India is right here in my heart.
I arrived in India thinking this would be my last time teaching yoga with Spiritual India Journeys, and I left India with a plan to go back to teach yoga again with Spiritual India Journeys in January of 2020! What can I say? I am hooked on India!
I already miss the warmth, the sunshine, the refreshing coolness of the evening air, the generous smiles, the chaos and the jumble of street shops, and the perfect palaces and forts. I miss the temples and seeing people in prayer. I miss our guides who educate us and keep us safe while proudly showing us their gem of a country. I miss the forests of the south and the serenity of the hotel rooms with their fresh crisp white bed linens. I miss my morning bowl of Indian yogurt (curd) and tropical fruit that smells and tastes as delicious as it looks. I miss my roommate Kelley bringing me a morning cup of coffee while I am still in bed. I miss savoring the piping hot cup of coffee in that air conditioned hotel room, getting deeper under the sheets, knowing that I still had 45 minutes before the morning yoga session.
I miss teaching yoga in India, where you never know what to expect. Will there be peacocks this time, or a surprise sculptured lion with gaping mouth looking at you? Will there be a flock of parrots flying overhead or will it be the jungle babblers mocking us? Or perhaps, while doing our Sun Salutations, will we encounter curious crows cawing at us? Maybe we will have to place our mats over pigeon feathers on a plush strip of grass. Or will I have to place my mat on a sequined and glitter-covered floor, our studio home to Bollywood dancers by night? Will the sunset be pink this morning or will it be golden? Will we hear Hindu chanting or will it be the Muslim call to prayer as we begin our yoga this early morning?
I miss it all. But most of all, I miss the tour participants, the yogis who became my family for four solid weeks, two groups with whom I shared meals, thoughts, laughter, concerns, and deep one-of-a-kind experiences.
Together we touched the pulse of India. Together we touched life and seem to have journeyed to its very center.
Below you will see TWO slideshows from the January 2018 tours with daily yoga in India. The first one is 5 minutes long and the second one is 6 minutes long. Turn up your volume!
(1) Enjoy the slideshow of South India 2018:
SOUTH INDIA VIDEO
(2) Enjoy the slideshow of North India and Rajasthan 2018:
NORTH INDIA VIDEO
Nicely done Fran. The photos are fabulous. Looks like a fun time was had by all. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoying seeing the sites and smiley faces. Thanks for sharing.