w/o a picture

The 1o minutes in corpse pose end my practice. I let go of thoughts and breath. Beginning final relaxation and practice of dying.
A few moments later a fly buzzes loudly ringing against my ear.
My arm comes "back to life" as I "shoo" it away.
Space and again loud buzzing "shooing" not swatting careful to practice ahimsa, non-violence, as silence enters, thoughts, hopes, and fears exit.
Prana and apana are joined at the navel for a moment.
That moment is the fruit of practice and I try to practice not "expecting" the fruit.
I will savoir the fruit now that corpse pose is finished. It is 7:30am. My 5:30am practice is finished. Shiva gives me death and rebirth. My life begins NOW!

Document

There is little time left in Mysore. I will let you catch up and take timie w/ nearly 50 entries in a few days as I intensify my sadhana in Kerela. I hope my hours and hours of writing each day and taking photos gave you a smile, weep, or inspiration for a moment or longer. I don't need too many pats on the back or "I loved your writing Shane."
Strength comes from inside, but if the actor on stage says he doesn't like the applauds, he is lying errr acting. Freudian slip.
I appreciate the love even if it isn't written.
Writing and practing until death... your friend,
Shane

Experience

There is more hatha yoga in CA, then in all of India. If I wanted to learn Ashtanga Vinyasa, one of the best teachers in the world, a friend, in Boulder, who speaks English, knows sanskrit, and is in Boulder, CO.
I didn't need to go to Mysore, India where the practice originated to learn it.
In fact if I am a beginner at the practice, I am, then his students are excellent teachers.
If I wanted to learn Buddhist meditation, then what better place then Boulder where Trungpa left Tibet 30 or so years ago.
If I wanted to learn Ayurveda, one of the best practioners in America is a friend and teacher and knows English.
My education at Naropa planted the seed for that practice.
India will be the most populated planet in the world by 2030 says the Lonely Planet.
82 percent of the population of India is Hindu, followed by Muslim, Buddhist, and so on says the Lonley planet.
Bhakti Yoga or yoga of devotion is practiced by millions of people in India, as are other practices. Spirituality is a part of the culture.
The experience, the environment, the food, the culture, everything blissful, and hellish is why I love being here and why I will return.
I hope that even if you stay a armchair sofa seat traveler that my experience will allow you to look into your own life and purpose and experience. I hope you look into your own life during your short time on this planet and strip away what is not neccesary and boil it down to what is important. I am trying to do it right NOW! "You don't throw your life away going inside" as John Frusciante says on "To Record Water for Only Ten Days."

Waking Up

I meditate on death, family, purpose, sangha, friends, Shiva, all beings, sacred cows, and so on before 6am daily. It sets an intention for how to conduct my life and not take today for granted.

fear and no fear

The huge pigs and family of pigs scare me. They eat the garbage, a much different trash system in India then in America.

I don't fear death, I fear the pain or suffering leading up to it, but don't fear the bardo, state between birth and rebirth, or "the experience after I shed this physical frame and take on another."

The roaches at night before turning on the lights and the huge pigs eating garbage can be scary. Hold the bacon and sausage, pass the dosa w/ sauces and ketchup please, and keep my heart open to the Divine as I pass the pigs and see the roaches run at night.

typical dinner and special recomendation

Dinner is light, lunch is biggest meal, breakfast depends.
Here is typical dinner of set masala dosa from Chats.

By the way if ever in Mysore the bannana thali lunch for $1.08 American is at:
Kamat Madhuvan
Veg Garden Restaurant
Mysore Ooty Road
Mysore
tel: 243115

the day begins and ends in front of shrine

Last night went to a Ganesh temple. Said a prayer for friends, family, sangha, sacred cows, and all beings to be happy and free from suffering. Bells ring, priest gives me bannana for shrine, flower garland, and some dye for markings. I stroll around the banyan tree outside. Gaze up at giant shiva painting, back inside look at huge Ganesh covered and garlands, and think of you smiling back at me in a memory arising from heart or mind, or both. All one.

A rose

Photo taken at the Christmas eve benefit and lunch with yogis and yoginis from around the world in Mysore, India.

