Posts

Showing posts from August, 2014

India: My Mirror

Image
Here I am in India. I am not dreaming. It's real. With its sights and smells, this enchanted land rich with history as well as mystery. Where there is a marked difference between opulence and misery. Land of extremes, with mountain tops covered with snow, and steamy beaches all in one. There are mystic and sacred sites, as well as fancy shopping centers. Ultra spicy food, as well as the sweetest of sweets. Palaces with gold trim, and beggars sleeping with dogs in the street. The latest model BMW driving on the same street that a woman and her children call home. But India is real. With all its shocking problems, India is authentic. It doesn't try to please anyone. Perhaps that is the allure that attracts visitors from all over the world. It's dirty, but it has a soul. Noisy, because it has a lot to say. Complicated, because it has so much to teach us about the human condition. Some escape to India to run away from their reality. Some come to fill themselves with ancien

Abhijata, Artisan of Silence

Image
I Just finished a yoga class taught by a master. I could say taught by the granddaughter of a master, but in her own right, she shines on her own. I am talking about Abhijata, grand daughter of legendary yoga master, BKS Iyengar. After 6 weeks in Pune, I have taken many classes, with different teachers, and have been inspired and have learned and deepened my practice with all of them. Each and every teacher has something to offer. But it is not so much about what they give, it is really more about what I have received, as Prashant Iyengar says. My eyes, ears, and mind pay attention. But I offer myself as a student full of samskaras, or imprints from past lives. In addition, I have the imprints and the scars of this life. So I come with some knowledge, or my own perceived knowledge. As a student, I am not fortunate to have the opportunity of taking classes with a regular teacher in my hometown. Perhaps this has been a blessing in disguise, as well as a curse, as I am forced to figure