I already described my most intense experiences yet... now, the most exhilarating! Just back from my first dip in the Ganga. I kept being told it was a must, but hadn't been till now. Walked about an hour to a small quiet beach, with a clear blue sky above, shining sun, and warmth. Sat down for a meditation before going in, then took a few deep breaths before submerging myself in the very cold sacred river. Wow. Amazing. Breathtaking. You can strongly feel the power of that holy water when it completely envelops your body. With a little will power, I was able to stay in for about 3 minutes, and 3 full dips. Your chest and heart expand, and your breath is sucked right out of you. Moments after coming out of the water, a huge grin spread across my face, then came laughter, then a few tears, and more laughter. I did a walking meditation as the sun and breeze dried my self and my drenched sarong, and I was overcome with an incredible sensation of peace. When I arrived an hour before, I was alone on the beach, but as it got more and more crowded, I packed my things and made my way home. Arrived just in time to say good-bye to my good friend, Scott, who is heading up to Dharamsala, following his heart. A little envious... it was supposed to be my next destination, but since I've stayed so much longer than planned in Rishikesh, I won't be able to make it this time around. So, the Ganga dip was one of the new places, and the second is Anoop's yoga class. Anoop is Swati's brother-in-law who recently got back from doing his yoga teacher training in Mysore, and has started teaching just a few minutes from my guest house. After taking 3 days off of yoga after Trika ended, I'm back to daily classes. But only one class a day for now, 8:30-10:30am. Great way to start the day. The yoga hall he teaches in is much smaller than the Trika hall, and there have only been 3-6 students in the class. It's a very different atmosphere and style from Trika, and as much as I loved Trika, I'm glad to be doing something a little different. And with an Indian teacher. The hall is on the 5th floor of another guest house, with a beautiful view of the mountains.
Now, the new faces. Most people following my blog are friends and family, but one girl came across it while preparing for her trip to India. She had some worries about traveling to India alone, and was inspired and comforted by what I had written. We exchanged a few e-mails, I answered a few questions, and we planned to go for tea when she arrived in Rishikesh. Yesterday, she showed up at Sudesh looking for me! We spent the afternoon together, I showed her around, and brought her to Prateek who was able to squeeze her in that very afternoon (she's only here for the weekend). After parting ways with Victoria, I ran off to have tea with Hari, the man who will be my dad and I's trekking guide when we are back here in May. Chatted about Rishikesh, trekking, and the Quebecois woman he is married to! Then, I ran back across the bridge to meet Scott for our dinner plans with a couple who runs an Ashram in BC (check it out: http://www.anuttarayoga.ca/index_files/retreatcentre.htm). Scott is friends with the couple, and I had told him I'd love to have chat with them before he leaves. He had given me the Ashram brochure about a week earlier, and I was really inspired by it. I wanted to ask them plenty of questions about how they went about setting it up and running it. As I shared my questions and ideas with the girl, Cody, over dinner, she told me that what I seemed to have in mind for my own version of what they've done is not an ashram, but rather an Intentional Community. She gave me some great references for permaculture courses and associations which would help a great deal in this kind of undertaking. I won't go into too much detail at the moment for what it is I hope to develop when I get back home, but let me tell you, I'm very, very excited and full of wonderful ideas. It's not an easy undertaking, and I have lots of people in mind for help in different areas of expertise... so get ready to be called upon when I return to Canada!
I'm off to meet Swati for a very special evening, which will surely be the topic of my next post.
Shanti, shanti, shanti.
Now, the new faces. Most people following my blog are friends and family, but one girl came across it while preparing for her trip to India. She had some worries about traveling to India alone, and was inspired and comforted by what I had written. We exchanged a few e-mails, I answered a few questions, and we planned to go for tea when she arrived in Rishikesh. Yesterday, she showed up at Sudesh looking for me! We spent the afternoon together, I showed her around, and brought her to Prateek who was able to squeeze her in that very afternoon (she's only here for the weekend). After parting ways with Victoria, I ran off to have tea with Hari, the man who will be my dad and I's trekking guide when we are back here in May. Chatted about Rishikesh, trekking, and the Quebecois woman he is married to! Then, I ran back across the bridge to meet Scott for our dinner plans with a couple who runs an Ashram in BC (check it out: http://www.anuttarayoga.ca/index_files/retreatcentre.htm). Scott is friends with the couple, and I had told him I'd love to have chat with them before he leaves. He had given me the Ashram brochure about a week earlier, and I was really inspired by it. I wanted to ask them plenty of questions about how they went about setting it up and running it. As I shared my questions and ideas with the girl, Cody, over dinner, she told me that what I seemed to have in mind for my own version of what they've done is not an ashram, but rather an Intentional Community. She gave me some great references for permaculture courses and associations which would help a great deal in this kind of undertaking. I won't go into too much detail at the moment for what it is I hope to develop when I get back home, but let me tell you, I'm very, very excited and full of wonderful ideas. It's not an easy undertaking, and I have lots of people in mind for help in different areas of expertise... so get ready to be called upon when I return to Canada!
I'm off to meet Swati for a very special evening, which will surely be the topic of my next post.
Shanti, shanti, shanti.
Erika! Intentional community! I read about them when I had the school project in mind. It would be great, a huge undertaking though, mostly finding the right people and the money to buy the land and build the infrastructure. And then... keep it going! Something else to talk about in May ;)
ReplyDeleteOui, j'ai super hate d'en parler!!! Skype date soon :)
Delete