Ayurveda teacher and friend

Here is my friend and teacher of Ayurveda. His speciality is Ayurvedic essential oils. His speciality was passed down father to son going back 120 years.
I have learned a lot from him. We had some nice South Indian Thali meals in Mysore together as well.

student and teacher relationship

Here is a teacher who I studied the Ashtanga Vinyasa
method with in Mysore. I took a one week course, originally was going to do a one to three month course, but Momma India picked me up like a child and threw me down like a stone e.g. manic episode, see early enteries.

He is lesser known than Jois, but has been teaching over 40 years the same method. His course is quite intense ranging btwn 2-4 hours of practice 7 days a weej w/ new and full moon days off, also sanskrit and philosophy classes. He attracts mainly Indian students with a few Westerns for a more intimate class. Jois though has a special energy and high energy in his packed shala.

I had the oppurtunity to interiew my teacher on applying yoga to ones life and the internal aspects of Ashtanga. I hope to publish it when I get back to the states. Stay tuned....

mobile phones

The cell phones in India make America look like cavemen
with features such as lights, sounds, covers, and so on.

Shiva Om and links

Shiva Om

Taken at Amma's school in Mysore.
The Velvet rope policy of no photos inside the ashram has given you a sneek peak, but no visual.

I am planning to go South to Kerela to stay at Amma's ashram and the Sivananda ashram. I don't think I will be as active online with the blog, so you can read up on the two ashrams where I will head if you want. I'm not going to twist your wrist or use my martial arts knowledge on you. I practice Ahimsa- non-violence besides the technology isn't Matrix yet and it would be hard to hit you with a snap kick or reverse punch all the way on the otherside of the world from India to America wouldn't it????

Links:
http://www.amritapuri.org/
http://www.sivananda.org/neyyardam/

now I can be a breatharian in the Himalayas

Now I can be a breatharian sadhu and go live on light Himalayas after....

I had the most amazing lunch and experience for about $1.08 American. The South Indian Thali lunch buffet was served on a banana leaf and it came to me. It was probably the best meal and eating experience of my life so far.

The food was Amazing and the service spectacular. It was all veg and several dishes I never had before or experienced.

My good Indian friend in Mysore took me around town on his 100 cc motorcycle. We went zipping around town visiting Ammachi of Kerela's school ages kindergarten to College. We went to the Gannapati Sachidananda ashram in Mysore. He is believed to be an incarnation of Brahma, the creator and his path to the Divine is through music.
All my experiences up to age 26 have prepared me for India. All my family has riden motorcycles since as long as I can remember, but riding a motorcycle in the crazy traffic of Mysore is a contemplation on impermance and good practice for letting go into the moment of chaos, diesiell fumes, cows, wind, and relaxing of my death grip to the back of the bike.

blessed by Ganesh

This elephant took two ruppees coins from my hand w/ each trunk then I took off my cap and it blessed my with his trunk to my forehead. One of my earilest memories is when my dad used to take me to Central Park in NYC and I would feed an elephant named Sheena pretzels.

A Name

A Name

My sanskrit name Gopala was given to me after living like a hindu monk for a month at the Yoga Farm in Grass Valley and completing my teacher training. http://www.sivananda.org/farm/
Gopala means protector of cows.

Gopal, Gopala - the compassionate and blissful protector of the Earth
Gopal is one of the names of Lord Krishna. Krishna is called Gopal, literally 'the protector of cows'. When Krishna was growing up in Gokulam as the adopted son of King Nanda of the cowherd people, he used to be very fond of taking the cows into the jungle to graze together with the other cowherds. He played a lot and was a source of joy and happiness for the boys. Once he saved the cows and his friends from a demon and took them to the sacred river Yamuna where the cows grazed on the banks. Lord Krishna and his cowherd friends decided to have a picnic on the banks of the river and sat down there to eat. While they were eating, the calves strayed far away in search of green grass and they got lost. So Krishna promised his friends to bring the calves back and he went away in search for them. Lord Brahma, the Creator, wanted to see the divine plays of Krishna and He hid the calves and the cowherds and watched what Lord Krishna would do. After searching all over the jungle, Krishna realized that this was the work of Brahma and He himself became the cowherd boys and the calves and returned home. The mothers of the cowherd boys bathed their boys and fed them, likewise the cows fed their calves.
After one year Brahma came back to Brindavan and found Krishna and his friends playing as usual. He wondered how this could be, since he had hidden the boys and the calves. As he watched them, he found all the boys turned into the form of Lord Vishnu, who is Krishna himself. Seeing this, Krishna removed his divine illusion and Brahma awakened and fell at Krishna's feet and worshipped Him. The original cowherd boys and calves thus reappeared on the banks of the Yamuna. They all asked Lord Krishna where he had gone as they were still waiting for him to start eating their meal. Like this there are many stories of how Lord Krishna protected and saved the cows and the cowherds from many dangers in the jungle. This incident reveals to us the presence of Lord Krishna in all living beings.

