Hi all

Just set up this new blog, since I have really felt the need to sit down and write about the new experience of NOT being in India this time of the year, as I have been regularly since 2007.  There are many reasons for my not being there right now, which I may tell you about at some point, but I am feeling the longing for India, for Ma Ganga, for my dear friends there and for the many things which I am blessed with while there for several months each year.  (if you are reading this on the old blog, just follow this link to get to the new blog:   http://notinindia2012.wordpress.com

However, I have been blessed with wonderful new and amazing surprises in my life here in my “other” reality as well, and these are the things I will be posting about here.

I also hope to share photos with you as well, as I have always done in the past.  There is beauty and wonder anywhere we may be in the world!

Hope you will enjoy this blog as much as you have enjoyed following my adventures in India.  Life is always a journey, an adventure to be experienced in the moment, in every moment, to the fullest, and that is what I hope to share with you.

Namaste

with love light and JOY

Jane

It’s been a long time and not only do I miss India, I miss “talking” to you all.  This is the time of the year when I am usually getting myself ready to return to my other reality – these past number of years – in Rishikesh.

But life has a way of surprising us in many ways.  As things stand now, I will probably not be back to India until late fall, 2012! This will be the longest I’ve been away in many years, and it is really not easy.

The reasons, on the surface, seem fairly straightforward, but if you have been “with” be for the past years, you know that  I believe, and have learned from experience, that all things happen for reasons we don’t usually understand at the time, and if we are lucky, the benefits of unpleasant surprises are only understood later on in time (sometimes, never understood at all by our limited faculties as human beings).

It all began last year when I began getting a government subsidy to my regular government pension (called Bituach Leumi here-meaning National Insurance).  It was wonderful getting this extra money each month and made a big difference in my standard of living.

However, I did not realize at the time that this extra subsidy would limit the amount of time I could spend abroad in any given year,,,specifically limiting it to 72 days per year!….

Without realizing it, I overstayed my 72 days at the beginning of 2011 .  When I returned from India I found that the subsidy had been cancelled and I had to reapply stating my reasons.  Luckily, it was reinstated but with the definite warning not to leave the country for the rest of 2011 under penalty of forfeiting this subsidy permanently.

I had expected to attend the wedding of my nepheew in the states this past week, and could not even get permission to do that!

So my position now is that I have 72 days a year and the plan is to travel the end of 2012 and then stay for the beginning of 2013 thereby giving me a nice long stay in India.  But it is a very long time to wait.

But, as things happen, there is a very wonderful compensation for my having to stay put in Israel.  And I truly believe that this all was set in motion by the Universe knowing WHY I would be happy NOT to leave Israel right now.  A wonderful new relationship has begun, something quite different from anything I’ve know before, and I am very happy to be “forced” to stay put for now.  If things truly get difficult for me, I may plan a short (1 month) stay beginning of 2012 but of course on the condition that I don’t go alone this time!!

I am also committed this year to certain family issues which definitely require my being here as well.  So, although I have been forced not to travel, if the option was still available to me and I had to decide myself what to do, it would be an almost impossible decision for me to make.  So God has been loving and generous with me, and has taken this difficult decision out of my hands.  This allows me the great luxury of enjoying each precious moment here without feeling that it is at the expense of something else I would want to be doing, since I have no choice in the matter.

As usual, and as always, I am truly blessed.

Namaste to all…perhaps I will write here once in awhile just to keep in touch.  Many of my friends are already back or on the way back to India, and if I hear any interesting stories, perhaps I will post them…or just post now and then some of my favorite photos when I really get homesick.  If not, you can always follow my comings and goings on my Mindfulness Journal (link on the sidebar) where I post regularly, if not frequently these days!!  There is only so much time in the day, and night, and priorities must always be set.

Love light and joy to all and a very Happy New Year.  You might like to check out this link regarding the New Year and the opportunities it offers:

http://mindfulnessjournal.wordpress.com/2006/09/22/the-jewish-new-year-and-another-golden-opportunity-to-get-yourself-out-of-the-shadow-of-the-past/

Jane

I didn’t expect to be posting here again, but since what happened today at home is directly related to my last stay in Rishikesh, I decided to post anyway.

Perfect Aloo Parantha Puffed Up on Tawa (pan)

I just made the perfect aloo parantha…thanks to the new rolling pin I brought back with me from Rishikesh and the practice in Seema’s kitchen…you can see it is perfectly round (which I never accomplished in the past) and beautifully puffed up here…and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOO yummy!!

Preparing Parantha in my kitchen

I’ve been making parnathas for several years now (paranthas are made from dough – the same used for chapattis, which is filled with various fillings, rolled out flat, and then cooked over a high flame on a cast iron pan to insure that they puff properly and are cooked through by steam), as well as chapatti, and although they have always tasted good, they have never been round, and rarely puffed up to be properly steam cooked.  While in rishikesh I asked Seema again why this happens and she invited me once again into her kitchen.  When I rolled out paranthas in HER house, they were perfectly round, with no problem, and the filling did not come out all over the place.  we tried to figure out what was different, and came to the conclusion that I was using the wrong type of rolling pin and because of this, they also were not coming out round, and not puffing.  If the dough is not rolled out exactly evenly all over, it will not puff on the pan, or when placed directly over the flame, and then will not be cooked properly inside.

So I bought a rolling pin exactly like seema’s and a couple of days ago it arrived in a parcel. You can see it in the photo above.

Today I made my dough, as usual, my potato filling, as usual, and the only difference was the rolling pin.  And to my great amazement, as well as that of my daughter, the paranthas came out as perfect as perfect can be!

Lovely Round Aloo Parantha Cooking on Pan

Which only goes to show that we can make every effort possible to make sure things are done properly, and insure the best outcomes, but without he proper tools, are efforts are very often in vain.

Shalom

Jane

I visited a friend in Delhi and she decided our first stop on our day out in town would be a local mega mall, which had just opened up a new section which even she hadn’t seen.  She is a shopaholic and her greatest pleasure is “shop until you drop”.

The Mall was everything a Mall should be and more, and this was, I was told, the SMALLEST of the malls in Delhi.

I expected it to be empty but it was full of people shopping, eating etc. You can see some photos on the facebook link as well.

The only thing which would make you realize you are in India are the products being sold in the department store.  In addition to the regular western clothing and housewares, there are local items to be found as well. I love the photo of the jeans and saris on racks right next to each other, which is a true testament to the changing India!

Jeans and Saris - India -the New and the Old Existing Side by Side

and of course the buckets which are still used for bathing in many homes.

and of course the local dress still worn by a majority of women.

or the incense sold in the supermarket on a shelf called “pooja needs” (items for religious ceremonies)

To give credit where credit is due, environmental awareness is high in India, and the supermarkets no longer use ANY plastic bags.  Goods are packed into locally sewn cloth bags which can be reused, and they are free!

We walked around until I was ready to drop- literally, and than had lunch in a lovely franchise place called Chilies (I think) and the food was delicious, but expensive for India – and yet the place was FULL of people taking a food break while out shopping.

The toilets were also modern and beautiful as befits a fancy mall

– but note that even though the toilets are western style, a hose for washing instead of using toilet paper is still provided in the stalls!

or the women carrying their purchases on their heads!

–remember more photos available at facebook LINK

Namaste

Jane

Driving from rishikesh to delhi by taxi, for the first time in the day time.  In March….

It is hot, the windows are open (no AC), it is dusty, I am dirty, I am sweaty, and the trip despite the new “super highway”, (every type of vehicle known in India can be found on this road and you can see them on the facebook LINK: Aside from the poor condition of most of the roads, these vehicles are probably the main reason why a 250 km journey takes AT LEAST 5 hours and can be as long as 7.  If you hit top speed, about 80 kph, you might travel like that for 5 minutes at a time.  Average speed is between 40-60 kph for most of the journey

vehicles on super highway

is interminable – I am tired.  We just stopped at cheetal (more later or in another post),

Cheetal Rest Stop

but for the first time since arriving in India, I FEEL like I am in India…

I left Rishikesh this morning after saying a sad goodbye to my dear friends here,

Me with Seema and Ashish

but God willing, we will see each other again next year. And then, into a taxi for the journey to another friend’s house in Delhi.

Actually, I am sitting in the taxi trying to make the time pass, and I am connected to the Internet with my netstik!  This is really cool!!   On the one hand, at night, I doze on and off and the time goes by.  On the other hand, traveling during the day, despite it being more difficult, lets me see sights I would not see while traveling at night. As usual, you can see all the photos on the facebook link:

We finally made it to Delhi, and then the driver, despite speaking to my friend on the phone several times, still spent 1 ½ hours being lost!

By the time I got where I had to be, I was beyond tired, hot and dirty!  But arriving here, was like being given an injection of “new life”.

I absolutely cannot describe to you what my friend calls her “farm house”.  It is an enormous estate owned by a billionaire Dutch business family, and it is well beyond anything I could ever imagine. . Twenty two gardeners are needed on a daily basis just to take care of the grounds! I have taken some photos, but know that this will also not give justice to this paradise located in South Delhi, in an area called Dera Mandi.  It could be anywhere in the world, and would still be beyond anything I could describe.

Main House on Estate

I was first given the grand tour of both the vegetable gardens, (see photos on Face book LINK:)

and then the estate,  and then went back to shower and “make myself human” again.  After that, I was given an early dinner (as my hosts did not eat until well after 9 PM and I really had to get to sleep.  I was served a wonderful, simple meal, all directly from the gardens, and am sure I will forget something, but it included first of all, a lovely vegetable salad of sliced veggies, some partially cooked to make them edible (like the potatoes), and others just fresh:  3 kinds of sweet peppers, beets, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, very tiny potatoes, sweet peas, tomatoes, and more which I don’t remember..;.should have taken a photo but I was too tired by then to care about anything but eating and going to sleep.

I was then served delicious palak paneer (spinach – from the garden and Indian homemade cheese), wonderful dahl full of fresh coriander and fenugreek and parsley, chapattis also made with fresh herbs in the dough and covered in homemade ghee, and a delicious veggie dish of cabbage and sweet peas gently cooked together in ghee.  Rice of course (curiously made in the microwave) …it was sublime.

I went to sleep shortly after and to my surprise slept a full 12 hours!  Luckily I have my earplugs, because if I didn’t, the horrible squawking sounds of the peacocks would have kept me awake all night I think! I guess their beauty ends with their colorful feathers…

Peacock on Estate's Tennis Court

Woke this morning to a warm day, and now sit waiting for my friend to finish work so we can go into delhi for the afternoon.

I was served a breakfast of papaya (from their own trees), fresh coconut milk and the thinnest, most amazing stuffed potato (aloo) parantha I have EVER been served anywhere.

