Chronicles in the clouds 3

This weekend, we started off with a thorough 'Sat kriya cleanse' that I'm sure looked somewhat cult-ish and grotesque to passerby's enjoying their peaceful walk via the waterfall...

Once in Nature

It was 7am and we all crouched, scattered across the bank of grass behind the main yoga hall, retching on empty stomachs at staggered intervals after having drunk multiple glasses of warm salty water. The technique is advised to be done once a month to cleanse your stomach and intestines of all the gunk that gets stored up over time... But I was surprised by how many of us were willing to engage in the activity, it was a bonding experience to say the least.

Trikonasana

We watched skeptically as our main teacher Mahi demonstrated, while instructing us to take our glasses, fill them up from the vat of salty water and drink until we needed to throw up. My mind grappled with the bulimic association of the activity and the phrase 'driink the Kool Aid' but I tried to keep a positive & open mind. My turn came to cleanse my stomach and in between my serious-faced retches I couldn't help but giggle at the surrounding sounds and S. Shrieking in a German accent 'Ya, Ya keep going, do it louder it's helping me!' Those that had completed the task wondered back along the path with puffy faces and tears streaming, ready to move on to the cleaning ritual for our nose & eyes... I'll spare the bizarre details.

Posting postcards in the tiny post office!

I emerged from the experience feeling somewhat vulnerable but cleansed of all the mental & physical waste that wasn't beneficial anymore. I felt for O who was walking around with a full belly of salt water that hadn't made its way out yet :/ ... If not one end, then the other?
For breakfast we ate plain, soothing porridge with no harsh or acidic flavours to disturb our stomach lining; lunch was 'Kichidi' a plain, 'ghee' filled risotto of sorts and then it all went downhill at dinner as I couldn't resist the outside temptations, gorging on 'momo's' and Bhagsu Cake (millionaire shortbread, that deserves it's own post altogether) ... whoops.

Beautiful lunchtime escapes with T.

It seemed fairly ironic that we began our day with a cleanse and ended with a rave, but alas, the nature of impermanence struck again. N, the nomadic American-Indian DJ was playing some deep house infused with worldly sounds at 'Once in nature'. The night started off fairly tame as teachers and students came together to eat organically sourced vegan food and enjoy a beautiful view, where the clouds changed with the sun set.
The slow, Sanskrit chanting began and soon transitioned into a cosmic rave, provoking impressive yoga poses all over the dance floor... everyone's inner party animal came out as cobras flowed into scorpions, surrounded by walking bridges and one-legged trees. The party moved along up the steep path to 'The Welcome Cafe' where we danced until the sounds slowed down (restricted by the early sound curfew). A Bhagsu cake and one too many Masala Chai's later and I was out...

Practicing in Shiva cafe

I arose the next morning, looking out the window and becoming the clouds that were lethargically floating around me. Up the cobbled path I walked along with my yellow umbrella (that I've managed to keep a hold of despite losing it daily), feeling surprisingly fresh at 8am after the rave the night before. The staff were feeling a little rougher, so K guiltily woke them up and a group of us rejoined for breakfast, sitting exactly where we'd eaten dinner 12 hours before. The indulgent 'chocomango bowls' arrived and the morning began: Home-made muesli, fresh mango, a dollop of home-made chocolate and almond/ coconut milk or yoghurt mmm yesss!!!

This is where we live!!

And now, I close my eyes and return to the present moment. I sit with my legs crossed, becoming aware of the lack of sensation in my bum... I'm on 4 chai's and can feel the caffeine running through my veins. Drinking in a deep breath of air, I feel my lungs expand as my heart takes comfort in the melodic chatters of my yoga family that's sat next to me. The sun's going down and suddenly, the weekend is almost over. We've spent 2 weeks getting to know the intimacy of our teachers, each other and our own journey through yoga. An important lesson I've learned while studying Patanjali's '8 limbs of Ashtanga yoga'  is that 'asana', the 3rd limb (that originally stood for only sitting postures and has grown to encompass all yoga postures) is only 1/8 of what yoga represents. The other aspects are detailed and dense so I won't go into them now, but they make up a pure yogi's existence, a set of ancient laws to live ones life by... It was interesting watching the documentary the other night that described how the west so often takes yoga out of context, focusing only on the 'physical' and turning 8 limbs into one. It's so special being able to learn the practice in its entirety.

