Dharamsala

Its Friday night and I just left a place called Learning and Ideas for Tibet. They had a pizza and movie night where they showed 3 docs on Tibetan refugees and it was extremely sad. We met a guy 2 days ago who weve met with twice to convers about his life and he says how hard it is. He hasn't seen his family in 4 years now. I plan to go back on Monday and volunteer to help refugees learn some English. I am staying here with my friends Blair and Aaron who I met in Rishikesh. We are all sharing a room staying in Mcleod Ganj but plan to go up the hill to Bhagsu Sunday. We all volunteered yesterday to take these Tibetan babies to temple for a few hours. There is a free daycare for these children provided for parents who need to work who can't afford daycare. My baby's name was Keysung-I thought it was a boy till I changed the diaper!! She was so cute-and clapped and blew kisses to all the shoipkeepers on our way to temple. We were not allowed to take pictures for safety but in a few days there should be pics on their website. I'll forward it to you guys. They had their own photog doing that for us.
The weather here is much nicer than Rishikesh, not hot, a bit rainy and were in the mountains. I've decided to do this Intro to Buddhism 8 or 10 day course so I will try to write beforehand. I won't be able to speak for the duration so no internet either. Hope you're all well. Experience supercedes anything else.... xoxo

Sad to go...

OK so most of the pilgrims have left Rishikesh and its much more peaceful now. BUT I'm leaving for Dharamsala tomorrow at 6am with 2 peeps from my Trika yoga class. We are going in style in an AC car...one of the guys is a little prissy and it was his idea:) So I'm sad to leave here becasue I could really immerse myself in study for alot longer. I haven't been too focused on the yoga. I wanted to come here and not HAVE to do anything which has been opposite of all the other people I've met. And the yoga-its all about bhakti yoga. I'm a bit embarassed as to how yoga is in the states. The asanas are all we focus on in class. Yes I go to plenty of kirtans and try and live by the 8 limbs but these can be greatly perfected, especially on my part as a yoga teacher. I mean the kriyas that people do here take a few hours each morning. Kriyas are cleansing techniques. I tried one, call Vomita Dhauti, you can guess what that is...and I did a mini Shanka something.. I'll explain in person. People here are hard core in India to change, to transform. Its really cool to see. I've met so many great people and lots of crazies too. I've had some stalkers but its all a learning curve. The first time you travel alone is a pretty big deal but now, only after 3 weeks, I feel it could be a normal practice. The like-mindedness of all the people Ive bonded with is awesome. I love the freedom and its something you rarely get to feel because we all get so caught up in our own bullshit....So I am on my way to say goodbye to my Rishikesh boyfriend I guess you can say...and to say goodbye to Rishikesh...for now... because I will return. Until Dharamsala! Peace and Love xoxoxo

Kumba Mela

Getting up at 3am to start heading down to Haridwar was just the beginning! Myself, Nadine, Brian, Stephen, Aaron and Rob took a cab to the train station, train to Haridwar, then you walk a few miles to get into where the bathing ghats are. For those of you who don't know the Kumba Mela happens here every 12 years!! So its a big deal. Imagine the whole country, not joking, the whole country coming to Rishikesh and Haridwar to bathe in the Ganges River on this day. It was insane, insane, insane. We experienced one of the holiest days here and were very lucky...Naked sadhu's, holding onto chains in the Ganges so the current doesn't pull you away, crowds of people asking for our pictures and shaking our hands, so many the cops had to shoe them away....the train was a scene out of Indiana Jones. People hanging out the sides, on the roof, glued to the front of the train. Can't wait to show you pics! Hari om!!

Adventure!

Hello all!
So I have lil' story. For those of you who know me well you know I have had really bad luck with cameras, I mean its almost freaky. I am on my fifth camera in about 5 years. They either get lost, stolen or broken. So my new friend Ritchie and I went to find these waterfalls in Laksman Jhula. Now we wanted to go to ones we heard about off the beaten path. Its so crazy busy here because of Kumba Mela that there are literally millions of pilgrims here. You can say its the best time and worst time to be here. Typical India with the dichotomy. So we get to this pool of water (no waterfall) and we see 2 lil boys swimming so we joined them. I took some pictures of them and showed them pics of themselves I mean they probably never saw a camera! Then a third boy comes and jumps in and he gets a bit annoying splashing us and stuff. All of a sudden they all get out and start running. Ritchie knew something was up and asked where my camera was.. they stole it and ran!! Ritchie starts running after them, I gather our things and start down the 2 mile road we climbed to get here. I ask this man at an ashram if he saw 3 Indian boys and a white dude running-he pointed in their direction. I find Ritch with 2 older men and we asked some questions, found these other kids and got one name of one of the boys.We started running in and out of the villages trying to sneak around and find the boys. We caught a glimpse of them and they ran into the main area where we'd never find em'. We went to the cops. Ritchie jumps on the back of the cops motorcycle to go searching....no luck. We however had the name of the school they attended. The next day we go to the school with the policeman. Deepak never showed up for class....so the cop told us to come back later in the afternoon. After Prem Baba's last satsang :( we went to the station and he tells us this whole story of how he got the camera after he beat one of the boys with a stick!!!! He was so proud of his accomplishment I can't tell you. I got my camera back!!! I am hoping this breaks my bad camera karma...even though I don't like the stick beating part, but I used to get the belt...

