangements changed and because of the re-enthronement ceremony, it was difficult to find a reasonably priced room to let. Knowing my situation, Andy, Brandon and the Lopan offered me a place to stay. What a blessing. The Lopan said to me with his loud gruff voice and broken English: "You did not know, but this was the best thing", with gratitude agreed.
Following the re-enthronement of Tulku Rinpoche, which was so incredible, (you'll see in the pictures), I spent my days receiving transmissions of the Buddhist teachings from both the Lopan and from Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and Pakchack Rinpoche at the Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery. Rinpoche means precious one and it is a title that refers to an incarnate of the lineage. I am studying within the Niygma lineage. There are four lineages of Buddhist thought: The Nygma, the Sakya, the Kagyu and the Galuk.
The Ka-Nying-Shedrub Ling Monastery is affiliated with the Kathmandu University where many Western students are studying Buddhism. I was able to attend a class at the university with a professor who is currently conducting research into the neurological affects of meditation. I spoke with him after class and explained my interest in this project in regards to the cognitive benefits of implementing meditation in the classroom. He agreed to provide me with his research and additional resources. Further, I met a friend who is studying at the Shedrub and she is a student of another professor who is spearheading the Mind life Project; this project has similar goals and is sponsored by the Dalai Lama. These contacts are important as I continue to pursue my professional goals in Education.
I visited two important Buddhist pilgrimage sites: Sankhu and Parping. Sankhu is a Newari village and is home to the Vajrayogini temple, a tantric goddess that represents sthe powerful female aspects of the Buddha. The Vajrayogini is also a pilgrimage site for Hindus as the incarnation of the protector goddess, Durga. The temple was beautiful, and the Varrayogini was dressed in gold and red cloth and draped in silver. The temple is ornately decorated with hand carved, stone statues. I went with two Russian friends, one I met on the bus from Varanasi to Kathmandu, and her friend who was also attending the teachings at the Shedrub. We were lead around Sankhu by an old LLama who lived in a small house near the temple. In addition to the temple, he walked us to view the meditation caves used by four Buddhist Yogis: Tilopa and Naropa and Marpa and Milarepa. These Yogis meditated for several years in these caves, completely isolated from the rest of the world. The Yogis attempted to reach states of enlightenment through both the meditative practice and Tibetan Yoga. The Lopan is trained in Tibetan yoga, and he showed us this ancient and highly demanding practice. The practice was designed to dissolve karma as well as generate heat in the body and keep the body healthy. These caves are amazing- they are not tall enough to stand upright in and are wide enough for me to lie down in, in one direction. Silent and isolated retreat are still a major part of the Buddhist tradition. The Llama also walked us to a rare statue of Nagarjun, an Indian poet who became a Buddhist monk and traveled across India to lead many political awakenings before and after India's independence.
Parping is also situated in a Newari village outside of Kathmandu and is home to one of the meditation caves used by Padmasambhava (Lotus born). Padmasambhava is responsible for bringing Buddhism to Tibet from India. He is highly revered and is referred to as Guru Rinpoche. It was here in this cave that Guru Rinpoche attained enlightenment. I went with the Odiyana family and we sat in Guru Rinpoche's cave and meditated. I could feel the sacredness of this cave and the lingering power of peacefulness.

I left Boudha for one week to trek through Pokhara. Pokhara is beautiful; situated on what remains of Fewa lake, surrounded by the Annapurna Himalaya mountain range. Initially, I was going to hike part of the Annapurna circuit, which is part of the Annapurna Conservation area. The full circuit takes between 16-21 days, but htere are portions one can hike in 10 days. Because I only had one week, I opted to hike a small loop trail around Pokhara called Panchase Danda. The hike covered about forty miles and ascended and descended through Nepalese villages and offered spectacular vies of the Annapurna's and the Pokhara valley. It was so beautiful and provided an opportunity for me to digest much of what I had learned as well as process much of what was surfacing as part of the process of dissolution. The Lopan always said that in meditation, whatever comes to the surface, whether thought or emotion, has come rushing, like a waterfall, in order to be dissolved. I had the opportunity to practice detachment when I realized I had lost my camera! My guide and I were preparing for a steep ascent and I was quite tired. I set mt backpack down and my camera next to it and organized what I would need for the next hour. I was so focused on only the essentials, that I packed my backpack, drank some water and forgot to pick up my camera. It is interesting how at the time, it did not seem essential, otherwise I would have remembered it, but how essential it became as soon as I realized I had lost it. I recognized my frustration at loosing the pictures I had taken of the Himalayas, my friends and of Boudha, and of the money lost, and let go. It was only material and I didn't lose all of my pictures, and here I met an important lesson about attachment.

