The Shifting Sands

I took these photos of this women as she pulled weeds from a patch of dirt next to our tent high above Gupta Kashi in the norther state of UK in India, in the higher hills below the mountains of the Himalaya.   Her name Pavahari, a name from the Bhagavad Gita, she proudly told me...I later found it in chapter 9 verse 30.  I wanted to take her picture and at first she angrily refused, only it seems, long enough to use her scythe to cut some 'weeds' and a small leafy branch from a nearby tree to quickly fashion a wreath of flowers...to then stand proudly so I could take her picture.  Of course I must note that I was 'In Silence' throughout this period.

It seems friday is excursion day for us on our month long, 300 hour, yoga teacher Training.  Today was no different, except that we left a little later.  7 am into the jeeps and an hour long nail biting journey from one side of the valley to the other.  Sounds easy right? Just the other side of the valley right?  Its just that our vehicles have to navigate one destroyed road after another.  Waterfalls using the road as a pathway and the usual passing of large vehicles on one way roads next to several hundred metre ravines!  Of course we were protected and arrived at the stunning village of Ukhimath, the Site of the most ancient temple in the whole of India.  Carbon dated to 5000 years ago and home to the supremely sacred Kedernath statues during the worst of the seasonal Himalayan weather.  A seriously important pilgrimage place for devotees. The temple facade under renovation, following the devastating rains of 2013. Temple detail. ...

The trip to Gupta Kashi ( meaning hidden Varanasi, or ancient Varanasi) was typical for this part of the world but exciting and invigorating for us westerners, no matter how long I live in India....Taking a hair pin bend on the outside where the road has fallen away into the deep ravine that meets with Ganga does not constitute an easy drive up the mountains.   On leaving Riushikesh at 5.30am, I took my seat behind the driver so I could telepathically connect with him at every crucial turn and ensure he kept us safe.  He didn't really need me but it was best to be sure.  The six hour drive became eight thanks to landslides, flat tyres, rebuilding of temples ruined by the terrible floods of last year and travelling the 180km with many other pilgrims and locals wanting to arrive in a timely manner!   We arrived to our new paradise overlooking parts of the himlayas in time for a late lunch. En route, a refreshing lemonade. A confluence of the Yamuna and Ga...

Part of the Yoga Teacher Training program I undertook involved five days of silence high above Gupt Kashi in the Himalayan foothills overlooking the peaks of Choucumba and Kedarnath.  The view to Choucumba.  We meditated on her four pillars and imagined applying the simple strategy of bringing our lives into this simple fourfold focus. The things you see when your mind is stilled. In silence I was fascinated by nature.  there were so few other distractions. What the soul gains the active mind loses. Chatter is reduced, concentration is enhanced and recall is smooth and direct. The mind really is the focus, at least for me, as I take leave from the everyday distractions and notice my thoughts one by one.  Over days I seem to be able to group them...judgements of self and others, martyrdom, questioning, amazement, awe, gratitude.  All mixed in like a thick, hearty vegetable soup. The obvious occurs, one notices the birds, the changing ...

Yesterday we had another day off.  Not sure how a day off with  a 6 am  start works but that was how it was.  We left  at 6 am  for Vasishta Guha ( cave), the caves locally famous for being the site of where a Rishi meditated.  Rishi's are ancient Sages, and Vashishta is one of seven most revered and known Hindu Sages.  An Ashram is located at the site and the glimpse into the reverent life of the inhabitants on the edges of the Ganga was a lovely way to start our day. There were a lot of rules. A view from the cave over the Ganga. On the Way back our teacher, Prasad, saw a man bicycling, we stopped, he talked to him and offered him some support. The man was on a well known pilgrimage route having travelled already far from his home in Maharashtra, our home state, to Rishikesh. He was to visit four holy places spread across all of India.  Him, his bike and the donations of food and money from others who...

21st March 2014 4.30am wake up and 5am on the road, into a typical Himalayan Jeep, 9 of us squished in just beyond comfort for the winding drive up to 1300metres for first light at my spiritual name sake, Ambikas temple.  Honouring Shakti, this temple is popular with tourists and pilgrims alike.  Situated in one of the 52 ey lines holding the energies of Shakti from the earth and skies. We passed some fabulous road signs as we made our way to the temple. Such as " Road is hilly, don't be silly" and "Gentle on the Curves"...so apt as we approached the Divine Feminine! And another new favourite, "Licence to drive, not fly." An hours drive from Rishikesh, a quick stop for chai for some and a gentle walk up 180 steps passed mantras to open pathways to the divine feminine acknowledging memory, creativity, resilience and many, many more aspects of the Divine Feminine. Morning Chai Time The Temple was awaiting us as the other two small tourist g...

I have lived in Mumbai for just over three years now and in that time the opportunity to practice Yoga Asana in a group setting has grown enormously.  Initially the only opportunity, I could find, to practice Yoga was in small group settings, either through my daughter's school, the American School of Bombay, or in the home, bringing a teacher in on a regular basis.  the Yahoo group, Bombay Expats, was a great source of information for recommending Yoga Teachers.  As a practitioner of twenty years of Yoga Asana Practice, a Yoga Teacher recommended by a new comer to Yoga, I found through trial and error, did not work for me. I know we are always in learning situations, but I did not want to pay top rupee to learn from someone I should be teaching.  I guess that is what led me and my ego to Yoga Teacher Training!  Like many expat 'wives' (be they male or female) we look to 'take' something away from India.  Please do not tear me apart limb from limb just y...