Rejuvination Time...

 

Hello from beauiful Pokhara! (actually Sedi Bagar)

The picture above is where I am over the course of the next 10 days , nestled in the mountainside (right now with a cool breeze coming in the window & listening to crickets)

It should be interesting. Even though as part of my previous alternative medicine practices, I've done both a five day fast on my own more than once & colonics through my nutritionist, have never combined them,  much less with yoga.

This is my itinerary ....

AM
05:30	Wakeup
05:45	Pre-Meditation practice
06:00	Meditation
07:00	Tea Break
07:15	Neti Kriya (Nasal Cleansing)
07:30	Morning Yoga
08:45	Mountain Hiking
09:45	Breakfast
10:30	Mud or Steam bath
PM
12:00	Pre-Meditation practice
12:15	Meditation (in class or on your own)
1:00	Lunch
3:00	Talk
3:30	Karma Yoga
4:00	Tea Break
4:30	Chanting
5:30	Evening Yoga
7:00	Dinner
8:00	Retiring

7th and 8th day will be fasting and general practice of yoga.
9th day will be total flushing day; Gastro-intestinal cleansing (Shanksprakshalana) and total rest afterward.
10th day will be practice of yoga and breathing exercises to ensure that everything is back to normal.
Morning of 11th day at 8:30 AM is farewell breakfast and departure

Just returned from the "orientation" which was soooo well organized, even got a bound 30 page book on the course. So far I am very impressed. We learned a peace prayer in Sanskrit & had one of the most amazing meals in my 30 days here.

The neti pot nasal cleansing is something I've tried before, & couldn't quite do(since I'm afraid of water, all that water rushing up my nostrils, felt like I was drowning while standing over the bathroom sink...lol) So, another great opportunity to stretch my comfort zone!

Namaste from Nepal...

Annie

When in Rome....Itinerary Detour...

Happy Thursday from Kathmandu...

Since I've been sick for a week now with some respiratory ailment, I believe due to a combo of inhaling Kathmandu soot for a month & almost no protein in my diet, I'm taking a detour. 

When you're in one of the areas in the world which founded yoga,  it just plain makes sense to get better by going to a cleansing yoga retreat.

After a month at the hostel, I'm taking a mini weekend  & treating myself to a nicer hotel in Pokhara, which is 7 hours by bus from Kathmandu, on a lake, for 3 days (& to go in search for some serious meat to eat),

http://www.barahi.com/

(4 star hotel at $60/night)

Then, Oct 15-25, going to the retreat.

http://www.sadhana-asanga-yoga.com/yoga-holiday.html

(Lonely Planet names this place #25 of over 141,000 things to do in the world, not a bad review)

Should be shiny & new to come back to Kathmandu for my last 2 weeks before entering Kopan.

Be well....
Annie

The Nuts & Bolts of theTrip

The Purpose of the Trip:  `

 

From Boardroom to Buddhism, The Nuts & Bolts of it:

From Boardroom:
I had a job where I was in charge of 2 businesses & 33 employees.  I pushed myself to the brink of what is humanly possible, working 12 hr days for up to 30 days straight. I was there on Christmas Eve & Day.  I barely had time to do laundry, pay bills & get groceries.  I thought about it from the time my eyes opened in the morning to the second I fell asleep at night.  I had completely lost any sense of balance in my life.  I felt like I had so much riding on the success of this job, having moved across the country for it & would put every ounce of effort I had to make it work. 

 When I decided to quit & had left, it was like a runaway train coming to a screeching halt.  My body & mind had been constantly functioning at at such an intense speed for 9 months, & now I got up & didn’t have a full time job to go to.  I was in “career detox.,” literally coming down from the grueling pace of life I’d created.

“Career Detox”: The 5 month Transition:

 

·         Luckily, I had kept my foot in the door with my previous job.  I quickly picked up hours at multiple sites, met & worked with so many wonderful people, & had time to contemplate & plan the trip I’m on.

 

·          I took long, meditatiave walks along the ocean where I cleared my mind.

 

·         A handful of times, I attended meditation & lectures at a Buddhist temple.

 To Buddhism

·         Compassion: After the 9 month job, not only did inner peace & tranquility sound good, but compassion as well.  I’m in the health care field & I think it takes someone with a certain amount of innate compassion to enter such a career.  I’m talking about inner compassion for oneself as well.

·         Happiness: I’m looking forward to learning what the Buddhists consider happiness & seeing the good in situations without the denial of your circumstances. 

…And Beyond:

·         Every work place has a boatload of different personalities to deal with, some more challenging than others. There are bosses, peers, employees, & in my case, patients.

·         And today, just about every job comes with an amount of stress.  You may not be able to take the stress out of the job, but you can change the way it affects you & the way you react to it.