From day 1, the learning has extended beyond the classroom; the number of people on the course was 'accidentally doubled  (don't ask) and although this required adjustment (from both the management and us) we have so many interesting characters, I don't think we'd change anything. Everyone has their own special thing, an educator in their own right, and through sharing their personal experiences, I've learned about the most diverse areas of life ... the courageous journey of a 12-step programme, the ridiculous technical engineering (with E as the mastermind) behind the scenes of Lady Gaga's flying costume (?!), living as a member of the R.A.F or working with illegal immigrants in Holland. There are teachers, journalists, engineers and photographers; everyone's a different character of different ages and nationalities... yet through a shared interest, we've found a smooth, unified harmony.

I've started to take joy in the little things: the comfort of a dry towel in damp weather (that happens twice a week at a push after laundry day), the enriching smile of the shoe-walla at the bottom of the steps as we say 'namaste' and...  radish-free salad ;). That which annoyed me on day 1 has become somewhat comforting - I quote S. when I write 'with time, you can get used to anything'... and I feel, it's about that time.

At the beginning of a yoga class, it's nice to think of a San Kulpa (intention)... So in a moment of reflection, as this week comes to an end I hope to resist the daily Chappitis that make my tummy hurt :(, engage in the hard work of our extraordinary teachers and fully take advantage of our cloudy surroundings with prayer-flag scattered waterfalls and the occasional flash of red.

Quote of the day:

Chronicles in the clouds #2

Happy boys

The Tibetan Kitchen

It's our second weekend here and due to the rarity of the occasion, they are usually filled up from start to finish with a new and exciting adventure... The first weekend we checked out 'The Tibetan Kitchen' for our first meal out of bounds; the luxury of so much choice on a vegetarian menu was both exciting and overwhelming but I finally made a choice, deciding to indulge in the notorious spinach and cheese momo's (tibetan dumplings) that had begun arriving on everyone's table and creamy Palak (spinach)/ Butter paneer curry. Despite the 2 hour wait, conversation filled the gap and we went home that night with bloated belly's and no regrets, ready for the following day.

A monkey through the rubbish

Fruit stalls in McLeod

The next morning, we started off on a long walk to Mcleod Ganj, the home of the Dalai Lama. We kept up a staggered pace, unable to resist capturing the beauty of our surroundings on each of our 40+ cameras (so it took a while)...
We wandered along the long, empty stretch of road in between infinite pine trees and then the energy sped up as we reached town, monkeys began appearing with baby's on their back, climbing among piles of unprocessed rubbish, a behavior that's become so sadly normalized. Along the busy street we weaved in-between shoppers and my eyes were magnetically drawn to the odd flash of deep red robes, as resident monks went about their day.

A flash of red

Roasted corn

Resisting the temptation of all the beautiful Tibetan ornaments, gems and clothes was a mission - but we saved our limited time (& money) and soon reached the circular path that lead to the Dalai Lama's residence. The concrete path lead into the jungle where prayer flags were strewn in all directions; the jumble of sounds from town soon relaxed and mantra wheels began appearing along

Mantra wheels

the sides of stone walls. On each wheel was written a mantra/ prayer, and as you spun each one, the mantra was released. The beauty & interactive nature of the walk kept one present the whole time and our excited conversations faded through a hush, into silence.
We respected the Buddhist tradition of walking around the temples 3 times clockwise (a form of circumambulation) and reading the plaques on which horrific and inspiring stories of monks & lamas were written.

The wall of faces

Prayer flags & I

The mindful walk (also called 'Kinhin' in Zen Buddhism) continued and we reached the wall of photo's that suddenly brought back an eery memory... It reminded me of the S21 Prison in Siem Reap/ Cambodia: lines of faces were framed beneath a cabinet, illustrating all the Tibetans that had self-annihilated in protest of the extreme oppression that the country is facing by the Chinese. Most of the people on the wall ranged from 12 years old to 80+ and had inflicted suffering that I can't even begin to fathom, burning themselves alive.

