Varanasi

I’ve been in Varanasi now for a week! Hard to believe! After a rough start, things are smoothing.

My luggage made its way to India, only 1 day late, got a good night’s sleep on the train and arrived at Varanasi train station rested and ready for the oncoming sauna. The humidity is astounding- truly. Temperatures are about like Austin 98 F 90% humidity. With power outages lasting from about 10-2pm hiding out inside under a fan is generally just not an option. That means that my clothes are constantly wet, often dripping and someone turned on a faucet that leaks from my face. I like to think of it as an intensive detox. If there were anything that could come out via the pores it is gone!!! Probably, it is a good checks and balances system to ward of the daily pollution that attacks my lungs and skin. It is funny, but I really do not remember pollution being so bad when I was here before. Maybe it just takes a little time to slip into a state of denial or develop a thick enough coating in your lungs so that you do not notice anymore. Hmmm…

The feeling when arriving back in the city is like I had never left, or rather that there was some sort of time shift and I had momentarily stepped into the USA dimension and then stepped back into the same space and time when coming back here. That is not quite true because the city does have a slightly different rhythm than 4 months ago. While I would hardly say that Varanasi is harmony with nature like a rural agricultural community is, it does have a relationship with the external environment that is much more in tune with and dependent on climate and seasons in a way that the West is not. It is evidenced in the produce available in the market, the hours that shops open, the seasonality of commerce. Not having electricity for 6-8 hours a day might have something to do with that.

Seeing friends has been good. Kids have grown, girlfriends are making it, guruji is looking more beatific after his major surgery this summer. Now I am just trying to settle in and get prepared for the coming adventure with the Dragons!

For those of you who do not know. I’ve taken a 3 month gig with a spectacular company called “Where There Be Dragons.” http://www.wheretherebedragons.com They organize learning experiences for 17 -21 year olds in India, West Africa, South America, Thailand, Nepal and China. I will be co-instructing their India Semester program: Visions of India. We pick up the kids in Delhi, take them up to Rishikesh, Garhwal Himalaya (2 week trek), journey to Varanasi (2 month stay), Bodhgaya (10 day Buddhist retreat) and then Kolkatta to finish up the trip. Should be intense and gratifying! I am looking forward to the experiences and the challenges!

So, the journey begins again…..

The pictures in this post are of my buddies Tanu and Srigan and a group of sweeper kids who gathered around a young man who was painting a watercolor of their slum. Digital cameras are great!!! Kids love to have their picture taken and then see it on the screen. Still not as quite as good as a Polaroid!!

Delhi at last!!

After what promised to be a grueling trip that turned out to be an ordeal that tested both my patience and nerves I have finally arrived in Delhi!!
Yesterday was so tediously horrendous that all I can do now is just laugh (but you should have seen me at about 7:25PM yesterday!).
First I got up at 3:30 to catcha 5:20 flight to nearby Houston. On the way, mother nature struck- thunder, lightning, rain. Houston airport shut down and we were diverted to Beaumont (where the heck is that?). They deplaned us and told us to collect our luggage and head to the bus (that had not yet come!!!). I rallied with another girl and rented a car and drove 2 hours through pouring rain in order to reach Houston in time to catch a connecting flight that MIGHT get me to Newark in time for my Delhi flight. It worked! I rechecked my bags, and rushed through security to get on the standby flight for Newark. GOT ON! Flight was delayed 2.5 hours. Yikes. Got to Newark just as they boarded Delhi flight. Flight was delayed 2 hours. My bags did not make it- nobody seems to know where they are!!!
Now I am here. Happy to be here worried about the bags! Please all chants some baggage mantras for me, just make up your own. I am sure it will work!!!!
Anyway, Delhi is great. Hot, steamy, polluted and FULL of life! Ahhhh India!
Love to all!

Back in USA!

I am back in the USA as of 4/23 and tolerating the jet lag pretty well! I've got a big plan to retroactively update this thing with stories and adventures, but let's wait and see if this plan actually materialize.