Sacred Cows

India has nearly 200 million cattle says my lonely planet. I'm not sure what the pop. of the United states is, but 200 million is a lot of sacred cows. I say them crossing roads, eating garbage, and they feel peaceful and gentle beings. It is sad that in America they are slaughtered to provide hamburgers to make people eat junk food and become overweight. The people here it mostly veg and food that is the real thing e.g. rice, veggies, fresh squeezed fruit juice, curds, yogurt, and so on.

more graffiti in India at the wall's of a children's school

Krishna

Krishna
by Alan G. Hefner
In Hinduism and Indian mythology Krishna is the eighth avatar or reincarnation of the god Vishnu. Also Krishna is one of the most popular Hindu gods. Tradition holds that Krishna saw Vishnu in a vision in which the former deity told Krishna to destroy Kamsa son of a demon, a tyrannical ruler of the world. Krishna's mother, Devaki, was Kamsa's half-sister. Kamsa already killed her first six sons because he had been told one of her sons would kill him. Krishna' brother, Devaki's seventh child, Balarama was miraculously saved by Vishnu.
Krishna was also saved when exchanged by his parents for the son of a herdsman Nanda and his wife Yasoda. With his foster parents Krishna spent a happy life playing boyish pranks and seducing the gopis (cow girls) and other rustic maidens. They found his flute playing irresistible. Legend has it he may have had 16,000 wives. But his favorite was Radha, daughter of his foster father.
According to legend Krishna was not only divine, but heroic as well. He is alleged to have defeated numerous dragons and monsters, and eventually as predicted, killed his half-uncle the tyrannical king Kamsa.
In the epic poem 'Mahabharata' he helps the Pandavas against the Kauravas, two families in contention. In the poem Krishna is depicted as divine. Also in the poem he delivers his celebrated oration 'Bhagavad-Gita' on duty and life to the troubled Hero Arjuna, for who he was a charioteer, on the eve of the decisive battle. This speech persuaded Arjuna that it was right to fight against his kinsmen.
His "Song of the Adorable One" is one of the great philosophical poems. There are certain parallels between his birth and infancy and that of Christ's which tend to link these two important figures together.
In art Krishna is usually portrayed as blue-skinned. Most modern scholars think Krishna and his brother Balarama represent the ancient heroes of the non-Aryan tradition that were adopted at a late date into the Hindu pantheon.

graffiti in India at the wall's of a children's school

Hanuman, the monkey god, is worshiped as the greatest devotee of Rama. He is also known as Hanumat and Pavan-Suta. His parents are Vayu (lord of winds) and Arijana. He is the god of wrestlers.

Bhakti and Hatha Yoga

"w/o pain there is no yoga" Jois

This photo reflects my bhakti yoga path or devotional path. The other yoga I practice is the 8 limbs of ashtanga yoga incorporated into each moment all the time. There is also the asana practice of the 8 limbs called hatha or sun/moon yoga. Ashtanga Yoga the 8 limbs and Ashtanga Vinyasa of Jois of Mysore, India.
My teachers in Boulder say, "Muscle pain is good, but joint pain is bad."
The 2 hour practice private lesson left all of my muscles in pain this morning. I had to rub on Ayurvedic oils just to get out and about after a soft yoga practice w/ Iyengar alignment using props, and bhakti practice in front of my shrine.
The Ashtanga Vinyasa practice is a hard serious practice. 6 days a week, 2 hours daily. It draws yoga students around the world to study with it's founder Jois here in Mysore. There are 6 series, but most stick with just the first one. They are done like kata of martial arts. Even professional athletes find the series challenging. One student here had a shoulder problem for 7 years and a senior practioner and teacher said that it is temporary. It is temporary if you view your practice in decades and not months or years.