I know this day out in delhi will be exhausting, but it will also be fun being in town with my local friend, rather than as a tourist.  And I will still have time to rest before my flight…I have to be at the airport at 3 in the morning so will be leaving here at 1:30 AM.

More later I guess.

It is now 10 days later, to my dismay, but finally have gotten back to this.  My arrival home precluded my doing anything as “trivial” as blogging, but I am hoping that I will remember everything I wanted to write about the day in Delhi and the trip home.

We left for the city in her SUV vehicle with driver, which was a great luxury as she didn’t have to worry about parking every time we stopped someplace, or she wanted me to look at something along the way. It was also air conditioned and truth be told, was TOO cold for me!!

She lives in South delhi and while driving into the city we past the CChatapurTemple which was amazingly beautiful but closed, so I could only see it from outside.

Chatapur Temple Delhi

Me and Hanuman from Outside the Closed Temple

Hanuman The Monkey God Chatapur Temple Delhi

Vedic Aymbol Chatapur Temple

She finally decided that my first stop, before she did her shopping, would be a local mega mall, which had just opened up a new section which even she hadn’t seen.  She is a shopaholic and her greatest pleasure is “shop until you drop”.  .  IT is really not my thing but I couldn’t disappoint her, gracious hostess that she was (I have one daughter who would LOVE to spend a day with her!!).

Sitting area inside Mall

The changes in India are felt even more so in the cities, and Delhi is THE city to see change.  The cars are one example. Up until a couple of years ago one saw old cars and many many Ambassador cars on the road.  Now you have to really search to find an Ambassador, and the road is full of every type of new car you can imagine…Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus,Honda Civic, BMW, Mercedes, Chevrolet, and assorted chauffered cars where the drivers hold umbrellas open for the madam so the sun won’t get on her face.  The streets are clean, the roads improved, but still congested and Indian “rules of the road” still apply!  The busses are all new, European models, low to the ground for easy access, digital signs proclaiming destinations, AC of course and quite lovely to see.  The bus stops are also clean and neat.  And then everywhere, you see the Metro running.  The stations, at least from my viewpoint below, look beautiful, with large parking lots full of cars.  I have not had the opportunity of riding the metro yet.

The Mall was everything a Mall should be and more, and this was, I was told, the SMALLEST of the malls in Delhi. Please see the next post which will be entirely about my impressions from the Mall. It is worth a separate post and gives further insights into the changing as well as traditional aspects of life in India. But for now you can see photos at this LINK:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=281708&id=547896544&l=d212f45e57

We finished there, back to the driver and then my friend took care of her own business.  Some of it personal, some of it as estate manager (which is the reason she lives in her house on the estate!).  To purchase flowers for the main house, we went to the flower market which was beautiful, but many people forbade me from taking pictures of their wares – don’t know why, but THIS PHOTO will give you some idea of how beautiful it was.  You can again, see lots more on the facebook LINK

View of Flower Market

Back home, again, dinner by myself which was uncomfortable, but necessary so I could sleep for a few hours before leaving for my flight.

Because of this rest, and good food, before flying home, my flight home was probably the easiest I’ve ever had and I really was blessed to be able to do it this way

The new departure lounge is everything a modern international airport should be, and more, but once again, I did not take photos.  If you want to see it, you will have to come to India!!

From the plane I saw my LAST SUNRISE over India for this trip….

Last Sunrise Over India from Plane

I’m going to end this here so that I can begin posting it in the hope that it will finally reach you.

I had thought to write about the Cheetal Rest Stop as well, with it’s amazing flowers which change with the seasons, but I will simply post the photos on facebook as well and let you see for yourself.

Cheetal Flower Photo Link – worth viewing:

Too bad this is now off the main highway, and not easy to reach.  Don’t think I will be making this stop in the future.  It adds a good ½ hour onto the travel time between delhi and rishikesh, and as beautiful as it may be, and as tasty as the food is, and as clean as the toilets are, when I am traveling that many hours, I would prefer not adding that extra time .

It has been a wonderful journey, and being home now, makes me appreciate it even more.  I am happy to be where I am now, but am grateful for the few months of personal time I was so lovingly given.  I am truly blessed!

Namaste

Jane

This will probably be my last post this sojourn in India.  For those who are new to this blog, I hope you enjoyed your time with me in India.  For those old-timers – sorry that this was not more interesting, as perhaps it was in past years.  I will still be posting on my other blog during the year if you are interested:  http://mindfulnessjournal.wordpress.com

And look forward to seeing you there as well.

The last few days have been peaceful, despite them being just before my leaving Rishikesh.  I did not find the usual pre-travel days stressful as the have been for me in the past and that for me is a big change, and a blessed one.

The weather has definitely changed to summer…it is now already dark outside, but all the windows in my room are opened and it is warm.  It was quite hot outside today…to really be exhausting for me.

This, an many other things, have made it quite clear that I am going home at exactly the right time, despite it being a month shorter than I had originally envisioned. For one thing, all of my supplies have run out over the past few days:  shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, dishwashing liquid, body soap, floor and toilet bowl cleaner, honey, dried fruits, food stores etc.  All letting me know that this is the perfect time to leave.

I would have enjoyed the warmer weather for a week or so more, but then I would have had to restock everything, and that would not be cost effective.

I am still weak, but have been given some further herbal remedies by Dr. Arora to get me back in full energy.  I have already brought all of my things into storage – kitchen and room supplies here at the guesthouse, and clothing and other items by Seema.  My bags are packed (to my great surprise, I still had too much stuff-even after sending a parcel last week – so this morning I sent off a second parcel and hopefully I will not be overweight at the airport.

The last few days were spent with old friends, and several new ones I’ve met this trip…saying tearful goodbyes – being invited out for meals, and just talking and relaxing together.  IT has been a good way to end this trip.

I will be leaving at 9 AM and going to my friend’s house in Delhi…will be there all day Wednesday and will be at the airport at 3 AM Thursday morning for my 6 AM flight home.  By 12 noon on Thursday I will be in Tel Aviv!

Hope to get some shopping done in Khan Market since I am already there, and this friend loves to shop, and of course has a car.  And then just rest up before heading home.

I am now getting into bed to watch the latest episodes of both “Bones” and “The Mentalist” and hopefully will be tired enough to get a good nights sleep.

And as quickly as the time came to GET to India, the time has come to LEAVE India.

It has been a wonderful 3 months, different than other trips here (but then again each sojourn has its own personality, and brings me different things), and now look forward to the next stage of my journey, with gratitude for what was and acceptance of what awaits me.

Namaste

Jane

At this time next week I will probably just be waking up in my own bed!

Hard to believe 3 months have gone by so quickly…and so beautifully.

Now cooking probably for the last time here, as I want to get my “kitchen” packed away today. Making plain pasta with just some ghee.

Earlier today, I woke up feeling really good, especially happy with the fact that I have gotten back to eating properly and pleased with myself.  Got dressed up nicely, put on my makeup for the first time in a long time, and went down first to visit by Dr. Arora and explain to the girls why I hadn’t been around for a few days, and then go take care of a couple of things I needed to finish in Ram Jhula, and hopefully go sit along the Ganga.

Well, this was not to be. I got down to Dr. Arora and simply mentioned my feeling so weak and having a slight fever a couple of days back, and resting up the past couple of days.  He was a little surprised and when he checked my pulse found it weak.  I asked if this has anything to do with the panchakarma, and he asked what I had been doing the whole week.  Didn’t mention everything I ate, but did tell him I had done lots of wonderful walks in the beautiful weather.  And he immediately understood what had happened.  He said even the slight fever was an indication that my body was very tired, because I had not rested properly after doing panchakarma.  Just then I got up to talk to Laxmi, and felt so faint I had to sit down.  He took my blood pressure which was also quite low, and simply told me that I must respect my body and just rest for the next few days.

Truth is, in past years, I did panchakarma at the beginning of my stay here, had plenty of time to rest for a week or 10 days afterwards, before getting back “into action”.  But this time, I finished just a couple of weeks before going home.  Also, the weather had been so bad, I wanted to not only get out and enjoy walking, but get in as much walking before going home.  So I literally went directly into action the day after finishing my panchakarma.  And a week later, my body just rebelled….knowing that better than “me” what was good for me.

So now, instead of all my plans to take full advantage of walking for the next few days, I have been advised, especially before traveling and coming home, to rest as much as possible.

So looks like the next 3 days I will stay very close to home, enjoy the weather from my rooftop, cancel my plans to go visit Devi, Laxmi and Manju, no Papu Lassi in the Market, no facial in the Market as well, and no special meals back at Prem’s Namaste Café.

Perhaps in another day or so, I WILL feel a little better, but truth is, I was so weak, that for the first time here I had to take a rickshaw all the way up to Swiss Cottage…I could not walk back up the hill!

Came back, had my pasta for lunch, and then went down to visit by Seema, as well as the ladies there…came back to my room, had some chai and carrot cake and later a fruit salad, and finally a pleasant visit until now with a lovely young American girl who I have been spending time with over the past week.  I had originally done Tarot and healing session with her, and we “hit it off” and have had some lovely discussions since then.

I will now read a bit and then go to sleep

Shabbat Shalom for the last time from India this year!

Namaste

Jane

It seems that sincere intention to know something, will always bring an answer – and usually from a place, or in a way, that we could never imagine.

Silk Cotton Tree

Yesterday was a relaxing day spent close to home.  Didn’t want to push my luck after feeling so weak the day before – especially just before coming home.  So hung around close to my room, did further packing and sorting, read, needlepointed, visited friends, friends visited me and was even invited out for dinner.  Ate properly the entire day and felt at peace.

Although I am enjoying the beautiful weather immensely, I am now completely ready to return home, for whatever waits me there.  And that is also a good feeling.

Just after posting yesterday, with pictures of the “cotton” tree, I continued to be curious if that was really its name and to find out more about it than the owner could give me.  I was thinking of googling it when I decided to first sit down and read for awhile. …I was reading the book I mentioned by Ruskin Bond, “The Book of Nature”, and when I opened to the page I was up to, what did I find but this chapter “The Silk-Cotton Tree”!!

And as I began to read it, I realized he was talking about the exact tree I sat next to the previous day.  Since it is so nicely written and explained…I will just quote the whole few beginning sentences here.

“Most of you, even if you do not play badminton, are familiar with a shuttlecock.  Well, if you take a shuttlecock and paint it a bright crimson, you will get a fair idea of what the flower of the semul (or silk-cotton tree) looks like.

Now just imagine a tall, leafless tree covered with masses of crimson flowers, and you will know what this wonderful tree looks like in spring..  There are few trees in the world that can compare with it in beuty and brilliance.