Sorry about dropping the blog, but it turns out (no surprise to me) that this is chronicling of my life as it happens is not really something I am made for.

In the meantime, enjoy these videos!

Quick trip to Nepal

I just returned from a quick trip to Nepal to make sure that I did not violate my visa and end up on some black list. Here are some pics from Chittwan National park (an important tiger reserve.) No, I did not get up to the mountains! Soon!

Lazy writer

Hello out there. Just a quick update to let you know I am alive and out here. It is getting hot hot hot way too early, already 90 degrees on Feb 25th. Ouch... After a couple of more weeks I am thinking about heading somewhere a little cooler, maybe Assam, Sikkim, or somewhere in the NW Himalayan foothills. Looking forward to seeing some of the North country.

Really, I am too lazy to write more, and I have a million other things to do so....

Love to hear from you friends out there!
I am coming back to the states on May 6th and hope offer some workshops on all the good stuff I have been learning and practicing (of which I write very little about here!).

A little update

Finally I have a little time to write a little update about this crazy life in Varanasi. Things are going on as usual, still taking classes riding my (still as yet nameless) bicycle around, constantly sweeping my white dusty floor, working on chanting pronunciation, agni (internal fire) building, samskara (psychological habitual ruts) burning, and trying to keep my eyes open to the wonder around me.

The last week has actually been lots of fun and very elevating. Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge and arts etc.) puja was last week, so there was lots of wild dancing going on (as in the previous video) and a lovely puja at my teacher Betina Baumer’s foundation (Abhinava Gupta Research Foundation-Samvidlaya). Loosely defined, a puja is a ritual that invokes and praises the energies of the said god or goddess and is a chance to offer our prayers to that particular manifestation of the Divine. The traditional Vedic or Tantric pujas offer a chance to sit in a beautiful and controlled environment that can help to re-infuse your daily life and more importantly your consciousness with the presence of Divine. I am not necessarily a huge fan of religion or ritual, but when you combine, flowers, fire, offerings of nature and powerful chanting into one event, it is hard not to love it. . These pujas are also lovely because even those who are not Hindu and those who may not understand the whole process are very invited to watch and participate as they feel. Often, they go on quite a while (2-12+ hours), so it also requires a certain amount of cultivation of discipline to sit and remain aware throughout the event.

As well as the Saraswati puja, my friends at the Ashram have done 3 lovely pujas this week, one to Ganapti (the god of new beginnings and remover of obstacles), a Lalita Sahasranamavali (three of us sat and chanted 1008 names of the goddess) and then last night, our teacher Mark requested that Jnan do a Kali puja in which all the students could participate. So last night above the Harischandra ghat (the cremation ground) we sat around the Kunda (fire pit) and chanted the 1008 names of Kali offering samgiri (a mix of herbs etc..) to the fire. To be sitting above the Ganga, watching the cremation fires burning offering fruits of nature to our own fire and chanting names of she who devours time is an experience that leaves a lasting impression. After the puja I felt such strong positive energy, then I went home, slept like a happy baby and today am feeling very refreshed and a little crisper in my awareness.

While I am really missing friends and family at home, I am slowly, slowly finding a strong sense of community with those who have come here from all over the world to study and practice. I think the benefit of any ritual (whether it is religious or that of a college frat or sorority) is that brings you into a space together where the differentiation becomes less prominent and it drops that anchor into your consciousness. Last night the 14 people attended were from: India, UK, Poland, Belarus, Russia, USA (East and West coast), Sweden, Spain, Belgium, and Germany.

Below (or above?) are a few pics of some of the pujas. After the Kali puja last night darling Babaji, was in full costume and ready for pictures, so I have included those too. He is such a sweety. That might sound strange, to you having never met him and seeing these crazy looking pictures. But, he is genuinely, a very sweet guy- a bit of a drama king, but what to do? He loves to have is picture taken with friends. I guess If I would go to the trouble to get so dressed up every day, I would want my picture taken too!

Still to lazy to write..

But not too lazy to post a video.