I learned so much from my time in Nepal. I now have a strong foundation for practicing Buddhism. Rather, it feels like I found the memory of something I had always known, and found myself in a kinship with the Dharma and feel that I have found the beginning and the continuation of something so innate and inherently transformational. I am so grateful.

Rajastan

2008-12-17T05:58:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Pushkar, Rajastan. I took the train from Delhi to Jaipur where I met my friend, and from Jaipur, we took the bus to Pushkar. Jaipur is a metropolitan city, like Delhi, but it is smaller and less populated, and therefore, it feels less frantic and less aggressive. I like Jaipur; traffic laws are actually enforced! It is quite a change from most of the other parts of India I have visited. I must be becoming a city-girl because I was very much relieved to be treading on pavement, noticing the cars, buses, auto and pedal rickshaws flowing in an organised manner via round-abouts. My friend, who is from Varanasi, says that Jaipur is a well-mannered city. He is an engineering student at a university in Jaipur. We went to city park and it was a real park-with grass, trees and stone walk-ways. It was so peaceful. There were moments when I forgot I was in India, it felt like a park in the U.S. During one of these moments, I saw three women dressed in saris, carrying bundles if firewood on their heads and remembered I was in India. My friend and I went to the Central (historical) Museum, and artifacts dating back from the 19c A.d. The silver craftsmanship exhibited by the Mughal empire is extraordinary. The were made of silver and jade and hand carved in varying patterns and the eating ware was equally ornate. In addition to Mughal artifacts, the museum also displayed hand-carved, stone statues of Hindi gods. Further, the museum had halls dedicated to carpets, pottery and painted murals that depicted Hindi myths. I will see the pink city and the myriad of palaces when I return from Pushkar.
We took the bus to Pushkar and spent the day visited the various Hindi and Sikh temples. From the bus window, I could see huge marble slabs sitting in front of store-houses; marble and other stones and gems are mined from the Snake mountains and neighboring hillsides. Pushkar is a holy city, situated on Pushkar lake and is home to the only Brahma temple in all of India. Like Varanasi, ghats surround the lake, and the city is built up from these steps. We prayed at the Brahma temple, then made an offering of flowers, turmeric, sugar and rice to the ghat;praying for the well-being and prosperity of ourselves and our families.
The architecture of the buildings and temples has more of a Middle Eastern influence, and although the primary religion remains Hinduism, the Rasjastani people have their own unique customs, language and dress. The women's saris are bright oranges, and fluorescent yellows and pinks. The women also wear a large hoop earring in their left nostril and belts made of silver. Rajastan has a desert like climate and is full of sage brush and strong winds, but there are also palms and coconut trees growing here. It is common to see camels roaming the streets, and each year, there is an enormous camel festival held here. While tourism is apparent here, the city feels very calm and relaxing.
Tomorrow, we are going to catch the sunrise at the Savitri temple that is set on a neighboring hill, looking over the city. Savirti is the first wife of Brahma and there is a long story here, but I'll have to ask my friend about the story, again.
I only have six more days here in the Bharat, the Chariot of Wisdom. Bharat is the Sandskrit name for India.

Kathmandu to Delhi

2008-12-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

Hello! I am in Majnu-Ka-Tilla, a Tibet refugee camp in northern Delhi. I arrived via bus, yes, I took the bus again, today around 1pm. This was one stinky, comical, frustrating, squished, unbelievable and valuable 36 hour ride. We had two flat tires, two children puking out the window while the bus was in motion, a man who while asleep, fell face forward through the window of the door-he was rescued by two other men who grabbed hold of his legs and pulled him back into the bus. He decided to sleep on the floor in the aisle instead. I traveled with my friend Flavio from Switzerland and we had some wonderful conversations and helped each other laugh through the ridiculousness of the ride and advocated for regular pee breaks.
I am going to write more in the next couple of days; I have much to say. On Sunday, I am going to Rajastan, via train, to visit a friend for the final leg of my trip.

