Goodbye, McLeod Ganj
It's our last day in McLeod Ganj and my sunrise walk took me through the peaceful woods on the way to the Buddhist temple - a kaleidoscope of Tibetan prayer flags flapping in the breeze, prayer wheels spinning to the hum of Om Mani Padme Hum, stray dogs lazing in the early sunlight. I realize how little quiet time we've...
Yes, I Have a Yoga Name
I've always thought it was faintly ridiculous when I'd hear someone in the US use their "yoga name", especially when clad from head to toe in Lululemon lycra. I had cynically joked about how my chosen yoga name would be Yogini Sri Shakti Jai Murphananda. [caption id="attachment_1384" align="alignright" width="200"] Yogi Sivadas on Sitar[/caption] But, here in India, after several weeks of advanced...
Yoga Philosophy
We've been diving quite deeply into the extremely broad subject of Yoga Philosophy. The mind is swirling with concepts of Vedanta, Sankhya, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, Jainism, Charuvarism, Buddhism, the Vedas, and the Ashramas (four stages of life). It's fairly heavy going, but also fascinating and rich in the history and the culture of ancient India. Parts of the Vedanta philosophy appeal...
Yoga Kriyas and Welcome to the Digestive System
Yogi Sivadas' teaching of yoga is classical and is also strongly influenced by Ayurveda, the ancient science of better health. He believes that most emotional, hormonal and physical imbalances and agitations of the mind are caused by bad diet, poor digestion and a sedentary and/or stressful lifestyle. Healthy digestion and elimination is crucial. The exasperated expression, "Oh, she's full of shit!",...
How Important is Yoga Asana in India?
Another glorious sunrise over McLeod Ganj; eagles soaring in wide circles and birds singing happily, and as I sit on the balcony, I think about the class I taught last night as part of our teacher training. I smile and remember how at one moment during the class, I looked out over the valley and thought, "Holy crap! I'm standing...
Little Tibet: Settling In
[caption id="attachment_73" align="alignright" width="300"] Vibrant and happy yoga room[/caption] Loving it here! It's a combination and contrast of chaos and peace! Goats, dogs, cows, bikes, tuk tuks, taxis and people, all claiming possession of the narrow main street; vehicles missing you by millimetres as their horns blast loudly in your ears. And then inside our tranquil little yoga school perched on the...
Delhi to Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj
Good morning, Delhi! A comfortable, clean and quiet night at the Lemon Tree Hotel, just 5-10 minutes away from the airport. I'd recommend this as an easy overnight stay, especially if you're arriving or leaving late at night. I flew to Dharamsala with domestic airline, SpiceJet, which I thought won first prize for a fab name for a local airline (and...