Amristar Golden Temple and the Wagah Border Closing of the Gates Ceremony... Intense!

Its been a few days since I could update the blog, wifi has been very iffy. We had an amazing excursion to Amritsar's Golden Temple and the Pakistan/India border to watch the Wagah Closing of the Gate ceremony. The experience was intense! The energy at the Golden Temple (Hamandar Sahib) is surreal, you feel it the moment you enter. You must take your shoes off and check them in before entering, cover your hair with hijab and wash your feet before entering the temple. The temple is a Sikh temple that was founded in December 1585 AD, it is the holiest Gurdwaras of the Sikhism. It is located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab. It is set inside a holy pond that men and women (in a separate covered area) can bathe in to purify and receive the blessings of their devotion. The pond is also habited by many, huge Koi fish. They appear to be the guardians of said place. The temple holds the Adi Granth (holy scripture) of Sikhism. This place is also home to the Akal Takht, which is the Throne of the Timeless One. The temple was extremely crowded, being we went on a Sunday. It was also much hotter there than in Dharmsala. Amritsar is about a 5 hour drive each way from Dharmsala. I was not feeling too well, being I got acute Gastritis the day before. It was however worth the trip, as it was an experience of a lifetime.

After the temple we drove another hour to the India/Pakistan border located near Attari. This was also quite an amazing experience. We stopped along the way near Pathankot to grab a bite to eat from a local mom and pop restaurant. Unfortunately, I had no appetite so I just had some nan and water. My friends got to order some pretty yummy food however. We were trying hard to stay hydrated, as the sun was hot and debilitating. When we arrived to the border, our driver had to park in a designated area and we had to walk the rest of the way, about a mile down to the border checkpoint. We had to leave our purses and belongings in the car, and had to take the covers of our phones to bring them in. There was a separate line for foreigners and our local friend Pankaj, was not able to enter with us.
Women and men had separate security lines and it didn't take long to walk through, even though there were so many people there. Once we got through we met up with our male friends and grabbed seats near the top of the stone bleachers. There were people from all over the world there, we met people from Spain, Thailand, China, Germany and the US. It was so hot and we had to wait for two hours before the sun would set, which commences the ceremony. Its surreal to sit in such a place knowing that at any moment either government can declare war. The roof near us started to collapse in some areas, so we ended up moving to a lower seat. The ceremony began and it started with the female officers marching and kicking high in a choreographed performance. Then the men followed. Each kick was higher and more animated. The Pakistani soldiers followed suit, in their own coordinated march. They carried assault weapons and managed to do this while holding guard. At each side of the border, there were two soldiers who never cracked a smile and had ear buds and sunglasses on, as to not be distracted by the acrobatics and keep track in case something went down. It was exhilarating, yet a bit scary. The ceremony lasted about an hour and at the end, each side pull down their flag and folded it ceremoniously and carried it to each side of the gates. Then a respective member of the guard from each side looked at each other, smiled and shook hands and then forcefully closed the gates to each country. This had to be the most interesting part for me. This ceremony occurs every day, this is their daily work life for each of these soldiers. I imagine they know each other, such as, "that's Kamil, he is 44 years old, he has two kids and a wife named Amrita" I don't know lol I imagine this dialogue, yet each side is not fond of each other and at anytime can declare war, yet they see each other every day and go through this ceremony every day. War is silly, its silly to think we have such turmoil in the world, knowing that we are all truly the same... we all bleed red, don't we?

Other than this excursion, its been a pretty hectic week of studies and preparing for our anatomy, pranayama and philosophy exams. I have my yoga class sequence down already and I am excited to teach it on Thursday. One more week to go in India, then headed home. Excited to see my family, friends and my dogs. I miss them terribly!

~Namaste

Full moons, Bhagsu Cake and Knife Sharpeners...

Day 11th here in India and class is intensive and exhausting, yet extremely fulfilling. Our teachers are truly experts in their field and everyday I find my self learning many new things. I can't believe a week of classes has already passed. Yesterday, during our day off, a group of us went to meet with our Anatomy teacher who happens to be an Ayurvedic doctor, to learn what type of Dosha we are. The three Dosas—Vata (earth), Pitta (fire), and Kapha (water)—are derived from the five elements. Also known as mind-body types, the doshas express unique blends of physical, emotional, and mental characteristics. In Ayurveda, health is defined as the dynamic state of balance between mind, body, and environment. I discovered that I am mostly Kapha (water), and it truly describes my personality traits quite closely. Based on your Dosha, you are prescribed a diet, exercise program, lifestyle and mood stabilizing exercises and Yoga Asanas to balance your body, in accordance with the five elements. It was such an interesting experience, our teacher is extremely knowledgeable and experienced on this subject. It was fun seeing how this ancient Eastern medicine is adaptable and far more accurate in diagnoses, than the modern Western way of treating a patient. I plan to follow my prescription to see how it can affect me.

