As Arvind said, “Your time here in India is not a vacation.” And how right he is! Time spent in India is a journey of the spirit, a journey into the vast heart of India. We see, experience, and learn things here that stir us deeply and, slowly, we are transformed into a better version of ourselves.
You cannot come to India and return home the same person you once were.
To deepen the transforming experience, we start each day with yoga. We practice yoga outside in the early morning. The days here have been hot, but the early mornings are pleasant. Here in Aurangabad, we do our yoga in a big grassy area near the pool. The yoga practice is grounding and peaceful. This morning was our third class together as a group. Diverse as our group is, we all have the common thread of loving the yoga practice and seeing yoga as a vehicle to deepen our awareness of breath, of each and every moment, of the preciousness of life. We all experience Yoga as Union.
Together we discover how yoga helps support us through the rigors of travel and helps keep us grounded and more alert throughout our travels in South India. As usual, I have not taken many photos of our yoga sessions because I am too busy leading the classes. Others, however, have taken photos and later I hope I can pull together a few yoga photos for the blog. For now, I’d like to share with you the two readings I have read to the group and some photos I took of children today.
The first reading below is from today and makes me emotional. Sometimes I am impossibly hard on myself! And I am not alone. I am 100% certain of this. The reading below is a reminder to embrace ourselves. It is a reminder to wake up to what is really important in life!
Walk Slowly by Danna Faulds
It only takes a reminder to breathe, a moment to be still, and just like that, something in me settles, softens, makes space for imperfection. The harsh voice of judgment drops to a whisper and I remember again that life isn’t a relay race; that waking up to life is what we were born for. As many times as I forget, catch myself charging forward without even knowing where I’m going, that many times I can make the choice to stop, to breathe, to be, and to walk slowly into the mystery.
And the second reading is a reminder to be content, to feel and express gratitude, and embrace simplicity:
Excerpt from Meditations on Intention and Being, by Rolf Gates
I have a prayer that I use to access santosha (the art of being content). It is the simple statement, “Thank you for bringing me here.” I began using it each time I took my seat at a 12-step meeting. The prayer felt like sanity. Then it started showing up everywhere. I would say it stopping on a hike through a forest. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
I would say it at the beginning of a yoga class.
I say it now at bedtime lying quietly next to my children, being the calm presence that helps them go to sleep.
These days I am saying it everywhere I go and it is more than enough. There is nothing to be added or subtracted; I am content to say thank you. Thank you for bringing me here.
The group photo in this blog is our lovely lively yoga and travel group. And the children below are pure Jyoti (light) and Love. Here is to bringing more light, love, and simplicity into your life:
All of those children – such beautiful eyes!! Wonderful captures.
Tell Kelley I’m following. Love the readings. Thank YOU for bringing me here.
Beautiful thoughts and photos to begin my day.
Thank you for the readings. So simple, yet profound.
Sometimes I feel so busy there’s nothing left of me to be anywhere else. Swept up in the moment, doing what I love, being in and with it. But to stop and see and especially hear for a minute or an hour is a joy, a gift!