End of Week 2!

So I know I haven't written in a bit but I have been stuck indoors for a while with a bad stomach. I get a few hours where I feel ok so then I walk around the markets and such. AND I went to an astrologer-a really good one that everyone sees out here. He said some interesting things and I've been in a funk since. I'm going back next Fri to get some clarity then I will tell you what he said...so be patient!! Rishikesh is chaos in one word and I'm needing some quiet. I am looking to head north for a bit then back through Delhi then Mumbai to meet Shruti...can't wait to meet her fiance!! So my schedule has been lecture/yoga 8-10. Yoga 4-6. Lecture 6:30-8. The yoga is completley different than what I am used too but its good to change things up and not be so hard on my body. I feel kinda lazy actually. I met another girl from LA yesterday! Were staying at the same place too. Crazy!! In between I eat with friends I just met at the time, walk around, there are lots of nooks and crannies to investigate. Its kinda like Venice Italy but not, same same but different....:)
That's what every Indian says out here its hysterical, they sell T-shirts with that saying. Maybe I'll get my dad one:)

Hard to be Alone

Don't misinterpret my heading. What I mean is I am TRYING to be alone and can't. I have a booming social life, yoga life and feel like I am busy as hell. When I try and go eat alone someone always trys to talk to you...lonely travelers I guess..And I have been asked to dinner multiple times-is this travelers dating??? Weird. Its like Im back in college and we are all staying in dorms leaving notes for each other in our doors,and what have you, its kinda fun:)
I saw the Dalai Lama (love him!) yesterday for aarti, blessings last night and saw him today-he was speaking on behalf of the Encyclopedia Launch happening this weekend-all religions are now compiled into these books-all the facts. Took 22 years to write with all the top scholras and religious guru's..
I visited the Beatles ashram today with this girl Steph I met from Canada..it was a little haunting but I stood where the White album was written-how cool is that?
Having a great time-not enought time do do everything though...I have 2 more weeks of Trika then I may go to an ashram for a week to get out of the madness!
And I saw the Sivananda ashram tonight-its so huge...that was my first yoga training back in NJ an my favorite thus far.

Night Night

Am I a contestant on Survivor???

Really the past 48 hours I have almost been attacked by a pack of dogs, hit by a motorcycle, got yelled at for holding my flip flops...Ill explain.
I was in bed the past 24 hours with Delhi Belly (diarrea)and a pain in my belly like someone was punching me in the gut. I took some Cipro which helped my upset stomach but the pain was still there. I dragged myself out of bed and went to the Ayuyvedic restaurant down the street and I asked the Dr what can I do-he said I had GAS!! of course me and my gas :) He had me eat some herbs out of my hand and gave me a bowl of gross aloe evra juice (looked like mud) I had to drink it fast, the whole thing. Then had some lemon mint tea, kicharee with mint yogurt. I am finally smiling. The pain has subsided. You have no idea how sick I was yesterday. I have a friend Thomas, a German guy who came to check on me and I asked he come back today since he's the only person who knows where I am.
At 6am yesterday I took a yoga class at Parmarth. On my way-since its so early not many are awake, 3 dogs ran to me, one jumped up and a sadhu yelled at them to get away. I will no longer walk around that early-the dogs are like a pack of bullies and I dont have a rabies shot. Then I went to my Trika yoga class and got sick during class, but then felt fine and have made friends with a German girl Nadine-she's awesome, 33 years old, and we are like the same person, its scary. We ate breakfast.I ate only half a roll...then got sick. I have slept 20 of the past 24 hours.
2 days before I was on my way back to my hotel and I heard singing so I walked into an ashram-it was Hanumans (monkey God)Birthday! They were doing aarti. An Indian man gave me a piece of prasad and he signaled for me to walk up front-I had my Havianas in my left hand and I walked up to get the blessing and 2 women started yelling at me-I didnt know if it was the shoes or my camera. Finally I asked a man what were they saying-he said I showed the soles of my shoes to God and that was bad (Whoops) You live n learn right?
The Dalai Lama is coming in 2 days!!! Do you believe it?? He will be staying at Parmarth Niketan Ashram-where I am moving to April 8th. I am blessed to be here now.