O, M & I taking a picture with a few
strangers and our funny friend

The individuals that had escaped Tibet, had trekked across the Himalayas (a dangerous and illegal journey that can last 3 months) to reach Dharamshala, India. My heart swelled with pain at the torturous thought of what was currently happening in Tibet: the country behind invisible bars... what a jaded view of China I now have. When i went home that day I did a short 'metta' meditation, sending the oppressors love & compassion, for how can one bring down a super-power with more hatred & fear, draining emotions that I'm sure they already have in abundance.
We continued the walk around the circle and put down our cameras at the request of the signs leading into the Dalai Lama's residence... The words 'Please be silent' didn't seem to gain a lot of respect from the swarming tourists and the number of photographs we were asked to partake in alongside young men soon became tiring (and slightly uncomfortable), so we curved our way back into town and returned to our 'regular' for lunch... Just as my Veg. Thali was arriving, the clouds rose up dramatically behind the corrugated iron rooftop, swallowing the view.. we took out our cameras and captured another magical show of black hawks swooping through a grey sky.

Recipe of the Day: Spinach and Cheese Momo's
http://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-food/spinach-and-cheese-momos.html 

Chronicles in the clouds

En route to
 Dharamshala

As I look ahead of me, the clouds have again enveloped the rippling landscape of mountains that stand smothered by shades of green flora... As it´s mid-monsoon here, the weather fluctuates between downpours and cloudy skies, with the odd patch of clear blue that reveals the grandeur of our surroundings... Just as sunflowers turn to face the sun, the yogis all appear in waves on the balcony, to soak up the rare rays and feel the warmth on our skin (that's getting paler by the day)...
I, along with many other beautiful souls are halfway through our journey to become Yoga Teachers with 'Mahi Power Yoga', far far away in a little town named upper Bhagsu (Dharamshala, India).
I arrived in Delhi alone, feeling that familiar rush of humidity in the airport after a long journey from London via Dubai ... a phrase that has resonated with me throughout this trip is ´You may make plans in India, but in the end, India makes plans for you´... this lack of control was initiated from the beginning. A group of us got in touch with each other and organised via whatssap to meet up at the airport, before our last leg of the journey in a tiny aircraft to Dharamshala ... but alas, the wifi was not working and we had  no way of recognizing our fellow virtual strangers..
I sauntered around the airport for a while and then sat down to sip on a king coconut and hide my bare legs from the wrath of disapproving looks, wishing I had access to the leggings in my backpack that had been shuttled off somewhere else... The expats in the little airport were soon reduced to shaved head Hari Krishna devotees, or a bunch of slightly worn-out yoginis; so it didn't take long to find each other and the excitement began as we shared stories of our lives, journeys and expectations of the course...

The opening ceremony

Our beautiful teachers

After arriving at the airport, the rocky ride to Bhagsu began; we were truly in India... the driver erratically swerved the wheel from left to right as though playing a racing game on Wii for the first time. We had become a part of the jerky flow of organised chaos, along the dusty roads, past fruit stalls, giant plastic blow up toys and mountains adorned with prayer flags. At one point, the traffic was at a complete standstill and the cars were helpless as people were speedily weaving between them... We looked at our phones, the time ticking down until the opening ceremony was due to start. I ceased a moment and jumped out of the car to buy a phone charger from the shop next to us (that broke 2 days later) and returned to our unmoving vehicle; it was the first test of everyone's patience as to how long it would take for the jam to cease.

Yoga in 'Summer Hall'

Each of us (surprisingly) arrived in one piece. We jumped out of the car, were greeted by one of the team and assigned our rooms. Luckily (after a bit of re-organisation) I landed myself in the main building, 'Forest Hill' and despite a few dodgy locks, I feel blessed to have a huge double bed and a mountainous view outside my window, just what I'd imagined... We swiftly dropped our stuff and changed into white clothes to join the ceremony just in time- the delirium of our long journeys kicking in.
The fumes of incense twirled around the 40+ new faces and sound waves of chanting resonated all around us, soon to be drowned out by the heavy monsoon rain. A few strands of red string were tied around each of our wrists as a symbol of protection, our commitment to each other & the upcoming month. We ate dinner that night (blissfully unaware of the ´eat in silence´ signs that were taped on the walls) and formed our initial bonds before welcoming our first glorious sleep.