Om Mani Padme Hung

2008-11-18T03:48:00.000-08:00

Love from Nepal! Perhaps it is the cool temperature here or the views of the Himalayas and circling hawks or circling the Bodha stupa, but I am at home here.
I took the "tourist" bus full of other tourists, like myself, from Varanasi first to the border of India and Nepal, slept one night in the most basic (I am being quite kind in using the word basic) hotel and then took a different "tourist" bus to Kathmandu. I booked my travel through Paul's Travels, a company that has been in business for thirty years, and I as well as my fellow tourists expected a nice bus with air conditioning and re-clining seats. What we got was a bus that had slightly padded seats, fans instead of a/c and a blue, ceiling decorated with plastic flowers. This was by far the most uncomfortable transportation experience I have had on my travels. The roads are not maintained and there were long stretches of road where you just shook the entire time, or launched from you seat when going over a bump. I am not kidding. The "tourist" bus we caught in Nepal was by far the worst. It was really a local bus in disguise! Even smaller than our previous bus with a ceiling so low that you had to duck when walking through the isle. This bus also picked up other Nepalis along the way, who although did not have seats, sat either in the isle on wooden stools, on top of the bus with the luggage, or on each others' laps. As I write this, is is making me laugh! In retrospect, of course and one new friend from Scotland remarked that in time, we would be able to laugh about this. So, he,he. Oh, yeah, the bus was delayed about four hours the first day for repairs, and three hours the second day because there was a road-block.

So I arrived in Kathmandu five hours late on Monday night, but I am so happy to be here. Nepal is far more relaxed and cleaner than Varanasi. There is a sense of calm and a peace here that you can feel on every one's face; through their eyes and in their smiles. I just feel at ease here. I met a girl from Russia on the bus and it turns out she is attending the same re-inthrownment ceremony of Tulku Rinpoche and subsequent Dharma teachings at the Ka-Nyng Ling Shedrup Monastary that too am attending. The ceremony is tomorrow and the seminars are Nov. 24th through the 30th. I am fortunate to be able to attend such a ceremony. The ceremony marks the re-incarnation of Tulku Rinpoche.
I have spent the past two days practicing Cora (this is probably not spelled right), circling and praying at the main stupa in Bodha (Boudhanath). The stupa is incredible! It is white and adorned with Tibetan prayer flags, brass prayer wheels statues of the Buddha. You can make offerings of saffron, and incense and pray your intentions as you walk clockwise around the stups, spinning the prayer wheels. There are many Buddhists and tourists here because of the re-inthrownment ceremony and at all times of the day, many are circling and praying. I went to an early morning yoga class today and practiced my own Cora. This place is so blessed; both with its natural beauty and with the power of spiritual practice. Syncronicities are taking care of me; this is a magical place, and I am meeting those that continue to assist me on my spiritual path.
On Friday, I am going to go to Thamel in Kathmandu to live and study at a nunnery. I am very much looking forward to this. My friend is a Buddhist Monk and he arranged this opportunity for me. I will teach them English in exchange for studying Buddhism and living with them. Yeah!

YEAH OBAMA!!!!!

2008-11-11T02:05:00.001-08:00

I watched Obama's acceptance speech on a small t.v. at a guest house in Varanasi. My friends and I cheered and hugged, cried, whistled and hollered as we again felt hopeful for America. Many of both the Indians and European tourists sitting with us expressed their relief. Yes Obama! Yes America!

Varanasi: the real India

2008-11-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

11/11/08 -11/12/08
I am back in Varanasi. I took two short trips: One to Bodah Gaya and one to Agra. I got back from Agra last night, so today I am just resting and catching up with the blog. I'll write about Boda Gaya and Agra soon. First, Benaras.