Check out the link below for more on bhakti yoga, the 8 limbs of Ashtanga or Raja Yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa click on the links below:
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/philosophy/eightlimbs.html
http://www.ayri.org/
http://www.yogaworkshop.com/
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/bhakti/bhakti.html

Inspiration

I have kept the following on person and in my wallet for a few years now. It is time to shed my past and live in the moment. I will take the teachings into my life and recycle/reuse the paper.

circa 2003-2004
1. Be there for yourself. ---Gurmukh
2. Be aware of the breath and live in the present moment. ---Alan Arkin
3. Soft inner smile ---Richard Freeman
4. From my uncle----Dear Shane- Despite what our egos and the conventions of a consumer based materialistic society would have us believe- the flesh requires very little. Therefore, seek to live an outer life that gives congruence to the inner life you're called to. The more simple, the more humble, the better. Remember- less is more and true security comes not in having, but in not needing.
Love, ___________

circa 2004-2005
Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature: external and internal, do this by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy- by one, or more, or all of these and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, dogmas, rituals, books, or temples, or forms, are secondary details.
Swami Vivekanda

children in India

The children in India are all beautiful souls. The existence here is harsh for a lot of children, but they all have big hearts!

This group to the left I saw on the way to the internet cafe. They were all laughing and wanted to have their picture taken.

As an American yogi I feel like a celebrity to the local people in Mysore. It is like being a basketball player in Chi Town for the Chicago Bulls circa mid 90s w/ Jordan, Pippen, and Grant ruled the courts and the leauge.

The hardest thing so far is seeing and having the poor begger children beg while tugging on my clothes asked for rupees and pointing at their tummies. It is impossible to give money to all of them.

edible hair gel

Edible hair gel in India is the way to go. It might sound weird, but applying 100 percent coconut oil makes for a great hair gel. I like it better than the chemical kind back in America.

Merry Christmas to you!

Merry Christmas to my friends, family, and sangha
from Gopala Shane

I love each one of you. You inspire me and I hope I inspire you. I am a yogi on yatra- spiritual pilgramage, and you are a yogi in the world. Either raising a family, doing your job to serve humanity, or creating art to inspire others.

All the best for the New Year. Happy 2006!

Fini

from old blog:
gopala108.blogspot.com

Fini
This blog has ended. I hope it inspired you making you laugh, weep, smile, or frown. If you enjoyed it please send feedback. Comments or suggestions to the below email address. Perhaps I can send you a link to my new blog.Merry Christmas!
Thank youNamasteGopala Shane25 DEC 2005Mysore, Indiapoolsofmercury2003@yahoo.com

heaven in the afternoon, hell in the evening

Yesterday afternoon was blissful at the lunch, good food, good intentions, good company.
A few hours later it was hell. I hired a rickshaw driver from Green Leaf dinner to go to the Yogi Evening party. He spoke little English and I didn't have the address just a location of Tina's where it was near. So we drove around for over an hour stopping at different locations trying to find a Indian who spoke good english and knew of the yoga scene in Mysore. Finally he raised the fee up nearly double and I paid a little less because was it his fault for saying he knew where it was or was it mine because I didn't have the address handy?
Finally I got out at Kevin's another hang out place and he told me we were at Tina's. I hired another rick who agreed to 10 rupees, but once I got to the party location he demanded 30 ruppes. I paid 11 ruppes. Ahhh
At the pary 2 hours later and already physically exhausted from long day and early morning sore muscle body, downstairs was a dj playing dance and techno music, tray of dates, everyone gathered upstairs where there were candles illumanating set up with different sacred locations. I sat next to a professional photographer who lost his camera. He was from South Korea and spoke broken English. I had a few masla spice chips and some warm popcorn, some mingled like any other party, some drank booze in moderation of course. I went on the rooftop to spend some queit time to myself in front of this Buddha that I took a photo of. It was nice to practice shamata in a under populated area of the roof to ground me from the frustrating rickshaw ordeal of lost in translation communication and getting lost. I walked home and passed out soon after.

Yogi's Christmas lunch and benefit for orphanage

The lunch and benefit for the orphanage featured yogis from all over the world e.g. Sweden, Africa, London, America, Korea, China, Japan, Tawain, and so many others. It was like the United Nations of yogis gathered for an amazing lunch and gift giving celebration.
There was raw salad greens, roasted corn and cauliflower, tofu and veggie skewers, bread, buckwheat, w/ desert of icecream that was better than any I tasted back home.
Tofu and salad greens are hard to come by in India, and the food was 100 percent organic, so was a special treat for all the global nomadic yogis gathered together for the cause.

brining practice off the mat and into life

Aahh the life of dharma is a hard path to follow, but rewarding beyond words. The yogis I meet in my travels are happy and filled with santosha- contentment.
They put it into practice off the mat.
One of the Niyamas- observances of the 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga involves an ethical life practice of Santosha or contentment.

