a slightly famous Ashram

Here is a bit of a famous place - even if you don't know it you could guess why - play the game and follow the little journey we had this weekend.

Last Open to the public in 1988. Now? 50 Rupees at the Gate

Impromptu guide. What a Character! But not Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Meditation Dome once home to some famous Bugs? 

There were hundreds and they had GREAT acoustics

Formerly the Main Yoga Hall... bit of a fixer-upper - but the ceiling tiles look like an inspiration for an Album of the same colour...

the LEVITATION Hall for Transcendental Meditation (we are all amazed!)

Old Water Towers on the Apartment complexes. I DID climb up but had my camera with me... (also great acoustics!)

Now do you know why this is a famous Ashram?

If you have no idea... click here - Wikipedia will explain it to you.

Sunrise Watching

Today for my Personal Practice I went up to the yoga hall to watch the sun rise...

 I tried to quietly go outside to see the night sky transition....

 and the sun's light starting to grow...

 and the colours of the sky playing chameleon... and then I went back to my mat and did some Sun Salutations (or Suryia Namaska'rasana)

 But came back to witness a bit more glowing warmth...

 and the light decorating the hills.

 from the rooftop patio of the yoga ashram.

but ended up witnessing something Divine

and went back inside to finish practicing asana (poses) and felt the sunny glory indoors too!

lots more pictures

Park near the Ganga

Concert of Traditional Music at the Ashram

Graduation Ceremony

delicious Ashram meal

Chai at the Jewelry Shop

Best Study Spot!

Swami Yogananda (aka Yogi 101 - his AGE!)

After a Dip in the Ganga

Mother Maya (Tiwari) speak at our graduation

Now I need a break from the Internet. I can't believe how much energy it takes to post pictures, I'm exhausted! I do have plans for three more blog posts.... and I managed to just save all my pictures (so far) on a C.D. so I can clean my camera off for the next leg of my journey! (Volunteering here I come.... but postponed by two days. It'll be Tuesday instead of tonight.)

words, words, words!

It commenced with a couple emails, a few poems midway through and then ends with a certificate. And all the while the Contentment Study...

Words, words, words... except on "silent day" - when, I suppose, I still wrote a paper... hmm.

I graduated with my Yoga Teacher Certificate and hope I can upload the great picture from the ceremony... but no promises. Suffice it to say... I passed!

 

 

Certified Y.O.G.A

Yoga "Dancer" of Joy!

But I also wanted to share two poems (as I think both were really important to me in this part of my India journey). First, my St. John of the Cross (from the book "Love Poems from God" edited by Daniel Ladinsky)

They Can Be Like A Sun

They can be like the sun, words.

They can do for the heart

what light can

for a field.

I am sold.

And then I realized... my frame of contentment: Life as Poetry. So I will be working on that; starting with:

I Am In Between

the grace of the water

the smile of the clouds

And I am in between.

Himalayan birth canal of green

ocean of sky for its mythic decent

And I am in between.

this River Goddess to millions

this heavenly blue blanket for all

And I am in between.

on a  grey stone seat.

Mantras on the shore

majestic hills lush with trees

carry on long after, born eons before.

My dissolving white sweet

laughs of splashing boys

melting blue candle

all fade like fleeting wave-noise.

And I am in between.

LyndiaP February 5, 2011

Teaching 35 Minutes of Mindfulness

Hooooooray!

I just finished my final practicum - a 6am Mindful Intermediate class and it was so great! I LOVED teaching it (with my fantastic partner Nancy) and it worked out really well.

do you know what that means?? I have finished all the course work for the Yoga Teacher Training!! Tomorrow is "graduation day" and I will be certified (in a new and non-insane-asylum way) in less than 24 hours (Indian time, probably).

I am more and more excited to teach yoga when I get back... hopefully there will be an opportunity or three in Southern Alberta

p.s. I also finished off my "contentment study" and handed in the paper and did my presentation (the later went really REALLY well). Now I am just looking forward to some time to relax and reflect... and we've got another beach-day-afternoon today after lunch. Perfect.

p.p.s. for an non but future travel update... I got into the National University of Ireland's Public Activism and Advocacy program AND managed to wire transfer my deposit fee FROM India. I give myself two gold stars for that :) And for those of you who already knew this, thank you for your excitement and support! I am so lucky in so many ways and grateful for all of you and all the world is handing me lately. Contentment? No problem!