You may, of course, have seen a semul tree either in the jungle or along a tree-lined avenue in one of our citis.  It is a god shade-tree, losing its leaves for only a brief period, just before it flowers.  During the summer months, you will find its seeds overed with white cotton, which is blown far and wide by the slgithest breeze.  This cotton is not suitable for spinning and weaving into cloth, but it s used for stuffing pillows and cushions.”

And now both you and I know a little more about the tree!  It seems that sincere intention to know something, will always bring an answer – and usually from a place, or in a way, that we could never imagine.

Have a great, focused, day.

Namaste

Jane

Outdoors until bedtime…beautiful weather for sitting, and still cool enough that mosquitos are not yet a real problem.  But staying up and about until this hour, also makes me hungry for more food.

You’d think I’d eaten enough already today….will just have some nuts and dates though…in the end I ordered a fruit salad!

fruit salad - apples, papaya, pineapple, clementina, grapes, pomegranate

Have begun getting myself ready to leave….going through my stuff…what stays, what goes, what I still need to buy etc.  Just 5 days left here then I will be for a day and a half in delhi before my flight.

I will begin with the morning of the 9^th after the night of the 8^th!!

One lesson I have learned in life, and tried to teach to my children as well, is that everything has a price…before you make a decision to do something, consider the price and if you are willing to pay it!

Every year following panchakarma I kind of go crazy when it comes to eating things I shouldn’t, and things I couldn’t eat for the past month.  And after a week, this always ends and I go back pretty much to the “straight and narrow”.  Of course, this type of indulgence definitely has a price…and I paid most of it last night, and am paying the final installment today!

I don’t get diarrhea or anything, but certainly would be happy if I could vomit (but never manage to)…It is just a feeling of such total discomfort in my stomach and abdomen that I feel like crying…the pain is relieved temporarily with Reiki, which helps to release gas from the area, and by taking lots of ginger oil and drinking hot ginger.  But there is no way I could sleep last night, and am still uncomfortable today, and of course tired from no sleep, and weak from not eating.  Today I will stick to hot ginger and some dry toast with a drop of ghee.  By tomorrow I will be fine, and if truth be told, when I think back on it, except for yesterday (which still makes me nauseous when I picture everything I ate), the week of food fun was worth the price. (It is now evening, and  I am not feeling well at all.  My stomach seems to be much better, but I am feeling, weak, slightly dizzy and have a very slight fever.  Hope it is nothing more serious than just overeating, but tomorrow will tell for sure)

So what did I eat yesterday?  Well, that is part of nice story of  what I DID yesterday.

I woke up in the morning and decided I had to get back to properly before I head home.  Most of the restaurants I eat at are noisy, crowded, with loud music, etc., and also serve only standard meals from the menu.  Which means if I want to request with no potatoes, cabbage or cauliflower it is a problem as the veggies are chopped and mixed in the morning for the whole day. I also want a place with a shady outdoor view overlooking the GAnga, which also limits me to where I can go.

So today, I went checking out some new haunts, and after several unsuccessful attempts, came upon Prem’s Namaste Café down in Laxman Jhula, with an upstairs sitting area overlooking the Ganga.

view from Prem's Namaste Cafe

The owner came from Nepal in 2000 and opened the restaurant with the idea of bringing something a little different to the area.  And he seems to have succeeded.

He has the standard dishes, but also a more varied menu as well.  Some lovely fresh salads, brick overn pizza, lots of tofu dishes and many many veg dishes to choose from.  When I asked about things I could not eat, he was very accommodating and promised me a good meal to my liking.  It was freshly prepared (which means waiting, but these are always the best meals and the freshest),  Everything lived up to his promises and I hope to be back there for my last few days here in Rishikesh to try some other dishes. (obviously I was not there today, and looks like tomorrow I won’t be either).

It is really quiet here, overlooks the Ganga and is very clean as well.

There is a pleasant cooling breeze coming off the river making it really comfortable..not a drop of sun – probably freezing in the winter, but just perfect now.

SO…what did I eat:

Veggie and tofu dish with beans in it which was scrumptious – not greasy, not spiced in any way – just lovely and something I’ve never tasted before anywhere in India.

I also ordered a butter Naan, the first time I had one this trip, and it was also delicious:

butter naan

And just then, eating, relaxing, enjoying the view

view towards laxman jhula

I had one of those moments when tears of gratitude overwhelm me!  I am so blessed to be here and so grateful to all the powers which make this possible for me.

And the final, extra touch, was my chai was served in a holder so that I don’t burn my hands as usual on the hot glass/

chai in holder

There is this gorgeous tree here with amazingly beautiful red flowers.  Owner says it is a “cotton tree” and that after the flower and fruit, the tree is covered with cotton!  And he says that this tree is one of the blessings of this restaurant for him here in India.

cotton tree-see more lovely photos on the facebook link below

See this link for lots more beautiful photos of this and more from today:

It was just so beautiful I could not leave, and sat and did my needlepoint for quite some time, and just enjoyed the view.  At one

YUMMY!!

point, a monkey came along to feast on the cotton flowers and must have eaten more than 20 before taking off.

let's see...what's next

I wonder if you can see how much he enjoyed his lunch from the pictures

And then, coming down the Ganga, was a traveler, with small pack on his back gliding along on what looks like a surfboard with a paddle!!

guy gliding down ganga on surfboard -see more on the facebook link

By this time, I was hungry again, and decided on something sweet.  I ordered something called a bhagsu cake, described as layers of cookies, caramel and chocolate – very sweet.

Bhagsu Cake - Sugar Ecstacy

(I am feeling nauseous right now just thinking of it!!!)…Well, it was pure indulgence – sugar ecstasy for sure.

And that is what I ate yesterday and thought I was paying for today, but perhaps it is something else…will see how things go tomorrow.

That’s it for today – Don’t forget to check out the Facebook Link for lots more photos of today…I sat for hours in just one place and so much beauty found me!

Namaste

Jane

“When from our better selves we have too long been parted…how gracious, how benign is solitude”

The above is a quote by Wordsworth which I read last night in a book I am reading .  I had actually woken in the middle of night, unable to fall back to sleep.  When this happens to me, I don’t fight it, and usually get up to read until I feel sleepy again.  This quote was used in the book, and after reading it, DID go back to sleep, only to find myself in the following dream, which kept recurring until I woke up just now, several hours later.

The dream:

Riding along in a bus and knowing where I have to go.  The bus is going through a familiar area and I know where he must turn to get me to where I have to go (a place called givat Chen which in Hebrew means, loosely translated: “charming hill”).  As he comes to the corner where he must turn right to get me there, I get up to get ready to get off, but then he passes that corner and keeps going straight.  I KNEW I should have rang the buzzer and gotten off right away to continue the short journey to my desired place alone, but my mind told me  “Sit down and wait.  Perhaps he knows an easier way of getting there.  Let him continue to take you”.  As he drove further and further away from my desired location, I began to realize that something was wrong, but hesitated to question him, not wanting to bother him, or the other passengers.  I eventually found myself so far from where I needed to be, that I DID go and speak to him, only to be told that he has no idea where the place is I am talking about, and it was never part of the route.  I became flustered, and angry and frustrated and began shouting and at one point he yelled back at me but the other passengers just asked me to be quiet so that he could concentrate on his job of getting THEM to their desired destinations, and telling me I could not blame him for my not paying attention and knowing when to get off.

– just as I sat down on the bus and realized I would have to find my own way back, no matter how difficult it was, no matter how lost I was or no matter how far away I now was from my desired destination…I woke up!w

There are times when  we all need assistance.  When we are so far away from the place we know we want to be, that we need help getting closer to that path along the journey.

It may be from a teacher, guru, healer, doctor, even friend, relative or relationship.  When you find the assistance you need, it is a wonderful blessing and should be accepted with gratitude and joy. But you must also know when you have been taken as close to your own path as possible by another person…when you see you have come as far as you can with assistance, and then don’t be afraid to ‘get off”…don’t hesitate or you will be taken very far astray.  You can always return to the place you wanted to be originally, but it will then take that much longer and require that much more effort and energy .

Knowing your own strength and trusting your own instincts will always keep you as close as possible to your own truth…assistance is needed at times along the way…no one can do it all by themselves,  but we must also be alert at all times to the signs that we have gone as far as we can with the help of someone else and know when to once again go it alone.

Know which stop on the bus route is as close to your destination as the bus is going to get you and GET OFF.  Walk the rest of the way on your own.  Don’t hesitate-when you know for sure that this is the place, don’t think that perhaps there is a shorter or easier route.  Let your own knowing guide you from there…And if you do NOT listen to your own inner voice, never blame someone else for taking you astray!!

Sunrise this Morning

I have just finished reading a book “Dog Boy” by Eva Hornung and am speechless.  I sit here in shocked silence, choked with tears.  All I can say is, if you can find this book, you must read it. It was published in 2009 so should not be difficult to find. I usually just post the books I read with short comments on the tab marked “What I am Reading” at the top of the blog, but this time I MUST say a few words here.  There ARE really no words I can find to truly portray the stunning beauty and sadness of this book. It is sobering to say the least, the concept for the story not a new one, but the author has realized it magnificently.  Do your best to find this one!

Now let’s head back to yesterday.  As I mentioned in my previous post, my knee had been complaining after my long day of walking, so it was obvious to me that today would be a close to home day.  The knee was actually worse than I had imagine, and I found my self limping even when walking a short distance, and the stairs up and down from my room were really difficult and painful.

I spent a good part of the previous night, and the rest of today, doing Reiki, but then realized that the pain originated not in my knee but in the calf of the same leg.  I began to think that perhaps I had overdone something in yoga yesterday morning, and then the extended walking just aggravated the problem. (Good news is, the next day, when I am writing this, my knee is good as new and I will go out walking soon).

The day dawned beautiful and sunny again, and I was able to do my morning meditation, pranayama, prayer etc. outside in the sun.  Had a very light breakfast of hot milk with my chawanprash and dried fruit, and di a lot of reading.

And then a lovely young Israeli girl who had “heard” about me, came up to meet me, and we wound up having a lovely and intense (for both of us) session.  I received a powerful channeled message for her, and also was “adopted” by three angels at the end of the session.  It was really wonderful!

Then I went down for a light lunch of steamed veggies, but wound up eating a vegetable burger on a roll, with salad and chips!!!!  I just couldn’t resist and it was soooooooooo delicious.

Came up to my room and slept for a couple of hours to my great surprise, probably a result of the long day out the day before.

