Breakfast station...

Yog... ;-)

Danvandhari Mandir

Sunrise In Jamnagar

Auyrved & Yog ;-)

Six weeks in Jamnagar and I'm feeling settled, relaxed with the Indian way and grateful for being here... Sometimes when I walk down the street, I want to pinch myself, that I'm actually here and following my dreams!!

The month of December we started a Yoga Course with the Advanced Center for Yoga Education & Research... Every morning we meet at 7am (waking earlier for my own Shadana Practice), for a 90min session! It is cold now (15 degrees) and on the way we meet others wrapped in blankets and ear-muffs, some are jogging/walking around the Cricket Pitch and one man who has an Alsatian Dog- a rarity, since most dogs here roam the streets and are “Pavement Specials”. I've been enjoying the classes, which are taught from the original texts- Hatha Yoga Pradipika, amongst others (similar to Sri Sri Yoga) & on Saturday we meet in the avi for a Knowledge! We have been told that our pronunciation is wrong and while they are spelt with an "a" at the end... We are supposed to be saying Ayurved & Yog ;-)

Two cultural events that I have attended, were a lunch at the Jane Temple (with my friend Bhavya and family)... Jane is a strict tradition- for example the Dharma of non-killing: Vegetarian & Satvic food is eaten and some devotees even walk with a broom to brush away any insects they may step on (so I've heard ;-) We enjoyed a wonderful meal and then explored the Temple playfully- the ornate work is amazing and gives a feeling of wealth for the Tradition!! On the way back we decided to spend our wealth and go shopping (to the BIG Reliance- bigger that Macro) and caught the next 4x4 packed with passengers! Traveling along this VERY LONG road dodging pot-holes and on-coming trucks, I couldn't help but smile at the oxymoron of experiences...

The second... A Traditional India Wedding, where I felt I was the center of attention- as heads turned, when I entered the room!! I WAS THE ONLY BLUE-EYED, FAIR-SKINNED GIRL there and the children especially took an interest in me... All wanting a picture singularly- then collectively! The hi-light of my day, was when an little boy (my biggest fan) came to shake my hand & ask my name (his father had told him what to say)! From that point, we were playing with different types of hand-shakes, as we did as kinds!!

Finally... I have mentioned that this place is soo contrasting and another observation is that the Doctors have to scan their finger-print on a bright green pad, on entering and leaving the OPD... Yet just outside, the gutter system for the ablutions does not work and spews out like a waterfall from the wall, into a muddy ditch below that is also slimy bright green!

Greetings from Jamnagar- India

2 Days short of two weeks, in a nut-shell, this has been my experience thus far...
I arrived in Jamnagar- as small city on the coast of Gujarat and was welcomed by the heat, noise and familiar smells (from my last trip to India- one cannot forget ;-) I caught an Auto-Rig shaw to the Ayurvedic University, International Hostel and welcomed by a VERY DUSTY room... Though my flight was 1hr late- it was also a holiday in Gujarat and therefore the cleaners were no-where to be found!! At this stage I met Dr Geneshwar- who has been here for 8 years and is presently doing his Masters on the Treatment of Diabetes aa well as various Techniques of Abhyangar Massage! FINALLY, when the cleaners did arrive- he instructed them to clean my room, Claire-style! During that time he told me a bit about this place, ordered me a regular “Tifin” of Traditional Gujarat food- rice, dhal, veg and Chapatti... Yumm! and shared his interest for the Art of Living... Immediately, I felt at home :-)

The following day I made my way to the International Office- arriving at 9:15- early in Indian time, as our Registration meeting was only at 10:00!! So, I sat on the Dusty steps and decided to ground my self in this whole experience... As per the “Official” Program we met the Program Officer and the other 8 participants- mostly from Canada and America, as well as the Director on the University, Dr's and Lecturers- that will be teaching and inspiring us over the next three months... We were then presented with our Folders and a posie of fragrant roses!

There were some “housing” problems to sought out- my taps leaked, the toilet did not flush and the overall look of my room was not appealing- though I thought that I could live with the paint chipping off the walls, I won't stick anything on them!! However, I had to bring it to the Officers attention and he gladly offered me the use of another toilet, in a vacant room! I posed the question- if it were vacant, could I not move in there? Certainly, he agreed that would be a better idea! So, I moved into my new room- though this one did not have a Kitchen and was content to eat fruit for breakfast and my “Tifin” twice a day ;-)

Guruji works in mysterious ways and suddenly my Sangha was growing too... Dr Ganeshwar introduce me his friend that attends Satsang and Kriya regularly- Bhavya and I go on a Thursday night & Sunday morning respectively! Roshni- a South African on the Course had moved in next door... She is also a Devotee!! She has a Kitchen in her room, however her Shower does not work... So, we negotiated Shower-times and enjoy Meal-times together (as well as Chai Tea and Hot chocolate)- just like an Ashram experience!

By this stage we were 1 week into our Course- had familiarized ourselves with the University and Hospital- using the free facilities and had a consultation each. It is Government owned and funded and thought they believe that they are not short of money- in our standards, it is very primitive and the place is literally falling down... The Danvandhari Temple is crumbling in Banquet Hall and we have been advised not to go to certain areas! India is a place of contrast and just across the road we have a BIG NEW Convenience store- where we can buy luxuries like chocolate and the most delicious Banana chips, as well as basic supplies like toilet-paper, Ghee, oats and Air-time (when the guy is not on his extended lunch-break ;-)

As for the Course- the Knowledge of AYURVEDA is soo vast- one of our Lecturers likened it to an Elephant- of which most of us have just been exposed to the trunk!! It's VAST all right and we have 5 lectures a day- ranging from Basic Principle, in which the History, Mythology and Science have been discussed, to Dravyaguna- Herbs and Rasashasta- Minerals! I have been “digitalizing” my notes, as the Lecturers come in and quickly present on either Power-Point or in the case of Evolution- on Projector ;-) I have already gone through one Note-book, a pen and counting...

My South African Experience...

So... I'm back in SA now- been here two weeks and I feel fortunate that I just fell back into the life I had one year ago! I still have my routine of Yoga and Meditation, friends and clients- though much has changed! EVERYTHING CHANGES- that much we can rely on, & some familiarity is also good... The smell on the Spring blossoms and air after it rains, the BIIIIG sky and awesome sun-sets and the happy, open faces of the Petrol attendants, waiters and Car-guards I meet :-) On the change side- things are much more expensive that I thought and the recession seems to have hit South Africa- I feel this is a good thing though, as we are forced to really prioritize, down-size and consolidate! The bigger- better- best attitude of the past must go and I pray that more South Africans realise the BEAUTY in Simplicity... I guess traveling with do that!!

Jean and I went to Earth Dance- on a rural farm, 1 hour from JHB... There we danced bare-food, shared experiences by the fire (just like when we met ;-) & enjoyed the South African surroundings and nature! It was wonderful to see old friends and hear about their happenings, growths and changes... Next stop Cape Town- to connect with friends and nature there!!!