Yoginis

Drying the tomatoes
on our balcony

Alarms shrilled at 6am and the course began... every day has followed an intense structure consisting of 2 hours of morning yoga (that varies in style between Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa), breakfast, Yogic Philosophy, Anatomy, lunch, ´the art of teaching´, yoga therapy, meditation, dinner, bed.
From 7am - 7pm our minds and bodies are imbued with the ancient knowledge (Vedas) and writings (Upanishads) of the Rishis (ancient architects of knowledge from medicine to music). Our bodies are strengthening as we engage in Mahi's therapeutic yoga classes, become accutely intune with our own (mis)allignment in asanas, follow a strict Sattvic diet (mild, vegetarian, Indian food, adoorned with cumin seeds...) and a healthy sleeping pattern. The meditations each day have been an eclectic mix to say the least; from dancing to jibberish, Osho to visualisation techniques and pranayama to Tai Chi - each has been approached by everyone with an open mind and allowed a lot of emotional release.
One common favourite was the dancing meditation that began with 10 minutes of closed-eye 'body shaking' and lead into 40 minutes of spontaneous dancing to the changing beats. Laughs were echoed as 'I'm a survivor' by Destiny's Child transitioned into a fast paced Hindustani tune (and everyone began screwing in their imaginary lightbulbs...)  The windows soon transformed from transparent to a sweaty opaque with everyone's body heat, we finally lay down in Shavasana (corpse pose), closed the practise and stood blissfully in line for dinner that snaked from the yoga hall to the buffet table.
The emotional release from all the self-work has been manifesting itself physically as the numbers in lessons continue to sporadically decrease, yogis retreating to their rooms after falling victim to another cold or tummy bug... Luckily (touch wood) I have remained healthy so far, trying to stay aware of whatever comes up & steer clear of becoming the next protagonist of a Delhi belly story (just as my stomach rumbles :s)...

Lunchtime escapes to
our local waterfall :)

Mmm I can smell a freshly made Masala Chai brewing near me: the spicy aroma of cinnamon, cardammon and cloves, it's like an Indian Christmas... I'm at ´Once in Nature´, a beautiful cafe perched at the edge of a mountain,  about 10 minutes from our Centre. I've been escaping here on my lunch breaks, sauntering up the cobbled path, past the mountain goats and deadlocked babas smoking charas... to sit in silence & indulge in my current book ´The White Tiger´ by Aravind Adiga: a sinister read appropriately set in India.
The other day as I turned another page, there was a moment where I sat back and laughed... the ink had faded at the beginning of all the pages of the book, forcing my mind to pause and figure out the meaning of the sentences... I laughed at the text in front of me and the sounds of my 'quiet escape': loud conversations in Hindi and nearby drumming, not the most relaxing but appropriate background music nevertheless...

Ah, the limitations of time... that's the end of my lunch break today, time to get the books out again.

Message of the day: 
"Nothing can make you suffer without your silent permission"

Whispers of Summer

The walk to 'Chocolate'

It's the perfect moment for blogging, I turn to look out the window to see sheets of rain being blown in waves across the fields. It's as though someone's chosen the 'matt' option on a camera, through the lens everything's been brushed a dull grey with no trace of shine. As my eyes scan across the window frame, the colours outside induce a soft sense of calm; the mossy browns of the estuary, the dark shades of green trees and the pale grey sky - in-offensive and subdued. A sound that seems out of place at the beginning of July sends tingles through my toes ... crackles from the old wood-burning fire, that's become the centre of attention as everyone slowly inches towards it. Since arriving at the cottage, everyone's pace has started to slow a little, as the strings loosen and we tune in to the sounds of summer. 


Like a scene painted with watercolours, the brush swoops over the page and leaves a background of pale blue to simmer on the canvas. So with brighter skies, everyone grabbed a jumper, slipped on a pair of wellies and carefully walked across the seaweed-smeared stepping stones (try saying that one out loud 10 times). 

The paintbrush gets tapped softly, sending down a sprinkle of water that fell lightly around us, leaving little droplets to sit on the long blades of grass & clusters of stinging nettles. The bursts of fuchsia pink foxgloves managed to remain unburdened by the rain, their flawless design creating a slope that lead to the plants below. The walk we were about to go on gets shorter every year.. When I was little it used to feel like hours of trudging uphill through an ominous tunnel in-between fields, dad would keep me distracted with stories of horses and carts that used to ride along, wearing down the ground again and again and creating a perfect walkway. Now, walking through the tunnel encased by green vines is magical (especially after a few puffs :p)... Letting your eyes flit between the dappled patches of sunlight and the weird and wonderful shadows of overhanging leaves. 

