Oh time in no existence! Sacred flight!
It is with immense gratitude and humility that I now write: soaring on the breeze of all thing!
Indian ashram subculture has taken me under her wing through intended as well as mysterious means. after the intense time of close proximity to sacred body manifest with Amma, I received an earth moving blessing for departure and flew away to park my tent beside a beautiful lake and intensively study and practice yoga with some devotees of Sivananda at Swami Vishnu Devananda's ashram in Neyyar Dam, Kerala. The practice of these folks is a completely integrated one of the yoga vedanta philosophies of the ages, yet they emphasize Hatha yoga (physical pranayama and asanas), karma yoga (selfless service), Bhakti yoga (devotional practice), and jana yoga (through meditation). There were moments of all- joy, love, connection, peace, discipline- yet mostly resistance on my part. Sivananda is a strict and ridged system to which I became bored and quick to judge what I saw as dogma. More than about yoga, I learned of humility, respect, and discipline in a new flavor. The ashram itself is a true paradise, its mere existence is strongly influencing the freedom and awakening of many beings. I dearly express my gratitude with a humble bow.
More recently I have been guided to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's home just as he also arrived from tour in Bangalore. In the end, I was not allowed to stay with them despite my strong volition, but I can now see that staying was actually unnecessary, as a friend grabbed a book on my way out, The Narada Bhakti Sutra, in which he told me all that I needed to hear about love and devotion. His international outreach of humanitarian work and the evolution of consciousness is highly inspiring.
Lastly, I have just been introduced to a sacred place of Sai Baba, who many swear is the re-incarnation of Jesus! Here in Orissa, one cannot go too far without seeing his photo or name somewhere. We all make our own story, theirs is plastered all over the wall.
Perhaps another guru/ ashram will show itself, yet movement now beckons to Sikkim, near Tibet and Nepal with its strong Buddhist influence. Stepping close, moving closer to slow-down, fearless woes and cleaver- close magnified cosmos!
Also Vipassana.
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