This week was also a full moon cycle or "Chandra" the Sanskrit word for "Moon", and it not only brought some amazing female energy into the village, but also encouraged many drum circles and rituals that the locals and tourists were enjoying and sharing together. It is quite striking to see the beautiful round, full moon, peeking through the caps of the Himalayas. This place is magical on so many levels. The same night we had the privilege of getting our own private concert of traditional Indian music with Tabla and Flute, that the school hosted. This beautiful music is so enchanting, it transports you to a time where Maharajis and snake charmers ruled the land.

Truly enchanting. 

This Sunday we will be taking a 6 hour trip to Amritsar, which is "home to the Harmandir Sahib (commonly known as the Golden Temple), the spiritual and cultural centre for the Sikh religion. This important Sikh shrine attracts more visitors than the Taj Mahal with more than 100,000 visitors on weekdays alone and is the most popular destination for non-resident Indians(NRI) in the whole of India. The city also houses the Akal Takht, the highest seat of earthly authority of the Khalsa, and the committee responsible for the upkeep of Gurdwaras." On top of seeing this amazing temple, we will be treated to the Pakistani/Indian Wagah border soldier ceremony, which is supposed to be quite the spectacle. It will be really exciting to see this and be so close to Pakistan.

Other than that, things are amazing here. I am really enjoying my time and the new friends I am making. India is filled with really amazing people, who teach me something new everyday. This country has taken a huge piece of my heart, which I feel will remain here, even after my departure. I leave you with a message of love that my teacher and friend Suann shared with us this morning. "Showing gratitude is appreciating the things that the universe sends you for what they are, without wanting to change them".

~Namaste

 

 

Sacred Fire Rituals, Dalai Lama Temple and Mcleodganj...

It has been 4 days since my arrival here in the Himalayas. I have not been able to update the blog as often as I would like. It's been a super intensive course here. We study from 7am-7pm Monday-Saturday, with only Sundays off. Also, the wifi and power blackouts, make for an interesting internet experience.

Upon arrival, we had a beautiful welcome, fire ritual, ceremony. It was surreal. This traditional fire ceremony is done when new things happen in life. The purchase of a home, car, new lease, a marriage, birth etc. After the ceremony, we had 2 hours of yoga and then dinner, which I must say, every meal has been delicious! A fresh and well prepared, vegetarian meal.

Everyone here is incredibly nice and I am blessed to be surrounded by a great group of fellow students. On Sunday, our first day off, we decided to walk down to Mcleodganj and visit the Dalai Lama Temple. The walk was filled with lots of things to see and do. Tons of Tibetan shops along the way, cafes, restaurants and since it was a Holiday weekend, the streets were filled with people and cars trying to get up and down the mountain. It amazes me how people drive here. The road runs along the cliff of the mountain and barely fits one car, let alone two. Each car has to wait for the other to pass, in order to make it down the road, while avoiding running over pedestrians, dogs, goats and cows. The walk took about two hours, as we stopped along the way to check out smaller temples (no pics allowed), shops (beautiful, incredibly cheap things), and the occasional street vendor. We also encountered many beggars and people who tend to scam tourists by asking for food and not money. The catch is they request a bag of rice, so they can take it home and cook it for their family, then they take you to a specific shop and there you buy said rice. Upon you leaving, they return the bag of rice to the shop keeper, who makes a commission off this, and the beggar now has the cash. It's really intricate and I saw many tourists falling for such trick. I my self was about to, until my friend warned me. Instead I bought the beggars Momo from a street vendor so if they were indeed hungry, they could not return the prepared food. It is always eye opening traveling to a country that has so much poverty. You always want to help, but have to be careful you are not getting taken advantage of.
Overall, don't let that deter you from visiting India. There are far more beautiful experiences here, than the bad ones. For example The Dalai Lama Temple!!!! This place is incredible! The energy there is just indescribable. Since we were there on a Sunday, it was really packed with people and monks. You ca feel the vibrations of their chanting upon entering the compound. There are no pictures inside the actual temple allowed. But I was able to get a few of the outside looking in. Monks gather to chant and pray, and people from everywhere join in. You have to take your shoes off upon entering the temple, and are welcomed to stay as long as you like. Unfortunately, his holiness was away at a city further North, to celebrate his birthday, so no sighting of him this time. I plan on going back on another day off and perhaps, I may get lucky.