Oh so Lazy

I am sure that something worth telling has happened, but the last week has been a bit rainy and hazy and so have I! But enjoy a few pics of a wedding and our class with Mark.

Beauty 2

Here she is. A little (lot) more subtle than the last one. Kind of makes me sad. I enjoyed my flashy period. Well, we all have to go through our phases.
Anyone have a name for her?

Three posts in one day! Can you believe??
Who is reading this thing anyway?

Vedic wedding California style.

Attending a wedding at the main ghat in Varanasi perched over the Ganges in the company of Aghori Babas, Naga Babas, esteemed pandits, cultural creatives (from California) and various other characters certainly made for an exciting evening!

The groom attempted to ride to the wedding on an elephant, only to be foiled by the local police ( I think the wedding party did not fully understand the concept of a “fat bribe.” This is India after all and UP no less!). Other than that minor glitch the wedding went off beautifully! Everyone had such light, lively energy and the couple was very happy and very regal. The pandits performing the ceremony elevated the whole space with the power of mantra, such a strong solid energy evoked! It was easy to get lost in the rhythm of the chanting and to feel why the Vedic wedding ceremony is such a powerful binding ritual.

While I did not take many snaps, here is a little video just to give you an idea of the crowd and the energy. Also, I had to have a photo of me and Baba dressed up in our “drama” (as he likes to say). Cute couple huh? JOKING!!!

Yoga!

For the last week I have had the privilege of teaching some wonderful folks yoga! First there was Natasha and Erika from Canada and then Matt and Cheryl from Holland (via Australia and Ireland). Natasha and Erika joined me for an early morning, very cold yoga session watching the sunrise over the Ganges and Matt and Cheryl worked with me for a few days on another rooftop at a warmer time of day! All four of these lovely people were wonderful to work with, such good energy and openness to the wild reality that they encounter here in Varanasi. It is a wonderful place to explore your practice of yoga. Daily experiences really push your buttons and force your reality to expand so it is very powerful to step into a yoga practice and re-center with a fresh perspective.

While working with Matt and Cheryl, the "real yogis" from the Ashram next door, stopped their daily work to just stand and watch us! It was pretty amusing! I'll have to post a picture of these guys. (long matted hair, yellow dhotis and elaborate Vaishnavaite tikas on their head (i.e. lines of sandal paste and sindur)

Sun is back!

After a week of rain and fog, the sun has finally come back out! It is much more enjoyable to ride around on streets that are not covered in a nutella like spread (especially when you know it is mostly cow and bufalo poop). Icky!

Life is rolling along as usually, studying, running around and cleaning. I am constantly amazed how long it takes to keep my house up. Today I spent most of the morning bucket washing sheets and then sweeping and wet-ragging my floor. If you do not do that daily a thick film of dust will coat the whole place. Ugh! After all my cleaning endeavors, my hands and feet felt like ice cubes but the house feels really homey and happy. Nothing like a clean space to make you feel good!

Tonight is a big wedding down on the main ghat of the city. Should be a spectacle. The couple to be married is from California (of course!) and the groom will be riding in on an elephant. My friends from the ashram are arranging and overseeing everything, so I better be there. Baba (the one from the previous pictures) is going to dress up in full mala and wants me to walk around with him (in full sari of course!). Looking forward to a drama filled evening. Hope I do not freeze.

Oh yes, I have been told that I have some sort of Saturnal astrological affliction. Sounds bad. I believe it after my week of item stealing chaos.

Up above, are a few random shots from the ghats.
xo

The not so daily update!

I guess Ravyn is right, these are really not daily updates. I can dream right?

The last few days have been really cold and rainy. It is beautiful if dreary. All the plants have lost their dust coating and are shining a green that has not been seen since monsoon season ended. Must be nice for them to breath again.

After a few weeks of total overload, I have found a more enjoyable rhythm to life and am able to pay a little more attention to my practice. It is amazing what a difference it has made to my feelings of sanity and finding center. Honestly, I might not have been practicing as much except I actually have student after student popping in. There is nothing like having to teach to keep you motivated to do your own practice. Anytime I sit to meditate, I always ask why I do not do it more often. It feels so good! Om.... please do...