I arrived in Varanasi early in the morning on Nov. 4th. The 60 hour train ride had literally made me sick, and there I was, stomach in knots, being taxied through the chaos and clatter of some say the oldest city in the world. Varanasi or Benaras (the Sanskrit name) is organized around the river Ganga. There are over 36 ghats or steps that lead to the shore of the great Mother Ganga. The living spaces and shops are built at the top pf the ghats. For Hindis, Varanasi is the holiest city and to die here is a great honor. If a Hindu dies here, it is believed that the soul is granted moksha: freedom from the cycle of birth and death (samscara), and he/she will not re-incarnate. When a Hindu dies, their body is first cleaned, then wrapped in cloth, carried through the streets of Varanasi, and set beside the edge of the Ganga to be purified before cremation. The hip bones are the strongest bones in the female body and do not burn completely. and For a man, it is the rib cage. These bones are thrown into the Ganga following the cremation. here are two cremation ghats in Varanasi. Between 150-200 bodies are cremated each day and cremations occur 24hours. The burning of the bodies is the responsibility of the lowest/untouchable class. The morning we arrived in Benaras, my friend and I walked with an Gopal, an Indian man who works at our guest house to one of the cremation ghats to witness a cremation. This may sound morbid, but bear in mind three things: first, to a Hindu, death is the beginning of a new birth and with each re-birth, the conditions of one's life improve. The word death is not really used, rather the phrase "the soul has left the body" is more commonly used. I asked Gopal if there were feelings of sadness, and he said, "yes, yes". There is a thirteen day period of intense mourning that includes a two day fast. The period of mourning then continues for one year after the soul has left its body. The son of a father who has died will shave his head bald except for a small piece of hair on the back of his scalp. Men are only allowed to witness a cremation, it is believed that a woman is "too soft" to withstand the cremation without crying. No sad emotions are allowed to be expressed at the cremation. The disposition during the cremation is one of respect and in some ways, a celebration. Secondly, again, if a Hindu dies in Varanasi and is cremated at the most sacred river, Ganga, this is then the final incarnation for that soul. ( I will talk more about the Ganga in a separate post). Thirdly, nothing is separate in India; death is innately part of life and therefore, the cremations are openly part of ones' daily experience in Varanasi. Further, all of the experiences of the human condition are visibly intertwined and completely public: Stepping over a large cow patty, I have seen a man take a piss next to the head of a man sleeping, adjacent to a vendor selling chai and burning trash on the side of the main road.

The frantic energy in Varanasi is dramatically different than the calm, fluidness of Kerala. I have been getting up at 4:30am to meditate on the rooftop of my guest house-this is the only time Varansi is quiet. Varanasi is busy from about 5:30 am to 12:30 am. The first sounds I hear in the morning are the Hindu and Muslim prayers chanted over the loud speakers. Then I hear the rhythmic patterning of the mechanized silk loom. Once I hear the first horn, I know that Varansi is awake. It is common for people to still be working well past 8:00 pm. Varansi is known for its hand made silks. These silks are so beautiful! The patterns are unique and intricate and you can walk past the silk shops and watch the Muslim families either stitching a beaded Saris by hand, or they are manning the loom. It is amazing to watch the technique. There is a barrage of manual and auto rickshaws, taxis, motorcycles, cows, dogs and thousands of people on foot. There is a constant stream of horns honking and old mufflers puttering. The "most alive city in India" asserts Ganesh, the manager of the guest house. The pollution from the automobile exhaust is unbelievable. Because Varanasi is a city build of stone and dirt and they have cut down most of the trees, the exhaust just sits black and heavy in the air. Whenever I go out, I use a rag to cover my nose and mouth and ear plugs to sleep in. It smells like shit, urine exhaust, burning trash, sandlewood and spices. The streets are littered with the same. While the energy here is chaotic, it is a focused sense of chaos: it is the chaos of millions of people whose lives are focused on and around spiritual expression and rituals. There is a call to prayer twice a day for Hindus and five times a day for the Muslim population that lives here. The prayers are broadcast over loud speakers embedded in the city. These same speakers are often playing traditional Indian ragas or spiritual hymns throughout the day. Indian women are dressed in the most vibrant and varied shades and of saffron, purple, green, yellow, blue, fuscia, and okra. Their noses and ears pierced with pure gold and their ankles and wrists adorned with gold and silver bangles. I tried on a Sari but decided to get a silk scarf instead. The Muslim women are in full black Burgas, with only their eyes showing. Muslim men wear long cloth shirts and pants and woven hats. Indian men are wearing collard shirts and slacks or are wearing long, cloth skirts. School children wear uniforms. From the rooftops, I can see children flying kites and a variety of raptors, vultures and small sparrow-like birds. On Monday after my meditation, I opened my eyes and saw an enormous raptor perched on one of the other rooftops. It looked like a hawk and was about the size of a small dog. I saw this as a blessing.