When I awoke, was outside again in the sun, and offered to cook dinner for my neighbor and me if she would do the shopping for the veggies…she happily agreed.  Just then, someone else came up to talk to me (the wife of the guy who I had emailed for quite some time – the yoga instructor who mentioned me on her ABC interview…this all in a previous post).  We had a pleasant talk for awhile but then the neighbor came back with the veggies and I had to excuse myself to cook kicheri for us.  Which I did!  And it was really nice cooking for someone else and eating with them…first time this trip I did this-forgot how pleasant it is to be able to cook for other people once in awhile.

The day ended pleasantly, outdoors, and I had a lovely sleep last night, waking early to the beautiful sunrise at the beginning of this post!  Pays to get up at 6:30 and go outside!

It is now after noon and I will be heading out soon for a short walk to make sure my knee is really OK…and will be back later with perhaps something else interesting to write.

Back from my short walk…only out for 4 hours…and my knee is fine, thankfully.

Had a very expensive lunch at the “spa” restaurant in Ram Jhula, and it was interesting but not something I would ever order again.  A wrap, made in whole wheat chapattis (4 of them on the plate – too much for me to eat – of grated beets and carrots in tehini with mint chutney on the side.  It sounds much better than it tasted, believe me.  But it was a change and the place is nice to sit at, so I can’t complain.  Walked around the ghats in ram jhula for a while and then came back,

Ganga Panorama from Ram Jhula Ghats

check out more scenes from today’s walk here:

did some shopping for the next week, visited with some friends staying at Seema’s and am now happily back on my rooftop where I will relax and read and play and listen to music for the rest of this lovely day 6 of my vacation.

cross the ganga and succsss your journey

Don’t forget to check out this link for some more shots of today’s stroll along the ram jhula ghat.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=275070&id=547896544&l=a04e7fe4d1

Namaste

Jane

Yesterday evening, after  a overcast, dreary day and rain in the morning, the clouds began to disperse and roll away

the heavens clear just before sunset

Eventually leaving a clear sky.  With what was left of sunset

As there was so electicity in the evening or some reason, I found myself asleep just afer 8 in the evening. .

And the next thing I knew, the sun was steaming in the window facing my bed and woke me up!  It was 8 in the morning!!

Poked my head out the door and, for the first time, felt warm air in the morning.

I immediately headed outside and did my morning meditation sitting in the sun, followed by my morning yoga prqctice, also out in the sun!  Normal life on the rooftop has begun!

I am now sitting, drinking a glass of hot spiced milk after taking my chawanprash tonic.  I Look out over the Ganga and for the first time at this time of the day, it is flowing.  It is usually quiet, still, sluggish in the morning hours, but now, from up here, I can see the current moving along at quite a pace.

I imagine the recent rains, as well as the warming air has begun melting the mountain snows and as they run down into the ganga, the current becomes stronger, bringing the river, as well as myself, back to life in the warmth and sun.

I sit here now staring at the lush green mountain opposite me, feel the warmth on my body ( down to tank top by this point and it is only 9:45 in the morning.

Looking forward to a lovely, lazy day, but finally getting in some good walking as well…

Back later…

Check out this link for some photos of the rest of the day, as well as a beautiful sunset again!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=274523&l=82d7e787ac&id=547896544

Took a long walk out the back forest road down to Ram Jhula where I had a lovely breakfast, overlooking the Ganga, of Aloo AND Paneer Parantha…one of each, a masala chai.  Then over to check on my parcel and back up to Tapovan.  Delivered some pictures I had developed for Laxmi and Devi, did some final shopping for supplies for my last 10 days here, and then thought how nice it would be if I could ride up to my room, instead of walk, drop off my stuff and then continue down walking to Laxman Jhula to sit along the Ganga.

Well, just as I thought this, a friend, with a full bike, came along, and offered to carry my shopping bag up for me….and then, as I continued walking, a Rickshaw stopped, and of course I declined as I will never pay 50 rupees to ride up a hill for 1 minute when I can walk it myself.

In the past, there have been several drivers who would offer to just take me up as they were headed up anyway, without taking money.  But this year this has not happened yet.  To my great surprise, the driver just said, “no problem Madam, come sit…ok”.  And so I did, and got my ride up as I had thought a couple of minutes previously.  Now I sit in my room, will have a nice drink of water, and in a few minutes head back out for a day along the Ganga.

IT is now 7 PM and I have just returned to my room!!  My longest day out, but what I usually call a normal day here in Rishikesh.  It has been impossible up until now, and I am really happy.  One of my knees is loudly complaining, but I am sure it will be fine by tomorrow.

Headed down to Laxman Jhula, found a nice quiet place along the ghat, away from the crowds, which are huge…

shady corner at the ghat

also Saturday and local tourists, as well as the Yoga Festival this week…At one point I started to feel hungry and realized it was already almost 3 o’clock, so went down to my nice quiet restaurant along the Ganga, only to find it full, and having to wait for a seat for about 15 minutes.  But the wait was worth it as I love their freshly made, simple, homemade food the best . Stir fried vegetables with paneer.

Yummy!

And of course the cold coffee was as wonderful as ever, and greatly appreciated on this very warm day of walking.

Sat for quite some time there just relaxing and then headed back up, deciding to stay out for what might be a lovely Ganga sunset.  It was not as wonderful as it is sometimes, but I did have a nice fruit salad out on the terrace while waiting for the sun to set.

To my great surprise, all of a sudden, a monkey had one hand in my fruit salad, and when I looked up, terrified, he was face to face with me, his lips curled back, his hair standing on end, growling viciously at ME, as if I was the one stealing the fruit salad.  I jumped up (did not have the presence of mind to photograph this, even though the camera was open on the table), and the owner came running out and chased him away.  This is truly the closest I’ve ever found myself to an aggressive monkey…

Anyway, he left, the owner gave me a stick to keep on the table, and I simply went back and finished my fruit salad (several pieces missing, but no problem).

Sun setting over Ram Jhula

I came home quite content and relaxed, despite the ong day out in the sunshine and fresh air.  I imagine I will sleep very well tonight (I actually sleep very well every night here).

Don’t forget to check out the Facebook link above for more scenes from my walkabout today.  It was a lovely day.  I am truly blessed!

Namaste

Jane

My First Completely Round Parantha!!

I now sit outdoors on my rooftop, grey dreary chill surrounds me but inside is a feeling of joy and contentment.  I am listening to lovely music, always chosen by my mood and inner need, and I find te chill invigorating and cleansing.

I have promised myself to accept with joy and gratitude whatever these last days hold for me, and that is exactly what I am doing.

I have just finished a breakfast ordered from room service, simply because I felt like it!  I had planned to prepare fried eggs and toast for myself, but began thinking of the cooking, and especially the cleaning up, and went downstairs and ordered a breakfast that someone else would serve me and clean up from afterwards!  What are vacations for anyway?

Yesterday, I was invited out to my friend Seema’s house for breakfast of aloo (potato) parantha (and to my surprise received also methi (fenugreek) parantha.

Aloo Parantha with Curd and Chutney

I arrived in her kitchen to find her happily waiting my arrival,

Seema Welcoming Me into her Kitchen

and just for fun, I asked to roll my own parantha.  And to my great surprise, (I make parantha all the time at home as well), I managed to roll out my first completely round parantha!!! (As seen in the top photo)

Seema says it is her rolling pin that makes the difference,

Seema's rolling pin

I think perhaps it is also the density of the flour which is different –

Stuffing the Parantha Dough

don’t know-but it was nice to know it IS possible to do.  I will go out and buy a similar rolling pin just to check it out when I gethome, and will try using stone ground flour as well (which is what she uses).

At any rate, I had a lovely breakfast, in lovely company and then went  down to Manju for my special gift massage, and was definitely not disappointed.

Came back to my room, and made myself a pleasant lunch of pasta with tomato, onion, garlic fried in ghee.  Yummy!!

And then, found myself needing to sleep.  Found myself waking up a full 2 hours later!  Had a glass of masala chai and really good fresh apple pie, and then did some computer work downloading new dances I hope to be able to learn before returning home. (But then again, this is something that I feel I HAVE to do, not WANT to do, so might just forget about it).

I then packed away a good amount of clothing which I am no longer wearing and which I leave here from year to year.  This is the first thing I have done which emphasizes the reality that I am leaving soon!  But it was also reassuring, knowing that I am leaving my things here means I will be back!

And then decided to watch a movie before going to sleep.  I actually watched “The African Queen” with Humphrey Boghart and Katherine Hepburn, made in 1951!  Although much of it was really “corny”, I enjoyed every minute of the film more than I thought I would.  Times and attitudes have so changed in the past 1/ 2 century – and watching a movie made 50 years ago is a clear indication of where the world has come from, and where it has arrived. Question being, are changes always for the best?

Went to sleep quite late, had vivid dreams which I have been experiencing since beginning panchakarma, and woke refreshed and at peace.

I have been invited for lunch by a lovely young woman, my next door neighbor this month, who I have been talking to since she arrived.  It is really sweet of her and will be a nice diversion on this dreary day.

And that’s about it.

As promised yesterday, a link to photos with interesting photos showing the different ways people carry their loads, and a few other scenes from Laxman Jhula yesterday – March 2, 2011.

Butterfly on the road - wish I could have put my hand near it so you could see how huge it is.

Butterflies always represent freedom to me, and seeing this on the road just as I stepped out today on the first day of  my self-declared 2 week vacation, was an confirmation that this indeed is a time for me to be free and do as I please! I am most grateful!

Ruskin Bond never fails to amaze, amuse and move me with his writing. I have been “away” from him for a couple of years , and just now, at the used book shop, his latest book fell into my hands…a collection titled: “The Book of Nature”, has kepe a smile on my face for the past ½ hour, ever since I opened the first page.
I am in the restaurant that to my taste, has the best masala chai and definitely the best grilled cheese sandwich in Rishikesh. Made with yak cheese on brown sour dough bread and grilled to perfection in a real grilled cheese griller – with tomatoes and olives added! Well worth the ½ hour I had to wait for it to be prepared!
Today dawned quite warm and sunny – although now, at 2 PM it is overcast. I left in my summer clothes and sandals, did some errands and found it hot enough to warrant my seeking a cool place to eat for the first time this trip. Until now I’ve looked for a sunny place to warm my bones. So I sit at the Ganga View restaurant, hot from waling, and discover that they also serve up the very best cold coffee I’ve tasted in a very long time-and not just in India.
It’s been a lovely day, the first of what I have designated as my 2 week vacation in India before coming home.
There is nothing left that I “have” to do…only what I WANT to do.
Tomorrow morning I am invted to Seema’s house for methi (fenugreek) parantha. Then for a complimentaty massage at Dr. Arora’s given to me as a gift from Manju, his wife – the same therapist I wrote about in my post: “The Poetry of Massage”-

http://janesindiajournals.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/february-16-17-2011-%E2%80%93-the-poetry-of-massage-%E2%80%93-panchakarma-days-19-20/

I am looking forward excitedly to this lovely, and unexpected treat.
Yesterday I worked in the evening with a lovely client, who came for a second consultation just now. I feel very privileged to continue to serve and to have these lovely people sent to me by the Universe.
And here is a link to some interesting photos I snapped today…the town is FULL of people, both western and Indian tourists – many here for Shivratri Festival – others for the International Yoga Festival, and others just for the weather and comforting energies of the Ganga.
Sorry…as I do not want to compromise my downloading of “House” with Emule, my connection is too slow right now to upload photos. So a link to some really cool photos will be waiting for you later this evening or tomorrow titled: “How Do You Carry YOUR Load?”