Outside the Cottage

Vipassana teaches you to always be present in your environment and surroundings by being aware of your breathing and physical sensations ...  With so little distraction, I tuned in and suddenly felt completely overwhelmed by my senses. Do you tune into the dominating field of sight and let the light absorb your mind? Or the multiplicity of sounds: footsteps, birdsong, wind, tractors, the residue of rain fall. What about the meta-sounds encased within each, how many types of bird-song are there, to what distance can we hear them? As we start to lose our hearing with age, it's the highest frequencies that fade first... so I uncreased my brow and appreciated the shrillest chirps in the sky ...

'One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:

'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,

         But being too happy in thine happiness,—

                That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees

           In some melodious plot

         Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,

                Singest of summer in full-throated ease.

....

  Past the near meadows, over the still stream,

     Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep

            In the next valley-glades:

         Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

                Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?

 - John Keats

I came out of my reverie to feel my toes rubbing against the insides of my wellies... you always have to get past that initial feeling of wearing new shoes, until they mold to your feet and become yours, mm. We were nearly at the end of the long tunnel and the hedges on either side of us were getting shorter. There was the occasional window through the leaves, where you could catch a glimpse of the outside world. The fluffy white clouds were sitting comfortably on top of the array of beautiful white houses that formed our nearest beach town- Salcombe. The gradient started to ease and the uphill-climb was over... the smokers in the group panting with relief. The reward? A cider at the Milbrook Inn, our quaint little country pub that used to sell local crab sandwiches for a few quid and now has an extortionate menu only legible if you read French... 

Sunny

The energy here is so special, on top of the lightness of being on holiday, the surroundings range from sandy beaches to untouched woods. In 2009, The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that compared to people who live in the city, those that lived closer to nature were more likely to have better cardiovascular, respiratory and mental health amongst other things. Sunlight helps regulate our sleep cycle & gives us more vitamin D, while the electromagnetic fields of plants have an incredibly calming & purifying effect on our nervous systems... We've all felt that energetic liberation when surrounded by nature... Mmmm summer's just fucking great :) 

Chocolate

The cloud

The orchard

   Haha - my mind drifts back to last weekend when we felt quite the opposite; it was the second mad 50th birthday of another family friend and as we drove up to his idyllic country home in Bridport, Dorset; everyone was pitching their tents in the orchard and kids were running around laughing, with sticky hands that clasped on to giant marshmallows from the bonfire the night before. I walked through their garden and indulged in veg. porn :o ducking under artichokes on steroids, giant tomatoes ready to burst and clusters of herbs thats distinct smells lingered in your nostrils.. I felt like I'd entered Jack and the Beanstalk or just taken one too many psychedelics .. Soon the kids were all in bed (or wandering around downing forgotten glasses of wine), the thumps of the speakers were projecting dirty tunes for miles beyond the barn and everyone's eyes were rolling with the trippy lazer lights that cut the smoke into a million segments. The rents & I danced until the music got too heavy and we crawled back into our tents that were stuffed with air mattresses and white duvets... racing minds encased in a cloud were put to rest. 

The next morning, no one was really feeling the liberation of being in nature as the rain pelted onto the side of the tent and my bladder screamed at my still, curled up body to get up ... I dreamed about walking to the porta-loo about 5 times before biting the bullet, jumping into wellies and running outside. Yesterdays 'sweet children' had become this mornings head.ache as they continued to run and run and run around their drowsy parents who were taking apart their tents as fast as possible, to drive 3 hours home to comfort..

Second Generation grooves ;) 

''Tis the season of mid-life celebrations, 50th's galore. It's hard to think of one that can top M, C & J's joint 21st/50th. It was pure joy (and sexy music) that filled the air; old (& young) friends shared the decks and kept the flow smooth from start to finish, as the champagne remained plentiful and we got down with the people we'd known all our lives, merging the ever shrinking generation-gap. 

We left that party on a high, buzzing from the love that was too immense for words. Just as we'll leave this cottage again until our annual return. Tonight's our last and as swiftly as the tide has come in, the clouds have cleared and the brush has painted the sky a flawless blue.

My heart's jumping in anticipation as I mentally prepare to embark upon my next journey that'll take me across many oceans to the mistress of spices, where the cow bells ring... 

(A Sexy Evening Tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBXbrOOo2nM) 

Followed by a sexy sunset..

Recipe of the day: Rhubarb, pear and Raspberry crumble with clotted cream 

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3440/rhubarb-and-pear-crumble