My senses are constantly stimulated here. When I first arrived, I was overwhelmed! Varansi is truly radical and unlike anywhere else. I am finally feeling more comfortable here. It was helpful to leave for a few days and come back. I actually felt like I was coming back to something familiar and that I was part of the community here. It is nice to feel this change. Varansi is finding a place in my heart, if you can believe it!

So tomorrow, I am going to take a boat out on the Ganga to celebrate DipDiwalli, the festival of the moon. Diwalli is celebrated throughout India but at different times and DipDiwalli is only celebrated in Benaras. This will be my second large ritual on the Ganga. The first ritual was for the Chat pooja to honor the sun. This experience was profound and warrants its own post.
I am well and I feel as though I am part of the land rather than just a tourist walking on top of it.
I am leaving for Kathmandu this Saturday, Nov. 15.

Going way up North

2008-10-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

Let's see...the last time I wrote, we were headed to Kanyakumari on the southern tip of India to visit the Devi temples. We went to the Suchindrum temple which is devoted to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. This is an important site for devout Hindis. Brahama is the consciousness or creative force, Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer. Shiva and Vishnu and the other gods are not seen as separate from Brahma; they are different energetic manifestations or forms of the same energy of consciousness/creation which is Brahma. In addition, the female goddesses, the Devi, are again different manifestations of the same force: Shakti. Shakti means energy or feminine power/energy. The Suchindrum temple was constructed in the 17th century and took 6 years to build. Both the inside and the outside are immaculately ornate. The temple is made entirely of stone and Hindu gods are carved directly from the stone pillars. There were also columns of alloy that you could play; each column had a different pitch. We made offers of rose water to Hanuman, which represents the most devotional force of Brahman. Hanuman takes the form of a monkey. Each time one enters the temple, they are blessed with a dot of sandalwood on the forehead to represent one's prayers and three lines of chalk or powder to represent ash. The ash represents fire which symbolizes the ability to transform energy. Today the temple is used less frequently and for special celebrations but I tried to imagine what is was like to walk and worship in this temple long ago. It was so esoteric and almost golthic like.

After we worshiped, we sat at the convergence of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea to watch the sunset.

The next day, we took the train to Varkala, a small tourist town on the west coast of Kerela. Varkala was interesting because it was a resort the appealed to the western traveler and the atmosphere was so different from the rest of India that I didn't feel like I was even in India! It was sort of a relief from the hectic-ness that is India and we were able to swim in the Arabian Ocean. The sun is so intense here; my poor moonbeam skin didn't stand a chance and I left Varkala with a sun burn. But it was so fun playing in the ocean! The surf was quite strong and pulled to both the right and left sides of the beach.

From Varkala, I took the train to Cochin and I LOVE Cochin! Cochin was colonized first by the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally the British. There are numerous open fruit, vegetable and spice markets. Cochin is known for its spices, oils and Aruyvedic herbs. I went to the market that specializes in growing and harvesting herbs for making Aruyvedic medicine. Also, there once was a large Jewish population in Cochin and there is still a flourishing Jewish market.

Tonight, I am boarding the Patna Express, bound for Varinasi. I have a 60 hour, yes, that is correct, train ride to Varinasi. I plan to work at the Basic Human Needs school in Varanasi and I will see the Ganga as well as Boda Gaya. Boda Gaya is the primary Buddhist city in India.

Yes! So that is the catch up. I have a couple of other things to describe: the Poojas (spiritual offerings) I participated in at the Ashram as well as describing more of the Indian culture. It is sometimes hard to get to the internet.

I hope all is well. We chanted Om Namo Narayanaya at the Ashram and it is the mantra for world peace.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Reflections from the Ashram

2008-10-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

Om Namah Sivaya,

I am leaving the ashram tomorrow morning. I was planning to stay until Wednesday, but I have to catch a train from the city of Cochin, to Varinasi by Sat. Nov. 1. I wanted to spend some time in some of the other cities in Kerala before leaving. Tomorrow, I am heading for Kayakumari which is the most southernly city in India. Kanyakumari is a sacred Hindu city dedicated to the Devi goddesses. Also, the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean all converge in Kanyakumari.