And just a quick reminder, after my post of yesterday, to click the “like” button at the end of the post, or the end of any other post you like. I am trying my best to get these blog posts out to as many people as possible, and “liking” them on Facebook is a wonderful way to do this. Thanks

Enjoy
Namaste
Jane

Just a quick request…I have activated the Facebook “LIKE” button on my blogs.  At the end of each post is the option to press “like” , as well as a new option to send the post by e-mail to a friend, or even print it.

There is also a new option to “RATE” the post.

I would really appreciate all the assistance I can get in sharing these blog posts with as many people as possible, so if you can use the “like” button whenever a post “does” something for you, I would most appreciate it.

And if there is some post from the past which was particularly helpful or insightful or interesting for you, you can go back and “like” it as well.

Much thanks

Namaste

Jane

The weather has shifted and I am finally wearing my summer suits! I am now sitting at Flavour’s restaurant having just ordered my first breakfast after panchakarma:  Aloo Parantha and Masala Chai! (I was not disappointed when the food was served to me J)))))

I sit at an open window, a lovely breeze on my face, looking out at the sunlight dancing on the Ganga below. Tears of joy and gratitude flowing.  I have a very short time left and will be “being” completely in every moment.

Before coming down for breakfast, I went into Dr. Arora for my final checkup.  My pulse was excellent, as was the balance of my doshas.  My “emotional” pulse was very high, but there is good reason for that.  Otherwise, there was a definite improvement in my condition from when I began…and the full benefits are usually felt only 2-3 weeks later anyway.  And during this entire panchakarma, I did not loose any weight – which is a first for me.  Lovely!

After finishing my breakfast, began getting together my final parcel home at my favorite ayurveda chemist shop in Ram Jhula, and then took a rickshaw back up to Tapovan.  Stocked up on a few things I needed in my room, walked home, chatted with some friends on the way up and then found my way up to my warm, sunny rooftop.  I spent most of the day up here, enjoying the sun and warmth, doing needlepoint, reading, and relaxing.  Eventually went down for lunch, which in the end was pasta with vegetable sauce (very similar to steamed veggies and chapatti, no?), and it was again, not disappointing.  I’ve just finished drinking a glass of hot spiced milk with my chawanprash ( tonic taken after panchakarma to continue the rejuvenation process and restore energy levels) together with a cinnamon roll.  It is 5 PM and I am still outside in my short sleeve cotton suit, barefoot, and quite comfortable!!  Life is indeed wonderful.

I have been approached by a couple of people to teach them Reiki, I could really use the money, but have a definite feeling that I should NOT be doing anything over the next couple of weeks but enjoying myself and my freedom before coming home.

Tomorrow I hope to take care of a couple of more errands I have, the next day go into the market and develop some photos for people here and visit Papu Lassi for the best lassi in India, and that will leave me plenty of time for just “being” until I leave for Delhi and home.

The place is swarming with tourist, especially young Israelis, and VERY noisy.  I had become so accustomed to the quiet here, I have having difficulty adjusting.  But just a week ago, there were just three occupied rooms here, and now there are NO free rooms and this guesthouse alone has about 25 rooms.  All the other guesthouses in the area here are also at full capacity.  Motorbikes galore, noise until the wee hours of the morning, thank goodness for my ear plugs.  For the local people, it is a big boon after the last couple of really difficult, cold months and I am happy for them.  But for me it is strange seeing so many people all of sudden.  Like being forced out of a quiet, almost silent retreat without proper preparation.

I was also lucky to do my panchakarma when I did, where I was almost always the only person there and got full and generous attention.  Now the place is “jumpin’” and I am also happy for them, but glad I am not doing my treatments now.

A couple of days ago I pulled a Tarot card for myself:  “easy does it” – “There is no need to hurry or force things to happen.  Everything is occurring in perfect timing!”  This has certainly been true until now, and trust it will continue to be true as I return home to my “other” reality.

A REALLY funny thing happened today as well.  About 6 weeks ago, someone back home asked me to help him put together a parcel of Ayurvedic remedies for him from my chemist here.  I preferred not getting involved for certain reasons and wrote back to him, telling him it would be better if he did it directly with the chemist, rather than me as a middle man…I gave him the chemist’s e-mail and forgot about the whole thing.

Today, when I went into the chemist to prepare my OWN parcel to ship home, what did I see laying on his counter?  A neatly labeled parcel ready to be shipped to…you guessed it…that same person who had asked me to it for him 6 weeks ago!  So even though I wanted nothing to do with it, the whole issue still wound up as part of my life, perhaps on a less intrusive level, but no less jolting and intense in its impact on me.  When the chemist saw me looking at the parcel, he asked “are you ok?”.  When I told him I know this person, he was astounded…what are the chances???

And now, I will continue to enjoy the lovely outdoors, as the sky has completely clouded over and have a feeling there will not be the same brilliant sunshiny day tomorrow as there was for past couple of days.  At least however, it is no longer cold.

Namaste

Jane

February 26, 2011 – Further Blessings and Lessons from Being Ill –  Panchakarma Days 24-26

Rainy Day Rooftop

Waking up to a dreary, grey, rainy morning, with no electricity.  Today I should have been celebrating having finishedpanchakarma, but following the events of the last few days, I won’t be finished until tomorrow.  So, let’s go back and fill in the blanks as quickly as possible.

The last time I posted, it was about surrendering to my illness and accepting it joyfully and thankfully, relaxing into it…which I proceeded to do!  First thing I did was call Dr. Arora and tell him I would not be coming down to the clinic, and after a few questions, he realized I was truly sick – definitely not something to do with the panchakarma and its effects – and immediately agreed that I stay in bed, and he would send someone up with appropriate medicines for me!

I was really miserable by then, and the pain in my head and eyes was so intense I could hardly keep my eyes open…I don’t believe I have ever experienced this type of pain in this intense way, and there was nothing I could do to relieve it!  I felt like I had hot pokers rotating in various spots of my head, forehead and right eye area.  Really excruciating.  So I pretty much tried to sleep some more, but this was impossible, couldn’t read, but was able to play a few computer games, which I did.  The sun was out so after that I made myself a kind of lounge chair using two chairs and went outside to let the warmth of the sun help in some way.  It was nice sitting out there after being inside for a few days, but after a short time I felt overwhelmed by weakness and got back into bed.  I was feeling soooooooooo sorry for myself at this point!

And just then, my neighbor in the next room, knocked on my door and said Dr. Arora sent medicine with her.  Seems she had gone down for a consultation and he asked her to bring the meds up to me, instead of my waiting another couple of hours until his girls finished work.  (I felt better also knowing that neither of them would have to make a special trip up here…they work so hard as it is!).  So, this was also part of the “plan”, and I called him, thanked him, and got directions for using them.

There were some little round brown pills and some other stuff which looked like brown sludge…(turns out the taste was so vile, it could literally have BEEN sludge!!).  He didn’t tell me what each was for, just told me how to take them, one with warm water, the other with warm milk, and I immediately did that.  Well, less than half an hour later, my pain had receded to almost nothing!!  That was the first sign that something was working.  I was then able to relax into reading, which made the time go by much faster (especially with the weird but very well written book I was reading – “Kafka on the Shore”).  Shortly after that, I had to blow my nose (not because it was dripping clear fluid like a faucet as it had been for the past days, but because it really needed to be blown…and you cannot imagine what began to come out!  The less I describe it the better, but needless to say, my sinuses began clearing themselves out…and to my surprised, and grateful relief, I was able to breath through my nose again for the first time in 3 days!!

I was still very weak, but had soup to eat which I had prepared the evening before, which lasted until supper as well, and not having much of an appetite, it was enough.

I went to sleep that night, slept soundly, with no pain, no stuffiness, etc, and woke up feeling much better.  At least my eyes were fully open, and I could breathe, and was almost completely painfree.

I was still weak, but DID go down for a treatment.  The doctor agreed that just a massage would be enough, anything else would be too much, and to go back and rest for the remainder of the day, which I happily did.  The sun was still out so enjoyed sitting outdoors, after a nap for a couple of hours.  By this time, I had no more pain, my sinuses were almost completely cleared and the weakness was residing. I even changed my sheets, brought in laundry and took a shower, feeling even better after everything was clean and fresh!

Yesterday, I woke up feeling like a new person completely,  no longer really weak and no signs of sinus problems at all.  My nose, even today, is still running a little, but nothing to really be concerned about.

I had my regular massage and navi basti (hot oil on the navel area) and went happily home for a pleasant day.  Thinking that today I would be down for my final massage and shirodhara and tomorrow massage and steam and cleaning of ear, eyes and nose, and finished.

But woke up to a raining dreary day as mentioned, and now, several hours later, it is still raining, and there is no way I am taking of chance and going out walking in the rain and chill.

I haven’t called the doc yet to tell him, but there is some mysterious plan in work here which seems to be making it ever more difficult to complete this panchakarma. (I just now called the clinic and before I even asked, the Doctor said:” God has other plans for you…today, just stay home and rest – don’t come out in rain – for some reason He doesn’t want you to finish panchakarma as planned” – sit here now laughing since just ½ hour ago I had come to the same conclusion myself).

Anyway, today will be an interesting day, even if dreary and nasty.  Several of the people I have been helping over the internet, who found me via my blog, are all arriving today!  The guy whose wife mentioned my on a TV interview in the states, and some yoga teachers from Israel…all also planning to begin panchakarma with dr. arora, and all staying, at my recommendation, at Seema’s guesthouse.

So after a couple of months of emailing, I will finally meet them.  Also, a friend, actually owner of Kailwood Guesthouse in Mcleodganj, Dharamsala where I stay when in Mcleodganj over the years, is also in Rishikesh and planning to come visit today. So should be a fun day anyway.

For me, the whole thing was a blessing…because if I had not gotten sick now, I would never have discovered these wonderful herbal remedies and understood the rational of ayurveda towards this type of illness and the treatment of it.(see below)  So I am not complaining and once again, grateful for this as well.