This is a friend I met from Maui. He is 52, looks a good decade or two younger. A lifelong martial artist, yogi, and vegetarian.

This picture was taking at Christmas eve party where we each recieved a rose and all the yogis donated gifts to the orphanage. I gave a flute as my gift to a future boy to grow up to become the next Krishna in this Yuga perhaps.

wake up to NOW in a rickshaw

On the other side of "Peace on Earth"
was a tiger with the words:
"Tommorow is too late, Live today."
These words rang loud as I drove around Mysore home from practice at the shala with death in front of me dodging wild dogs, cows, people, buses, scooter, motorcycles, street vendors, and so forth!!!!!!!

inside a rickshaw

Rickshaws are open taxis with a loud diesiell engine. They are the best way to get around places too far to work. Each rickshaw has a diety, God, Bolllywood star, sign, and inspiration in their rickshaw making it like a moving shrine or sacred space. The Rick driver I hired yesterday had the following "Peace on Earth" with an image of a tropical rainforest and waterfall!
Also......

breakfast in India

This is my typical breakfast. It is set dosa w/ cocunnut and other flavourful sauces and idali. The former is made from lentil flour like a pancake and the latter is made from rice flour. The sauces are on bottom left corner
This is a same bet to staying well in South India.
The North Cuisine is oilier, heavier and spicer.

a laundromat in India

After clean clothes are soaked, you hit them against the wall in the bathroom watching water fly off the cloth feeling the warm H20 against flesh, and use your Ashtangi yogi muscles to wring out the clothes. Then, you hang them up to air dry.

Next step

Transfer clothes to rinse from soapy water to red bucket with clean warm water. Let soak for a little bit, remove clothes turn bucket over to drain.

A Washing Machine in India

3 pieces, shirt, underwear, and mesh shorts.
All black and all soaking in warm water and organic shampoo from Boulder, CO.

tired and birthday

I'm tired as this Mysore wild dog on my left. Too much practice, too much fear of dreaming, up early for practice, too much masala, too much assult of the senses.
Tommorow I will sleep in to 6am and take a day of rest on Jesus's birthday. Happy Birthday Jesus. As Patti Smith said, "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine."
Yet Jesus was a great yogi and an incarnation of God in my eyes. So 2,000 something years since Christ was born, and 5,000 years ago since the Upanishads were recorded, and yogis practiced in the forest. May I say "Jai Jesus". Victory to Jesus. At kirtan last night we chanted "hallelujah and hare krishna". The words meshed eventually some chanted the former, some the latter. Paths are many, Truth is one. Different rivers to the same ocean. Respect one another's path and be merry. All is one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'Twas the Day Before Christmas in Mysore

'Twas the Day Before Christmas in Mysore.
I miss Boulder, family, friends, and sangha, but my morning sadhana won't wait. I am up at 5ish in the morn to do Bhakti-devotional practice in front of my shrine. 108 times on my mala to Lord Shiva. Had to eat early no later then 6am, bowl of museli-raw granola w/ soy milk, bucket shower that was warm and cool, outside it is misty, and 70s probably. I apply the Ayurvedic oils before and after shower. Drink some GSE- grapefruit seed extract and swallow couple of homepath for upset tummy from late night deep fried samosa. Need to stick to healthy thali to my right. Hired the rickshaw driver to take me to a private lesson from 8 to 10am w/ another yogi from China, we both do primary series in his living room. Use of props such as towel, and thin blocks for the jumpbacks. The Sri Patanjala Nilaya, the Mysore Mandala. Traditional Astanga Vinyasa Yoga in the lineage of Krishnamachar and Jois. A $12 American private lesson included massage. International Yogasana Teacher, my guruji for 2 hours. No photos in the shala-school, so my words will have to do unless you save up your shingles, quit your job, go for broke, and come with me to India.
Now at the internet cafe w/ 15 minutes left before hiring a rick at the coccunut stand to take me to Mr. Joseph's 14th Annual Yogi Christmas eve lunch, thali like above perhaps, w/ roses and "now" organic lunch. High noon in downtown Mysore. I will bring a wrapped flute that will go to a lucky girl at the Bapuji Ophanage. The evening I might rest or go to the "Yogaholics Anonymous 'Twas the night before Christmas party w/ flyer stating the following:
Mary: Oh, Hi Louis!
Louis: Hi Mary, You coming to the Xmas party?
Mary: What party?
Louis: Tonight at 7pm til late at my place, 2 houses from ________
Everyone is coming. Nigel will be Djing. It is going to rock
Mary: Oh I don't know louis there is practice the next day and I don't want to compromise my drop backs, you know I can nearly stand up and Jois told me that soon I can start Intermediate series and blah, blah, blah
Merry Christmas to all.
Om shanti shanti shanti
Peace Peace Peace