Being in the Himalayas has a calming and cleansing feeling. I feel very at peace and focused on my studies. We wake up at sunrise and practice Pranayama (Yogi Breathing) for an hour, then two hours of yoga, followed by an Ayurvedic breakfast. Then Anatomy and Philosophy followed by lunch. We have self study for another two hours, then end with another two hours of yoga. I get to be surrounded by donkeys, goats, cows, monkeys and dogs every day. We also have a cat and her three kittens that live in the compound. If my dogs were here, I probably would not leave. There is a spirit to this place, one that lives inside all of us, yet can only be awaken here. It is a feeling of Shanti (peace) that I have never experienced anywhere else.
I have to run now, as we will be starting class again soon. I leave you with the following Mantra:

Lokah, Samasta, Sukhino, Bhavantu.. (which means: May there be well being to the people, May the kings rule the earth along the right path, may the cattle and the Brahmins have well being forever, may all the beings in all the worlds become happy; Peace, peace and peace be everywhere).

~ Namaste

Chilli Beans, Monks on Cell Phones and Random Blackouts... Welcome to Dharamshala

After a turbulent 2 hour flight from New Delhi, I arrived in Dharmsala. The altitude got to me at first, but I was able to adjust rather quickly. I met up with a few of the fellow students, enrolled in the same program as me, and we were able to share a taxi up to Upper Bhagdu. This was quite the experience. Drivers are very aggressive here in India and driving up the cliffs, on a road fit for only one car was fun yet scary. I specially enjoyed coming around the sharp curves to find a cow laying down in the middle of the road, this is very common here (cows are sacred of course). They are also joined by their goat friends, who roam freely up the mountain. On the way up, we stopped at a local tea farm and got to see and taste the first leaves of Black Tea. Our driver was quite the character, there is a picture of him and my new friend Shannon (from Ireland via Germany) below. There were many people on the road at the local shops and restaurants, including Tibetan monks making their way around the mountain. I even saw one on a cell phone, which I found quite amusing and contrasting. 

 

After miraculously making our way up through Macleodganj, we arrived at the institute. We checked in and were shown our assigned rooms. My accommodations are sweet, clean and simple, with gorgeous views of the mountains and village. There is a temple next door which caters to all religions. It's a replica of a Tibetan temple, but has all deities there, welcoming all to worship. I can hear the drums and bells from the temple certain times of the day from my room. It's is truly enchanting. A group of us headed to grab a bite at a local restaurant named Chilli Beans. The food there is not only fresh, delicious, local fare, but you can also order anything your palette desires; Mexican, Italian, Thai, Tibetan, Chinese, Indian, Vegan (most things are vegetarian or vegan regardless) or breakfast all day! It's my favorite place so far. I ordered a Pareen Enchilada, which was delicious. The restaurant is housed under a circus like tent, with tables and typical Asian style floor seating, which is much more comfortable and better for your digestion.

 

 

We explored the village for a bit and then headed to rest. I am still adjusting to the time and after traveling for two days, I fell asleep earlier than I ever have and woke up to the sounds of a kitten around 3:30am. The little guy must have been hungry, I tried to get his attention, but startled him and he left. It started raining while I slept and hasn't stopped since. I am told this is not only the wettest part of all India, but the rainy/monsoon season. We are expected to have rain for the next couple of weeks. Thankfully it's not too hot. The weather is in the 70s and cool and fresh. Not having AC doesn't bother me, as it will not be missed. Specially since there are random blackouts quite often here. And this is vey common as well, so don't be startled if it happens. As I write this, I'm back at Chilli Beans for breakfast (their wifi is the best connection I've found so far) in the 1 hour and a half I've been here, we've had two blackouts already :) they come and go very fast. I ordered a traditional breakfast, which consists of eggs, (local chickens who roam, no factory farming here) potatoes with peppers and onions (which I pick the onions off, ewww), rice toast with the most amazing butter and jelly. All local and fresh ingredients. I also had an avocado soup which was amazing! The market hadn't opened yet due to the rain, so we had to wait a little bit for our breakfast, which was well worth the wait.

We start classes in the afternoon after lunch. I'll probably spend the next couple of hours exploring a bit more and checking out the local temple. There are so many lovely local shops too, I know I will be spending some money on things to bring back for friends and family there. I will also like to say that if anyone is planning on coming to Dharmsala or Macleodganj, you should wait to exchange your money here. You get much more for it than in Delhi or the airport. (In Delhi I got 62 Rupees per Dollar and 70 Rupees per Euro, here I got 66 Rupees per Dollar and 73 per Euro).


Upper Bhagdu is truly a beautiful place filled with yogis and people from all over the world, who are seeking enlightenment and a spiritual journey. We have met so many nationalities already. It actually reminds me a bit like Asheville, NC in the cultural scene. There is no lack of yoga studios, Crystal shops, Reiki and meditation courses, vegan/vegetarian cuisine and Internet cafes. It's a wonderful place to be.

~Namaste