Below, some further information about the herbal medicines I received and the treating of colds according to Ayurvedic medicine for those who are interested. Also, the doctor’s understanding as to why I became this ill while doing panchakarma.  For those of you who are not, I will say “namaste” and look forward to posting next time with photos of beautiful weather and new scenes from Rishikesh!!

HERBAL MEDICINES FOR TREATMENT OF COLDS, FEVER, FLU, PAIN AND SINUS INFECTIONS AS WELL AS AYURVEDIC APPROACH TO THESE ILLNESSES:

Sangeevani Vati:  these are little round brown pills which are used to treat pain, cold, fever and flu – much like cold formula tablets and antihistamines would be used – and like cold formula tablets, it treats the cold, pain and fever all in one pill. It can be taken every 4 hours, with warm water, , but not to exceed the recommended dosage and not to be used for more than 3 days in a row.

Chitrak Haritaki: This is the brown sludge I mentioned (the doc calls it a paste), with the most vile taste you can imagine (you could never get a child to take this –only an adult with lots of will power), This is the anti-mucous medicine – it is meant to coagulate (for lack of a better word) all the mucous in the upper respiratory area (not lungs) into a form which can be easily expectorated or blown out.  And believe me, it works like magic!  I’ve never seen anything like this and will be taking some home just in case.

The Doctor claims that if you take this for week as preventative medicine, you will not suffer from cold symptoms for up to 2 years.  Problem is, very few people are willing to take this voluntarily if they don’t absolutely have to!  Well, I have decided to continue it for a full week now, just once a day, not twice, since I am already doing it, and see what the results are over the next couple of years!!

AYURVDIC APPROACH TO COLDS

According to ayurveda, a cold should not last longer than 3 days (as opposed to the western view that a cold will cure itself in a week, or at most 7 days!).   This is assuming you are treating it properly.  If not, it should not last longer than 5 days.  Treating it properly means understanding the characteristics of the different doshas, which I won’t go into here.  However, mucous is a sign of Kapha imbalance, kapha being the water or fluid dosha.  And since this is the cause of the cold, (and assuming it is properly treated should not reach the point of sinus involvement), the things to avoid are sweets (and I had been eating a lot of dates the first few days because I had nothing else to snack on and basically they are good for you, but a definite NO-NO in this case), no yogurt, no banana, and very little fluids! (quite different than the western view of taking lots of fluids). Your body is already having trouble with too much “water” so why overload it further. As far as sweets – honey and jaggery (organic cane sugar but not like in the west) are OK however, since they are warming and this is important for Kapha.  Assuming you follow these simple restrictions, and then take the sajeevani and chitrak (in case the sinuses have gotten involved), you should be fine in 3 days.  I can see that if I had begun this treatment from the beginning, it definitely would have taken only 3 days and would never have reached my sinuses in the way it did!

If you have a fever in addition, then you are also having Pitta, the fire dosha, involved, and in THAT case, you SHOULD drink lots of fluids to help “put out” the fire.  It is all so simple and makes so much sense once you understand it.

REASON FOR MY ILLNESS

Doctor Arora explained that during the last week of panchakarma, the body is very sensitive to everything, having gone through an extremely intensive cleansing period and needing lots of rest and taking care of yourself.  And that a very small thing (holding thumb and index finger very close together), becomes very BIG thing (moving arms apart as far as possible with palms facing each other to indicate VERY BIG). Meaning, if this had happened at any other time, I probably would have had the sniffles for a few days and that’s it.  During that last week, if you remember I wrote about doing Reiki for one of the guys here who was sick, and also helping someone with their computer problems, spending hours on this.  And right after that, I became sick.  You could say I caught the illness from these people (the lady with computer issue got sick 2 days before I did), but the Doctor simply states that it is a lesson for me from the gods to always remember that during panchakarma, I should concentrate all my energies just on myself!!  Something which I did not really do this time for many other reasons as well.

I had been hoping that my head cold of the past few days was, just as the doctor had said, a cleansing effect of the panchakarma, and would be over in 48 hours.  But deep down inside I knew this was wishful thinking.  I know myself and my body very well, and know when a full blown cold thing is happening to me.  Aside from the pain from sinus congestion and the constantly running nose, the thing which is most difficult for me is the weakness and loss of appetite (meaning I will loose weight which for me is not good). I feel like I can sleep all day, and at my most energetic, read a little or play a computer game or two.

The idea is to accept this as a positive thing, rather than fight it.  I know this to be true, but always find myself, at least for the first couple of days, being annoyed, angry (with who?-myself, God??), worried about what will happen if this continues for too long, etc.

I KNOW that the cleansing effect of these symptoms is a positive thing, but somehow don’t like the inconvenience of it.

And the same thing happened again here.  At first I ignored the whole thing, until the head pain and weakness got so bad that I could no longer pretend nothing was wrong.

Then of course I do everything I can think of to fight the symptoms and reduce them to a minimum.  Neti pot a couple of times a day, onion and honey, hot ginger, lemon, honey to drink,  extra doses of Tulsi and Vitamin C, tumeric powder, maduvhanni (Ayurvedic herbal cold and cough tonic-fabulous!),  breathing in steam, reflexology to the sinus points and then local sinus massage – in short and of course Reiki – the works.

Until yesterday, I was doing everything I needed to do but was still concerned about how this would effect my panchakarma and that it was inconvenient for the people involved.  Yesterday, even though I was literally awake the whole night blowing my nose,  I  dragged myself down to the clinic, but felt so bad by the time I got there, the doctor agreed no massage, no enema and go straight home to rest “for sure you will be fine by tomorrow”.

On the way back I bought some veggies to make me some soup which was a good idea, and honey to prepare the onion and honey mixture, and literally barely made it back up to my room where I collapsed weakly into bed and there spent the rest of the day, sleeping, or just laying there, feeling sorry for myself. (but of course looking forward to feeling better by the next day)

I took some cold formula before going to sleep just to stop my nose from running and reduce the pain a little (I hate taking these meds, but really needed to sleep), and actually did sleep most of the night, if not quietly, but at least sufficiently.  Woke up this morning with every intention of going to the clinic, but by the time I had “fixed” my hair, and put on my face cream, had a glass of hot ginger, I once again collapsed into bed, totally exhausted!

It was then that I realized that I was fighting, where I should be accepting.  The moment that I decided to surrender the whole business to the powers that be, and release all expectations about what I SHOULD be doing and how I SHOULD be feeling, I immediately felt a sense of relief!  Calm, tranquil acceptance and wellbeing.

I called the doctor on the phone, explained that I was really sick and too weak to come, and he understood immediately. Told me not to worry about the rest of the panchakarma…it would all work out, and that he was sending someone up to my room with some herbal medicine which will give me some relief as well as my kicheri!!

So now I am happily back in bed, with the hot water bottle to keep me warm (yesterday I tried sitting out in the sun and almost not making it back into bed when being overcome with weakness), I have a couple of good books to read, music to listen to, I have plenty of dates and almonds to snack on even though I don’t feel like eating, I have soup already cooked from yesterday, can order something from room service if I DO get hungry, kicheri on the way, and soon the latest episode of House will be downloaded and ready to watch! Plenty of games to play if I get bored, a comfortable bed with enough blankets to keep me warm, pillows to lean on…what more do I need?

I am thankful that I am not very ill, have no fever, no signs of flu (like body pain) and know it is something which will pass in its own time, when it has done whatever cleansing needs to be done, however long that may take.

And the weakness is returning after a few “good” minutes, so I will end this and post it later when some energy returns. Just ordered a porridge for breakfast and life is good!

Namaste

Jane

I have had a terrible head cold the past two days and have had great difficulty sleeping, so have been meditating and just “being”, not trying to force anything, and doing my best to accept my current “no so pleasant” health condition.  I know it is part of the panchakarma cleansing process, but that doesn’t make it any less uncomfortable.

While meditating, I was suddenly drawn to some notes I had written several months ago, while still at home in Israel.  And the one file I was drawn to, was actually written exactly 4 years ago, in Rishikesh, ON THIS EXACT DATE: February 22^nd!!

This could not be coincidence, and so have decided to post it once again.  This issue of “seekers” has come up many times during this trip, and I once again had need to relate to the issue from my personal point of view.  The channeling below was exactly what I needed to hear, once again, to encourage me to always move forward in the way I feel is best for me.  I do my utmost to do that, but there are times when we need supportive words….I have been lovingly given these words again and share them here with you.

…find myself always being different from the travelers I meet. In McLeod, I am one of the few people who spend any length of time there who is not either an aspiring or already practicing Buddhist. Now I find in Rishikesh that I am the only person I’ve met so far who is not either looking for the perfect Yoga teacher, the Swami who will bring them enlightenment, the perfect Ayurveda doctor or the ultimate massage. Everyone seems to be searching for something…on some kind of pilgrimage…where is the best puja on the Ganga, the best Thali, the best mountain trail, the most beautiful temple. I find no need for any of these things and began to wonder if something is wrong with me. am I just too lazy to bother?

Or is it something deeper…and then I woke up to meditate and my guides came to me really loud and clear for the first time in many many months and the following was said:

You are neither practicing Buddhist in Dharamsala nor yoga student in Rishikesh. You are not a seeker. Others are seeking. YOU KNOW. Relax into that KNOWING. JUST BE.

Your only quest is inward. Everything you need is already there. The place is unimportant…it is just a means for you to easily access what is already KNOWN to you.

Relax into it. Let it flow.

You are blessed…We love You.

Just a few days I wrote a post about the poetry of massage. And to my great surprise, the same day a new poem was channeled to me in the early hours of dawn, just before fully awakening – and upon awakening I remembered it in full and wrote it down.

Poetry for me is a very difficult thing to explain.  As a child and teenager, I wrote many poems but they have disappeared…and then, about ten years ago, I wrote an good number of poems which you can find on my Mindfulness Journal on the upper toolbar marked “Poetry”.  Or simply click on this link:

http://mindfulnessjournal.wordpress.com/poetry/

Thing is, I never actually write these poems.  I receive them as messages, channeled to me usually at night, but very often in the daytime as well.  They cover a variety of issues, but have great meaning, at least to me.

The poem I received a few days ago, is a mystery to me.  It doesn’t relate to anything specific in my life at the moment, at least not something I am consciously aware of, and I am not even sure of its meaning.

I am posting it here, hoping perhaps someone out there will have some insights as to what this poem means.  I have a general understanding of its meaning, but I know there are subtleties in it which I am not picking up.

SO I am asking for your help.  Your comments are invited wholeheartedly.