Ayurveda essential oils

A essential part of my daily ritual after asana practice is using and application of Ayurvedic oils. Each bottle can last a few years since the oils are potent and require no more than one drop.
I regularly use the following each day:
Frankenscence- relieve all of the body
Sandel w/ almond oil before showering- pains, muscles and joints
Lotus- for stress, rubbed around temples and under the nose
Water Lilly- to ward off mosquitoes, important to prevent malaria during hot or wet seasons,
1 drop spread over body lasts 10 hours
Musk- an aftershave, face, neck, and behind ears

To find out more about Ayurveda, dosas, and more check out the following links:
http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=373
http://www.ayurveda.com/
http://www.alandiashram.org/home.html
http://www.atreya.com/english/articles.html

This is what God looks like

My good friend took this shot of two of my closest friends in India, both Rickshaw drivers.
She came up with the caption for her blog:
"This is what God looks like"

Facing the picture: The man on my left is the person whose home I stayed in temporarlily. I had my own space next to his home and he was a great help when the roaches were crawling, the wild dogs barking, and having a manic episode.
I studied yoga with his oldest son age 18 at a shala frequented by most Indian people and a small number of Westerners.

The man on my right: I went over to his home for almond flavored milk. I met his wife, and two daughters ages 11 and 13. He gave me a Ganesh statue, his nicest piece in his display case as a gift.

I am sure these two men will remain friends for life on my future trips and life back in America when I return. They were extremely helpful in navigating "the mars inhabited by a handful of Western Yogis, the slums of Beverly Hills of Mysore, India".

Yoga Eye Exercises

Inhale look up, exhale look down, inhale right, exhale left......
NOW inhale clockwise, exhale counterclockwise!

NOW post last picture and sentence/word/vowel of the day and go have biggest meal of the day, the best thali in Mysore!!!

aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

Olympics of Songs for the Deaf

Here is the tunes I listen to most every day. Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan, John Frusciante mix cd from D.C. Ep, Curtains, and Ataxia. Kirtan mix from Sivananda, Bhagavan Das, and Krishna Das, S.O.S. (Shitload of Songs) A mix cd featuring Patti Smith, Jane's Addiction, RHCP, J.F., Velvet Underground, MC5, the Ramones, Nirvana, Yoga Shala invocation to Patanjali, the Doors, Hendrix, and ones I forget as my blood sugar drops and I prepare to eat a all you can eat thali vegetarian buffet w/ the best quaility, healthy, authentic, homemade cusine in all of Mysore for $1.50 American.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Peace Peace Peace

Mooooooore writings from a music feind writer yogi

I have been fine health wise on a physical level for two weeks, expect yesterday I ate some ill food and got the runs all night. Mentally I am getting better each day. If you are an herbalist reading this please email directly.
I took Cinchona Officinalis- homeopath pelets, charcoal, Grapefruit seed extract, and oregeno oil drop. It seems to be gone now, but wonder if I get sick again how to treat it. I can buy some Ayurvedic herbs, but the western herbs might be better??? What would you do to treat the runs if in India?
I kept drinking masala chai tea and the language barrier was a pain, so they said it was herbal, meanwhile I drink all this caffeine 5 cups a day and never had it in my life, it sent me into the God realm, mania, seeing Shiva, like an LSD/ecstasy trip and I nearly get fucking killed and have a manic eposide, so back on the Western meds that they told me to take and would be on forever and proved them wrong 7 months of 3-4 jobs, 6 hours kirtan, sitting practice at the intentional Buddhist Community, relationship, and 12 hours a week of asana. Ahhhhhhhh
Yoga and writing are boons to mankind. I know the feeling of too much going on back home. I am not a trustfundarian- kid who dresses like a bohemian or counterculture, but is a fake and really doesn't need to spange- ask for money, but has a million dollar inhertence and has never worked a moment in this lifetime, sorry if I offended anyone for the clarity of a Boulderite trustfundairan sounds like rastafarian. I am blessed to be able to focus on practice and writing in India. I feel that when you boil it down I am a kindred to many i.e. writing, practice, travel, and so on. Exterior I might look like a hip hop yogi, grunge circa 90s alternative rocker, or a hippie, but boil it down and I am a kindred to the Buddhist, Hindus, Yogis, Punks, Hippies, 9 to 5 er. I try to see every being as divine as part of my Bhakti path. We all come from emptiness and return to emptiness!!
It is all one!!!!!!!