Below is a random video of a little bike ride from Guruji's house. Enjoy and do not get motion sick.

Daily Update

Not much going on here, but I did upload a little video clip to the last blog entry.

Baba and I have decided to go into business together. He makes lovely malas and the sale of them will go to support the ashram ( I will put pics of it up soon.) Despite his rather wild look he is a total sweetheart (NO, not in "that" way), completely harmless and a good cook. In February I will begin cooking lessons.

After a very early morning bike ride, I taught a yoga lesson to two Canadian gals. Really, I cannot imagine a better "job" than teaching yoga on the banks of the Ganges with the sunrising over the river. Love it! Makes teaching almost effortless.
Hari Om!

The last of Pink Beauty - Introducing Maroon Beauty!

Before we begin the video eulogy to Beauty, I have to apologize for the bad editing on the last post “Tossing about in Kashi.” It appears that I uploaded notes as well as what I wanted to post! Sorry for the randomness and bad writing.

Tomorrow I will upload a short movie clip of Bufalo loving on Beauty. I will soon upload an action video of bike rides through town.

She was a lovely and trusty ride; I can only hope that her new master/mistress will treat her so kindly.

Today I will go in search of a new ride. Out of respect to my beloved, I think the new ride will have to be of a different color. After all, one should only have one pink cycle per lifetime, no?
------------------------


After a harrowing trip to and fro shop to shop, I settled on buying a new (instead of used ) cycle and the only model that seemed to be available today was none other than Beauty DX. So, I have a new lovely cycle, a maroon copy of Pink Beauty (as she will hitherto be known). Any suggestions for a name for this new cycle? Maybe you need to see her first. I'll put a pic online tomorrow.

Teaching a couple more Canadians yoga in the morning! Hope I wake up on time!

Death of Beauty

Oh oh oh... today I am in mourning. At 1:30PM Beauty (my fantastic pink cycle) was liberated from her 2 locks and has gone on a journey to the netherworlds of Varanasi. I was happy to have her for as long as I did, but I admit that I am really missing her. Just yesterday I got a new cushy seat. Such is life. Tomorrow, I will have to find a new ride.

I think I might have some sort of star problem. Just two days ago my phone was liberated from my bag.... In the process of getting a new one...

Maybe my liberation is next? One can always hope.

More on this story tomorrow!

Latest photos- my new flat etc..

Jan and Vivek and a shot from the ghats

New Friend

For the last few days, I have had a mystery in my kitchen. Sunday morning, I walked into the kitchen to find a chewed up, apple with apple skin laying around everywhere and some kind of strange animal poop draped over the counter. Hmmm... I thought, maybe a rat? ... No, poop is to big. Maybe a mongoose? How would it have gotten in (only a thin air grate and the kitchen door is always closed)? Ok, maybe it was not poop, but rat vomit. After all, apples are too healthy for rats, right? So, I cleaned up and hoped that it would not happen again.

Next morning there were two apples that had been skinned and partially chewed. Apple skin everywhere but no poop. Big Mystery!

Last night I was determined to find the culprit. Luckily, it was no challenge. When I came home and into the kitchen around 10PM, the rascal was snooping about the counter-top looking for the next meal. The little critter was not at all what I had expected. Immediately, I fell in love. He/She was about the size of a cat with a long bushy tail, big pointy ears, a long snout and huge nocturnal eyes! I was too stunned to think about taking a picture, wish I had.

So, the little guy freaked out and ran up the shelves to the place where he/she had been spending the last few days. Apparently, I had left the window open in the afternoon and critter had creeped in and consequently been locked in for 2-3 days. It looked so scared and cute. If it were not for the poop and the unwilful imprisonment, I would have loved to have critter for company!

After a little web search, the critter has been identified as an Indian Civit! It is even a rare species. How cool...

Ok, that is all for now, back to philosophy studies (right after some tea and cookies!)