Gather Yourself Up

Gather yourself up

Put the pieces back in place

Life goes on, even when it comes to a standstill.

The carousel is waiting

Jump back on whenever you feel ready

There is no rush

The price will not change but the horses may need a good painting over time.

Any idea??????

Namaste

Jane

Again woke up just before 7 with a start and looked outside and found this…I love the sunrise…it is beautiful but lasts literally for seconds….

Well, today I finished what for me is the most difficult part of panchakarma…the water enemas.  I finished my 5^th today and from now on it is smooth sailing to the end on Friday.  Just a couple of more oil enemas, but those are child’s play, and now massage every day, some steam bath, shirodhara, basti and just pleasant stuff.  Can’t believe it has gone by so quickly.

And with the weather warmer, at least during the day, life is good.  I’ve been a little tired the past few days but that is normal.  In past years I was exhausted all the time, so 3 days of low energy is really a good sign for me that things are going very well this year.

With the change in weather, the tourists have returned.  Like overnight, the “joint is jumpin’”….the guesthouses are filling up, the restaurants have customers (which means you have to wait much longer for your food), and of course Hebrew is once again heard in the land!  Israelis are back in full and I can tell you, the restaurant owners are in heaven.  No other nation eats as much as Israelis…they order large amounts of food, finish it all, sit around talking, and then order more!

The wedding will finish up tonight and it should be a really big affair.  I heard them testing the sound system just now…and what they chose to test it with, and which really had me laughing, was a Hinid version of the Russian classic song Kalinka (which is a very popular song in Israel as well, as are many Russian original tunes translated into Hebrew by the original immigrants to the Holy Land).  When I mentioned it to an Indian here, his response, not surprising because this is the Indian way of seeing everything in the world, was:  “This is famous ancient Indian song which was copied by other countries”.  This is soooooo typically Indian, but in this case it was really funny as the music is so definitely Russian in origin.

Anyway, it’s been a relaxing day in the sun upon the roof, resting away the hours with reading, napping, needlepoint, cooking delicious vegetable soup, and writing…all outdoors and back to normal.

Hopefully over the next couple of days I will also have my energy back and be able to go out walking again…I am really missing it.

Yummy Home Cooked Lunch

The last couple of days have been interesting, at least for me.  First of all, although it is still chilly, the sun has been shining so I have been able to relax comfortably on my rooftop, as I have been quite tired the last two days, something which is expected, and up until now, I have not felt this year.  So it was lovely to be able to sit out and read, eat, relax, do needlepoint and enjoy the sunshine at the same time.  Cooked my own lunch yesterday as I was finished too early for lunch and didn’t feel like waiting around.  My own food is always the best in the end, but it is nice NOT to have to shop, cook and clean up afterwards.

On the way back I found this:

Wedding at entrance to High Banks-Guarantee of Three Noisey Days and Nights

At the entrance to the area I live in and I knew this meant 3 days of lots of noise.  Last night it began and I am very thankful that I have good earplugs which block out all noise.  Most people up here could not go to sleep until 2 in the morning…tonight and tomorrow it continues!

After eating lunch yesterday, a young girl came up and said she heard about me and wanted to know if she could get a tarot reading and healing session, and I was very happy to be given the opportunity to get back “into things” again.  It was a lovely session and another day came to a lovely end.

Today, being Saturday, while having my herbal tea outside the clinic, I got a few shots of the colorful crowds which converge on Rishikesh on weekends to go down to bathe in the Ganga…

Colorful Saturday Tourists Going Down to Ganga

You can see more shots in this new facebook album of local life scenes:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=271045&id=547896544&l=651ff68ddd

Today while at Dr. Arora’s, another client came in to talk to him and after she explained what she needed, he pointed to me and said “SHE is the expert”.  And thus began a new career for me….transferring, converting, merging and burning videos from a digital camera.  For me it is simple enough to do and the other person was ever so happy.  And while doing that, another YOUNG girl came up, saw my laptop, and asked if I knew how to upload photos…I said yes, but would not allow her to put her data stick into my laptop USB port.  I’ve had too many problems with viruses to take the chance.  So she went to check it out someplace which I recommended, and later, will come up for me to teach her how to compress and upload them!!  Never thought I’d be doing THIS in India!

And now a funny story. I won’t go into details as I don’t want to expose people who might not want exposure, but it seems that a certain yoga instructor in America, who is making her first trip to India with her husband this year, has brought me to the attention of the American public via TV interviews.  Seems she was interviewed on a national network and mentioned how the internet had helped her to arrange her trip to Rishikesh.  Her husband had found MY blog doing a google search and for the last couple of months we have been emailing back and forth.  Well, I HAVE been emailing with a nice man from America who is coming with his wife soon, and thought “could this really be me?!?!?”. It has been a pleasure helping them, as I have helped others coming to India for the first time.  But how did I find out that I was mentioned in her interview?  Well, someone commented on my blog and I asked, as I always do, how they found my blog.  She explained it was after watching a TV interview with a yoga instructor who’s husband had been emailing me regarding their upcoming trip to India…(not by name, by description…a woman from Israel who has a blog about Rishikesh where she has been living for several months a year, every year for the past number of years). So she (the woman who was watching the interview) googled Rishikesh, blog, Israel and lo and behold (!), MY blog turned up!!

I find this all quite amazing to say the least…what a world!

And that’s it for today

Namaste

Jane

Nothing new in Panchakarma…same series of alternate days of water and oil enemas.  Feeling very good, and if the weather was nicer would be out walking, so as I mentioned, the “not so nice” weather is to my advantage.  It is still cold, although the sun shines for several hours during the day, but lots of rain at night, keeping it colder than normal.

Hopefully by the weekend, the warmer weather will return.

Check out these photos of the sun dancing through the clouds:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=270656&id=547896544&l=dbda0a681b

Today I was enjoying my massage, when someone walked into the room.  I looked up, and there, to my great pleasure and surprise, stood Manju, Dr. Arora’s wife, a good friend, amazing cook and supreme massage therapist.  I thought she had come up just to say hello, as she has retired from massage therapy (she is a certified ND – Naturopath), and only comes in in emergencies when the two girls cannot manage a rush of people.

Manju Arora- Ayurveda Massage Therapist Supreme

When I saw her, I gave her a big smile, and asked why she was there and she said “holiday”. (Turns out she had come in to have Devi wax her legs for her!).  And then to my further pleasure and surprise, she put on an apron…meaning, she was going to finish my massage!!  I was overjoyed at the prospect, and I told her so.  She was pleased as well, and although Devi had already done my legs and arms, there was still plenty left to do.

Both girls are very good massage therapist, Manju having trained them. They are fully competent and know the exact techniques to use during a massage, but they work by rote, without thinking at all about what they are doing.  They may be thinking about what they have to do when they get home, or even chatting with each other (which I personally discourage as I like my quiet time during the massage).

Manju on the other hand, puts sincere, specific, loving intention into each stroke and movement, being completely present in the moment and in what she is doing.   The difference is immediately felt and most appreciated.  How wonderful it would be to have her give me my massage each and every day, but this is no longer an option.

The difference between the girls and Manju, can be likened to poetry,  Imagine a child reciting a poem he has learned by heart.  He knows all the words perfectly, but has no clue or thought about its meaning.  This is a massage by the girls.

An adult, who loves poetry, will read the same poem , filling each and every word and phrase with their individual meanings and the combined meaning of the whole.  You will “feel” the beauty of the poem, understand what the poet is trying to say, feel the emotions behind the words etc.

This is a massage by Manju…pure poetry!

Namaste

Jane

View from my rooftop on this dreary wintry, rainy day

You can see more photos as usual at this facebook link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=270155&id=547896544&l=435dc00003

This has been the most solitary of any of my sojourns in India…almost a forced silent retreat.  I do see people every day, but for a very short time and I speak very little.  And the more time I spend alone, the less I want to see people, or talk to them…even embarrassed to say that I don’t feel like using skype to talk to my kids or messenger to chat with friends…..I find myself relishing the quiet and aloneness more than every so in the past.

I have not been down to the restaurant even once since arriving, having all the food that I ordered brought to my room.  This has NEVER happened before.  I have in the past used room service on occasion, but just as often would eat downstairs in order to interact with other people, both other tourists as well as the staff.  I have been a true hermit this trip, and finding it perfectly wonderful.

And now, during this really intense week of Panchakarma, which requires lots of energy for going “within”, not just the physical treatments of enemas, but going within on much deeper levels, God has provided just the weather necessary to keep me close to home!

Although not really cold, it is cloudy, overcast, dreary, with intermittent rain for the past 3 days, and no sign of letup.  Dr. Arora said that if rain begins on a Saturday, it always lasts for a week.  If he is correct, there are another few days of this still waiting.

If it was sunny, I could not resist walking, but the truth is, being almost forced to stay put is a blessing,.And the rain will clear the air and make everything fresh and green once again!

Luckily, I didn’t get around to sending a parcel of my winter clothes home yet, as I’ve had to pull out a couple of items which I haven’t used in almost 3 weeks of beautiful weather.

All in all the 12 days of enemas is going by fairly easily, much easier than ever in the past, and I am feeling good, but do need to rest during the day, which is fine.  I am reading a great book, have my needlepoint, my computer, and great music.  I even found delicious dates from Iran at the local shop and this is a perfect, and legitimate treat, for when I get hungry for something sweet during the day.

Life is good.

Clouds over the Mountain

I mentioned previously that a couple of days ago I had an urge to go shopping.  For those who know me, this is quite uncommon for me as I really dislike shopping.  Strange for a woman, but true.  But for some reason I had this urge to go to my favorite seconds shop in town where I always find lovely stuff to bring back for me, as well as the place I get my cotton trousers for Israeli summers.  I had a lovely time shopping, found some lovely things, but still didn’t quite understand where the urge came from.  I don’t have excess money this trip and honestly did not think I would be purchasing anything new.

Well, seems the clothing was already pre-paid but I didn’t realize it until a couple of days later.

A local young guy here had been asked about a Reiki teacher by someone at his guesthouse and he asked me if I am working this year.  I wasn’t quite sure what to reply as I haven’t considered doing it right now, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to meet the person.

He brought around a lovely young English girl, we talked, she asked questions, I had the thrill of feeling the satisfaction I always get from teaching, and also mentioned to her the possibility of tarot readings when she noticed the cards in my room.

Well, long story short….the next day, yesterday, she turned up at my door with a friend, both asking for Tarot reading!.  The readings were wonderful, a pleasure for me to do, always surprising me with their accuracy and with the assistance they afford people who are at crossroads in their lives….and, the full amount that I paid for my purchases while out shopping, was covered by what the two girls paid me for the readings!!

Lovely to say the least.