Ears ring and batteries die again

I listen to too much music. My ears throb and ring. It is my way of getting drunk, overeating, watching television and escape. A habitual pattern started years ago. Because you can only do asana so much until your body screams, you can eat so much until tummy is full, you can only drink so much yummy B.R. herbal tea until you have to pee, you can only make love so much, but music you can listen to 8-10 hours a day while doing all of the above until ears ring a bit or your rechargable batteries die, so you hop a rick to the internet cafe to write this blog entry for you to weep or smile while reading this.

My eyes have seen you...
Took this shot in the morning using my eye cover given to me by Judy to keep my hair out of my face. Practice was from 5 to 7am, no asana, but seated meditation in front of shrine and mantra mediation on a mala- 108 beaded sandelwood, Krishan mala,
chanting 108 times alternating between sanskrit and English. My mantra in sanskrit "om namo bhagavate vasudevaya" many different translations, but here is one that can make it easy to follow:
"I surrender to..........
God, the Divine, Atman, indwelling God, indwelling guru, Buddha nature
who or that removes false pride and ego!"

other sadhana or spiritual practice

My other Sadhana is writing until the ink runs dry, each page is a canvas to bleed onto the page from my heart of hearts. Here is a page from one of my 4 notebooks!

A Coffee Shop in India

A Draft called "When"

When
(dedicated to my greatest muse Momma India and to you the reader taht inspires me, supports me, hoping this piece brings a smile to your face, or a tear to your eye)

When the bucket water for a shower is warm
When the Western shower is cold
When the squat toliet smells like shit
When the Western toliet has no T.P. and you use your left hand
When your breakfast is either oatmeal, cup of juice or soymilk, salty dosa, handful of almonds, handful of raisains, or sugar sweet dates
When your lunch costs $1.50 and is greater than any lunch you ever had in your life e.g. potoe pea curry, bitter gourds, cucs, beets, carrotts, desert, basmati rice w/ ghee and so on....
When you wake up at 5 am to do 2 hours of sadhana daily e.g. mantra meditation, pranyama, asana, shamata, etc.
When I'm content w/o an "i Pod" listening to a ten year old discman w/ scratched cds that skip
When my "television" is listening to my discman bought at "the Wiz' in Money Makin' Manhattan aged 19 circa 1998
When I listen to John Fruscinate, best friend on acoustic LP, and kirtan w/ Bhagavan Das and Krishna Das until my ears shake and recharagable batteries die
When all of the above don't matter
When I experience all, some, or none of these in a given day, yet still smile or weep another day lived in the beauty and chaos of Momma India,
yet fall asleep after shamata meditation and lying in shavasana corpse pose

My shrine includes watch reading NOW, given to me by Judy, a rose, flower garlands, Ganesh statue made of rosewood given to me by my friend, sandlewood Krishna mala, bronze mini Ganesh- elephant deity, son of Shiva and remover of obstacles, the rosewood Ganesh was a gift given to me by a friend, a rickshaw driver, photos of girlfriend, and family reunion w/ Pop and my 2 brothers, and postcard of Lord Shiva! I know I'm forgetting something.

ritual and practice

My morning sadhana begins at 5am in front of my shrine and includes the following:
mantra meditation, japa, pranyama, asana, shamata, and practice of the corpse pose.
This morning ritual usually takes until 7am and is a great way to start the day.

Begin the Begin

Here is the first sentence of the new blog. I hope I will figure out how to upload the pics. Just had an amazing N. Indian thali lunch and sipping filtered water at 2 something in the afternoon on 20 something of Dec.

Om Namah Shivya!!!!