Living in the ashram has been a transformational experience. It has been interesting to be both the participant and the observer of my experience, watching the mental, emotional, psychological and physical changes as they occur.
Initially, the solitude and the retreat provided by the ashram made me quite uncomfortable. I could feel my ego resisting the perceived confines of the circumstances. My ego was struggling to accept the separation from that which it is accustomed to using to establish its identity. The renunciation of the familiar provides the context for challenging and dissolving parts the ego. It is interesting how quickly you become aware of all that you are attached to! Chocolate, sugar, caffeine, TALKING, sleeping, hot water for the shower... But moving through this challenge was part of my intended experience and I am grateful for its teachings, even if initially I questioned why I was here and constructed a calendar to cross off the dates counting down the days I'd be at the ashram in an effort to ease the discomfort. I had to keep reassuring myself that I would adapt. In India there is a saying: Adapt, adjust, accommodate.
Through the yogic practice, my disposition began to shift. The discomfort was actually alleviated by the rigidity of the daily schedule. I observed the gains I was making daily in both flexibility and strength and my body was reflecting how important this practice is for the wellbeing of my body. This understanding through the physical body is what led my mind to a tangible and significant "reason" for my presence here. I felt my mind shift into a state of ease and I felt grateful for being here. In the 11 days I have been here, I have made recognizable gains in not only flexibility and strength, but also in my sitting posture. My hips are open enough and my back strong enough to support me comfortably through two hours of mediation each day. This alone is making my meditations more focused and more fruitful. This experience has been remarkably beneficial and truly wonderful.

My interpretations of the relationship between the union of body and mind.
In Sanskrit, yoga means to yolk or unify. The union is said to be two-fold: One, it is the union between the mind, body and spirit, and two, the highest truest meaning of yoga is the union between the individual self and the universal self or consciousness. In Hatha yoga, which is the form I am practicing here, the asanas and the pranayama is designed to balance the masculine and feminine energies of the body. In each asana there is relationship between expanding/stretching the muscle and relaxing the area being stretched. There are also two components: dynamic and static. Dynamic is getting into the posture while static is the holding of the posture. Asana in Sanskrit means steady posture. The breath is used to initiate and guide the movement of the posture and once in the static position, the inhalation is used to deepen the stretch, while the exhailation is used to relax the muscles and "sink down" into the stretch. This balance between expansion and relaxation oxygenates and detoxifies the muscles and removes tension to allow the body to stretch further. From what I have observed, the body and mind are mirrors for the same process. As the body expands and relaxes, the mind too is expanding, and stretching beyond levels of perceived comfort, beyond its limitations while letting go of tension, detoxifying and settling into deeper levels of concentration, calmness, clarity patience and peace.

All Thoughts Are Prayers

2008-10-17T02:13:00.000-07:00

After crossing the international date line, gaining a day, and over 20 hours of airplane travel, I am at the Sivananda Ashram in Neyyar Dam, Trivandrum District, Kerala India. The climate is tropical and balmby. October is a month where the monsoon rains return, but only every few days and for a few of hours. The Ahsram is beautiful; surrounded by rich palm-treed forests, tall hillsides and a lake. I walked to the town center to use the internet. The people in Neyyar Dam have close ties with the ashram and are friendly and welcoming. The ashram provides jobs for some residents and the ashram grows trees to contrtibute to one of Trivandrum's primary exports: rubber. Trivandrum has a 90% education rate and there are many Aruyvedic schools and clinics here as well an artisian culture. Aruyvedic medicine has flurished here in Kerela for over 2000 years. The pace of life here feels more relaxed. There is a very regimented schedule at the Ashram that includes mediatation, satsung (chanting/prayer), lecture and two asana classes (yogic postures) each day. We start at 5:30 am with mediatation and end with satsung at 9:30. In the mornings during meditation, I can hear the lions, yes, lions roaring from the near-by animal sanctuary. Not to worry though, the lions are confined to cages. There are so many interesting animal sounds! I haven't seen much wildlife, but I can hear a variety of birds and monkeys. Apparently, there are crocodiles in the lake near the Ashram. There are two meals each day and we eat with our hands. We all participate in Karma yoga (daily chores) to keep the ashram clean. Yesterday, while eating the morning meal, I remarked at how grateful I am to be here! This is an incredible experience. Most of the other ashram folks are from abroad: The UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Australia, Eastern Europe and differernt parts of India. There are only a handful of Americans. The internet at the Ashram is not working so I may not be able to post again for about a week or longer. After my stay at the Ashram, I am headed by train to Varinasi (Northern India), where the great Ganga River flows.