Sunday, January 16, 2011
Happy Pongal to You!
Yay! Yet another festival day in India! Pongal (harvest festival) happens every mid-January as winter is deemed officially over and the sun starts making its way north. Pongal lasts 4 days, and today was the day to celebrate and worship cattle. Animals and humans coexist side by side here...it's not uncommon to be walking along a path and see chickens or goats meander by. No one blinks an eye. You can see below that cows are especially honored by decorating them with flower wreaths and putting a bindi on their heads. We have 3 cows at the retreat who are well taken care of. Today their little barn was decorated as well as themselves! They looked a little embarrassed to me. India is big on decorating...cows, busses, cars, trucks...they are all named and covered in decals.Pongol is also a rice dish as well. Here's a link if you want to learn more about pongal... http://www.pongalfestival.org/pongal-festival-celebrating.html
Monday, January 10, 2011
Tuesday
Since I am on enforced sick bay for a cold I took a little walk to see the monkeys...have not had time to visit them lately. It was a bonus day for them because we liberated a bunch of small bananas from the breakfast table. Have you ever seen a monkey peel a banana? They gently bite the skin and delicately peel the skin away, taking tiny bites of the inside. They have better manners than some humans I know!
It's always good to see the monkeys. It's hilarious to call them down...soon the branches way up start rustling, the big ones come down first followed by the smaller ones.
It's always good to see the monkeys. It's hilarious to call them down...soon the branches way up start rustling, the big ones come down first followed by the smaller ones.
Musings about India from a Western mind part 2
Everything happens for a reason, doesn't it? I have caught a small cold and have not been able to shake it, feeling raspy and a bit feverish. This afternoon Dr. Mouli felt my pulse and confirmed I have a mild respiratory infection and told me to take 2 days off from major exertion, cover my head! and eat lightly. It's amazing what the ayurvedic doctors can tell about you just by a brief check of the pulse. He and Uni are now brewing up an herbal concoction in the lab for me to take. It's nice to take a break and sit her in bed tapping away...okay by me.
A few days ago I had some hours of feeling completely overwhelmed and exhausted. I felt teary and weak after the morning practice session, which preceded my private class with Dr. Senthil. I told him I didn't know if I could do this thing and doubted my ability to finish the course at my advanced age of 56. He assured me 17 or 70 makes no difference and the intention and motivation to practice would be the tipping point. He also assured me that a meltdown was perfectly normal as imprinted patterns we carry in our bodies are being unlocked to create room for newness. Hip openers, especially, release a lot of emotion. He said," You have been very busy for a long time, haven't you? This is the first time you have time to practice intensely and see what comes up with no distractions." So true but of course I was embarrassed...he was very sweet and said it was all good and to just let whatever comes up happen.Well, he does have a Ph.D in philosophy. When I talked with some others here who are doing the ayurvedic or yoga training they all told me stories of their own wee meltdowns and we had a good laugh. Part of the process as I always say....easy to talk the talk but not alway walk the walk. The power we have in our bodies to unlock and process what lies within us is vast. Diving deeper into yoga therapy, learning more about mudras, chakras, pranayama, and meditation and other healing modalities will improve my teaching immensely. I'm ready to jump in armed with faith and the guidance of my teachers and others in this strange and magical place 6,000 feet high in southern India.
The photos with this post are of Dr. Senthil demonstrating variations of padmasana (lotus) for your viewing pleasure.He assured me that if I practice lotus consistently I will be able to do the posture by next year. We'll see..I'm currently a no lotus person. Padmasana is the first in a 36 posture series I just started learning...many of the asanas are familiar to me but let's just say they are advanced. Wicked advanced.
A few days ago I had some hours of feeling completely overwhelmed and exhausted. I felt teary and weak after the morning practice session, which preceded my private class with Dr. Senthil. I told him I didn't know if I could do this thing and doubted my ability to finish the course at my advanced age of 56. He assured me 17 or 70 makes no difference and the intention and motivation to practice would be the tipping point. He also assured me that a meltdown was perfectly normal as imprinted patterns we carry in our bodies are being unlocked to create room for newness. Hip openers, especially, release a lot of emotion. He said," You have been very busy for a long time, haven't you? This is the first time you have time to practice intensely and see what comes up with no distractions." So true but of course I was embarrassed...he was very sweet and said it was all good and to just let whatever comes up happen.Well, he does have a Ph.D in philosophy. When I talked with some others here who are doing the ayurvedic or yoga training they all told me stories of their own wee meltdowns and we had a good laugh. Part of the process as I always say....easy to talk the talk but not alway walk the walk. The power we have in our bodies to unlock and process what lies within us is vast. Diving deeper into yoga therapy, learning more about mudras, chakras, pranayama, and meditation and other healing modalities will improve my teaching immensely. I'm ready to jump in armed with faith and the guidance of my teachers and others in this strange and magical place 6,000 feet high in southern India.
The photos with this post are of Dr. Senthil demonstrating variations of padmasana (lotus) for your viewing pleasure.He assured me that if I practice lotus consistently I will be able to do the posture by next year. We'll see..I'm currently a no lotus person. Padmasana is the first in a 36 posture series I just started learning...many of the asanas are familiar to me but let's just say they are advanced. Wicked advanced.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Hot water bottles
OK, let's be honest. Have you ever put a hot water bottle under your quilt to warm up the bed, and then put it on your feet? I have never experienced this particular joy until last night. It gets chilly here at night up in the mountains, about 50 degrees or so. Early morning at 6:30 is brisk, but the temperature rises quickly when the sun comes up.So, we go from wearing sweaters and fleece to early yoga, to sunbathing and taking walks wearing sleeveless tops from 10 to 3.
Anyway, last night I saw someone trudging off to bed hugging a hot water bottle to her chest with a big grin on her face. I asked Uni if I too could have a hot water bottle (I'll call them HWB for short) as I had never tried one...pure bliss! I put the HWB under the blankets for a few minutes and slid into a deep sleep with the HWB near my feet.
I highly recommend this method, especially during the chilly New England winter that most of you are enduring.
You will not be sorry.
Anyway, last night I saw someone trudging off to bed hugging a hot water bottle to her chest with a big grin on her face. I asked Uni if I too could have a hot water bottle (I'll call them HWB for short) as I had never tried one...pure bliss! I put the HWB under the blankets for a few minutes and slid into a deep sleep with the HWB near my feet.
I highly recommend this method, especially during the chilly New England winter that most of you are enduring.
You will not be sorry.
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