Faraway Friday: Rishikesh, India India is always on my mind. I cannot articulate what about this mesmerizing and frustrating country has me so captivated. The people? Absolutely. The colors? For sure. The history, spirituality, devotion, customs, mystery? All of it. But when someone asks me why I love India I can never convey with words … More Reclamation
Growing up a vanilla Methodist, the word sanctuary simply meant that place in church where the minister would drone on and on forever. It’s where I sang in the choir – a mostly social event for me – took communion, and sat on hard benches waiting for the day when I could make my own … More Sanctum
Rishikesh, India 2016 I was never a huge Beatles fan. I have nothing against them, I was just born about 5 minutes past the mania. But the “Beatles’ Ashram”? I fell in love with that. Somewhere south of the center of Rishikesh, India, the ashram can be found. For us it was across the Ganges on a boat then … More Magical Mystery Tour
Each morning, we walk the short distance to the banks of the Ganges to sit in meditation for nearly an hour. Along the way we pass the sleeping shirtless man, in his makeshift permanent tent, with his dogs; an open manhole cover; and a giant mama pig rooting for breakfast as her pile of 5 … More Ganga Ma
Day 14, part 2 – “It never rains this time of year.” Back in town it begins to rain. We are headed to another orphanage of sorts for lunch. Odd, you would think, but there is an exceptional little cafe that helps support this effort. This is our first stop of the afternoon. Sort of. … More Rain in Rishikesh
Day 14, Part 1 – Spelunking I’m dreaming of Arati. Bells are clanging, the scent of incense is in the air. Or wait, no. It’s 5 AM and the temple just down the hill from us has begun its celebration of Shiva. I guess now is a good time to get up and start the … More Shedding the Past
Day 12 – This morning my mind was like a restless, whiny child working every angle to get out of doing chores. My chore? Meditation and yoga. It went a little something like this: I have a headache. I don’t think yoga is good for my knee. The floor is too cold. We should be … More Until Next Time, Coimbature
Day 11 – Part 2 Back on the bus we are headed for Swami Satchidananda’s childhood home and the lotus shrine, under construction, behind it. We are in a neighborhood. There are children walking home from school, houses lining the street and the smells of the evening meal being prepared. As we park in front … More Swamis and such
Day 11 – Part 1 – Today I skipped meditation and yoga. Bad yogi. There are days that I fight going and go anyway, rewarded by the feeling of openness and peace. Then there are days like today when I don’t fight and I don’t go, I just give in. It seemed the best decision. … More From excess to less than nothing
Day Nine: Coimbatore. After yoga and breakfast we board our new bus for a little mountain town called Coonoor. We are going to a tea estate built and owned by the British during their time in power. The trip up is about three hours. There are 14 hairpin tuns. 14. Hairpin. Turns. Up a mountain. … More Good Brakes, Good Horn, Good Luck
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