I have some additional writing and posting of photos to do, but for now will end here and go back to enjoying life.

Namaste

Jane

February 8-11, 2011- Panchakarma Days  11-14 – Quick Sum Up

Flowers on my Rooftop

I haven’t written most of the week about what is going on with my Panchakarma treatments, since I truthfully have had better things to do!.  The weather is so beautiful that I really don’t feel like sitting at the computer and writing…and once I am indoors in the evening, would rather relax, eat, read and go to sleep.

However, I will sum up the past days just to keep you up to date.

Tuesday:  The oil Basti was done on my abdomen area (the bowl made out of hoummous dough will with hot medicated oils as described in earlier posts).  This was in place of Shirodhara as both girls had to get off early to their wedding parties.

Wednesday: was Shirodhara and that is the day I went out shopping.  It was a lovely day and felt like treating myself for some reason…only yesterday did I understand why.

Again went to enjoy the ghat and again became the focal point of Indians wanting to take my picture.  But it was beautiful and relaxing sitting there nevertheless and returned to my room quite late…and quite tired.

Thursday:  after my massage as usual, I was meant to have a steam bath but there was no electricity, making yesterday a short day, which was good, as I was still tired from the day before.  Shopping always wears me out.

So today, a massage and steam bath and today, begins a 12 day “Enema Party” as Dr. Aroroa calls it.

I will not go into details here as I’ve written about this in previous years.  If you are interested, you can do “search” directly on my blog page from the side bar, or write to me and I will find the appropriate posts for you to read.

But the main idea behind the enemas is final detox.  Everything that was done up until now are methods used to move toxins from the body where it is stored in many places (muscles, skin, bones, joints, etc) via massages, steam, and the basti treatments.  It is moved into the colon where it can then be thoroughly flushed out with the enemas.  There are both oil and water enemas, each medicated with certain herbs as needed by the individual person and prescribed by the Doctor.

Again, for more info here, refer to posts from previous years.

I am now entering the more tiring phase of panchakarma, but since I’ve been feeling so much better until now this year as compared to previous years, I am optimistic that this will also pass easily.

Namaste

Jane

Sunrise looking North-West

Last year I wrote about the significance and importance of sunrise and sunset to our wellbeing, balance and health. If you would like read, or re-read this information, you can find it at this link:

http://mindfulnessjournal.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/333/

It is quite interesting and thought-provoking!
For some reason I haven’t seen a real display since I arrived here this year. This morning I awoke suddenly just before 7 and a voice literally shouted at me: “Get up and go outside NOW!!”. And I did and  was rewarded with this as well as the above :

Sunrise looking East

I had already made plans to be outside at a good “sunset place” over the next few days but it means I have to come back to my room after 6 in the evening which I haven’t yet been able to because of the weather. Now it is a long day for me while doing panchakarma. But below is an example of what awaits me from one of last year’s posts!

And while I was writing this and posting….I was awarded with this without having to leave my room at all!!!

Enjoy!
Jane

THere is no way this can do justice to the beauty of this day after the storm

At the moment, 5:30 in the afternoon, I sit outside on my rooftop, facing the lovely green mountains across from me topped by still blue skies. I had a really fun experience along the Ganga today as you will see later in this post.  The air is still comfortably warm, slightly chilly from a breeze, but too comfortable and comforting to move inside.  But let’s go back to last night and begin this day at the beginning….here is what I began writing last night:

It has been thundering and lightning for the past ½ hours and now, a real rain storm has began.  It is lovely to hear and I just stuck my head out the door…it is 9:30 at night…and was treated to the smell of real rain after a very long time.  It is an unmistakable smell which I am sure you all know, and it is lovely.  Hope it rains itself out before morning, but really happy to hear the rain while I am “snug as a bug in a rug” in my room!!.  I used to be terrified of thunder and lightning, but now it is just nice to hear!  And I am going to sleep with the hope of a beautiful, sunny, rain-washed, day tomorrow….

….and I was not disappointed this morning.  The day dawned bright, sunny, and warm.  Warmer than it has been early in the morning since I arrived.  And today was a Festival celebrating the first day of Spring!  Perfect timing.  I had to be at my treatment at 9 am instead of the usual 11, and worried that it would be too cold to go down.  But this morning at 9 was warmer than it has been at 10:30 up until now.  Really lovely change.

I was finished with my treatments today by 10:30 and had the whole beautiful day ahead of me…and I was truly grateful for the opportunity to spend it walking around and taking in the beauty all around me.

The mountains were a lush green and the sky a sparkling blue.  I doubt that the photos I took will do justice to the sensual beauty of the day, but they hopefully will give you some idea of how blessed I am to be here:

And then I decided, since I had the whole day free, to go spend a quiet couple of hours sitting along the ghat on the Ganga.  Well, the Universe had different plans for me for this day…as it turned out to be a “people” day.  I think I had more interaction today with other people than I have had since I arrived here…but it was lovely. On the way down I came across this gate

3 symbols....om, star of david and swastika on entrance gate

and thought it a good opportunity to show you the way all three symbols, Om, Star of David and Swastika are used frequently here for decoration.  It seems incongruous to the Western eye, but remember what I’ve written about these all being ancient Vedic symbols.

I arrived at the ghat, as planned and sat quietly contemplating nothing while staring into the turquoise waters of the ganga, when all of a sudden a swarm of people came walking onto the ghat.  Turns out it was a whole family unit, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc, but it was a huge group.

It was only after when I thought about it, that I realized that if MY extended family, all my kids, and their kids, aunts uncles and cousins, came down together to spend a day on the ganga, it would be just as big of a “swarm” of people. The picture above is only part of the women and kids…none of the men approached to join the party and a couple of women stayed apart as well.

I was happy to see them and figured it would give me something to watch while sitting there…all these people laughing and joking and enjoying their bathing…and maybe even get some nice photos, when all of a sudden some of them approached me.  They began to ask if I am also going bathing (this all without spoken language) and I hope they understood my reply that I DO bathe, but not today.  And then the fun began!!

Whenever I want to photograph someone, I will always ask their permission, as many people are not willing to have their photograph taken.  They usually say OK, but I sometimes get a no, so I am always careful about asking first.

Well, apparently, Indians do not feel the need to ask.  Before I knew what was happening, two of the girls sat down next to me, one on either side, and a third began photographing us!  And they switched places until all of them had their picture taken…and thanked me.  So I asked to take their pictures, which they were happy to do as well.

The FIrst Three Courages Girls

Before I realized what was happening, the rest of the family saw what was going on, so for the next 15 minutes, I became the centerpiece for family vacation pictures.    IT was actually fun, and funny, and silly and at some point I began to laugh, and so did they, realizing that it was silly thing to be doing, without ever having asked my permission!!  And they we began talking, with one of the girls who knows a little English doing her best to translate.  They were telling me who belongs to who…my son, my daughter, my sisters daughter, my husband, my sister in law, etc., etc. And then asking about me, my name, my  parents name, my country etc.  And then I asked where they were from, and it seems this is a whole family which came from a nearby village, about 5 hours ride, to spend the day in Rishikesh and celebrate the Spring Festival and bathe in the Ganga.  They were all dressed in festive clothing and it was lovely to see them all enjoying their day out so much.    And then of course, I figured, if they could take all those shots of me, I deserved my share, so asked if I could take THEIR pictures.

Well, not only did they agree, but they fought to get into the shots, making me take more and more and more, and then giggling when they saw themselves on the camera screen.  All in all it was a fun hour and a half.

And then we parted ways and I went to have my lunch, in quiet.  To my surprise, that was also not to be, as I heard a couple speaking Hebrew and turned around to say “hello” to them….and wound up talking with them for another hour.  Lovely middle-aged people, from a town just near mine, on their first trip to India and spending a month here.

Him having a wonderful time…her barely managing not to kill him for bringing her here!!!

It also seems to be wedding season here, as everyone has weddings to attend…(that’s the reason I had to be at my treatment so early this morning…the girls had to leave early – each for a different wedding party-  Devi had also been to one last night, in the rain, where she danced until 1 in the morning…I asked how people dance in the rain – she said she only went out to dance after 11 when the rain stopped, but she said the other people, mostly men, drink until they get drunk and then don’t even know it is raining and just dance – and she did a pantomime of them doing this which was very funny!! – she also said she is eating too much and “I am too much fat, but good fat, not chicken”)…

wedding tent

Anyway…it seems wedding parties are springing up anywhere there is an empty space and here is one I came across on my way home today…notice if you can in the pictures, the cow joining in the festivities!

And then back to my room to enjoy more lovely sunshine.  A couple of people have approached me to ask if I could teach them Reiki, and I asked them to come around this evening.  I have to give this some thought.  I could certainly use the money but not quite sure I want this intense interruption of my panchakarma time.  I’ll seen when they show up.

Right now more hawks are sailing overhead , while the rest of the birds are making a racket just before calling it a night.  The sun is down, but it is still light and still warm enough to sit out here comfortably.  I don’t actually see sunsets from my room, but today the mountain actually reflected the sunset if you can see it in the picture below:

And at the same time, the new moon had risen….

Life is good.

Enjoy the rest of the photos on the facebook link.

Namaste

Jane

PUNDIR GENERAL STORE AND PROVISIONS SHOP

Just had to write about this.  There are two general stores in the Tapovan area and when I first began coming to Rishikesh would give them both equal business, but very soon discovered that it was much more worth my while to shop at the Pundir shop instead of the other one.  MUCH better service, as the two brothers who run it are lovely and helpful and always give service with a smile,

their prices are very reasonable and on many items much much cheaper than the other shop, and I have NEVER brought home a package of spoilt milk from their shop, something which used to happen to me fairly regularly when I purchased at the other shop.  In addition, if you make a large order which you really cannot carry home, they will deliver!! 

I have never needed anything while in rishikesh which I was not able to purchase at their shop.  In addition to the items available on the shelves, the attached shop serves for additional stocks of dried goods, spices, oils, eggs, milk, curd and much more.  And if there IS something which I need that they don’t have, they will get it for me.  I can even get my batteries, hot water immersers, toothbrushes and pretty much anything else which comes to mind.

So, when they began to renovate last month, and expand the shop, I was very excited.  It is now ready and although there may be shops like this in the larger cities, and if you live in the West, this is nothing special, for Rishikesh it is a true pleasure to walk in and shop here.  You can now walk around and see EVERYTHING which is available, lots of it behind glass to keep it clean.  Like a very small type of supermarket…and the variety of goods available is quite amazing.

If you ever get to Rishikesh, step in for a look.  It is up in Tapovan, not far from Swiss Cottage.  Tell them Jane told you to come around!  You won’t be disappointed, I guarantee you!!