·         I would like to think I can not only utilize the tools I plan to learn in studying Buddhism for my own benefit, but intend for it to spill over into my professional life, & to take Buddha to work with me daily in my management style. 

·         Part of the “Code of Ethics” of my company is to “Take care of the employee.”  I hope to return  & incorporate  a whole new aspect of that concept through more patience, empathy, & compassion.

 

 

The Road to Buddhism: Take One

 

 

 

..The Road to Buddhism, “Take One”:

When you make a decision to do something,shift (shit) happens:

I may not know much about Buddhism at this point, but I think I’ve heard somewhere that patience plays into the philosophy. I’ve certainly had loads of opportunity to practice patience:

 Patience, Numero Uno :

·         As part of my volunteer package to teach Buddhist monks English, the organization said you would be able to meditate, chant, & learn Buddhism from the monks.

·         We met the 1^st day at 7:00AM at a specific place near the monkey temple monastery where it was supposed to take place at 7:00AM.  We were told the chanting happened at 9:00AM & to come back at that time.

·         My fellow volunteer went at 9:00AM. It turned out there were no monks chanting, but she attended a great yoga class. 

·         The next day was the same, yoga, no monks.

·          The 4^th day we spoke w/ our monk contact in Swayambhu Monastery & got the final verdict that the monks meditate in their temple (stupa) at 5:00AM daily.

·         There is no way for me to get there that early daily so I will go once/week.

·         Due to this twist of events, I will be taking my initial journey into Buddhism into my own hands.

Baby Step #1:

Buying Books on Buddhism:

Kopan Monastery (where I will be spending the last 50 of my 100 days in Nepal in retreats & what I’m calling “Buddha Boot Camp”) provided me an extensive (100 or so) reading list of books.  I’m starting with 2 books written by The Dalai Lama, “The Heart of the Buddha’s Path” & “All you ever wanted to know from his Holiness The Dalai Lama on Happiness, Life, Living, & Much More.”

 

Baby Step #2:

Visiting Kopan Monastery:

I have a decision to make on where to spend the free time I will have when my volunteer commitment ends at the end of Oct.  My retreat in Kopan Monastery begins on  Nov. 11, but I can begin my stay as early as Nov. 5.  I needed to check out my next digs to see how badly I need to go to Italy for pizza for a week or Sweden for a spa (I am in serious “Foodie” withdrawl & a spa sounds heavenly)

 So I took an hr. cab ride (the driver had to ask for directions 5 times & I finally called Kopan & put a monk on the phone to talk him in). It is serene & gorgeous with gardens, far above the city, removed from the dusty streets of Kalanki. The contrast will make me all that more grateful when I arrive.

 

MUSIC MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND III:

As we sat on the road to Chitwan, a Nepali teenager next to my fellow volunteer was listening to music on her I phone. The volunteer saw it was Adele & commented on it. They had a great conversation on Adele & her music & the Nepali girl let her listen to her I phone for a while.

 Bonus opportunities for practicing Patience:

·         My “Mini Monks”: In light of the fact that I grew up an only child, have never babysat a day in my life, & have no children of my own, my experience in being around children is basically nil.  Teaching 12 children ages 5-12  is a whole new ball game for me. I’ve found out that just because they’re monks, they aren’t born zen’d out.  They punch, stab with pens, run around, & have a miniscule attention span. I do really love them & am enjoying the experience getting to know their individual personalities.

 

·         ATM’s: I’ve just accepted that getting money out in Kalanki is not one errand, but many.  Usually, by the 4^th ATM, I’ll find one that’s working.

 

·          Living w/ 18 people:  I remember when I visited my friend in New Zealand & her family a few years back. It took me about a week to pinpoint why I felt so out of sorts & strange in the house. It was all the people (7) & the constant conversation & noise I simply wasn’t used to having lived  by myself for 26 years.  This round in the hostel, it’s still an adjustment, but an easier transition.  

 Old World Meets New World, Take II:

Even though women really do not leave the house (overall), must cover up in how they dress, can’t smoke in public, & there are arranged marriages,there is a “Nepali Idol” fashioned after “American Idol” TV show.

My Phone # In Nepal.....

Phone Calls:

I got a Nepali phone.

I am 11 hrs ahead of San Francisco (7;30AM San Fran = 8:30 PM Nepal)

From the US, 001 977 980 366 9595

Text messages have been really easy back & forth.

I can call for 1.5 CENTS per minute, crazy cheap.

 

Will be able to Skype soon.

Filling in the Details of the trip..

**PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST ANY QUESTIONS  YOU’D LIKE ME TO ANSWER ON MY EXPERIENCES, COMMENTS,  & SUBSCRIBE SO YOU WILL BE ALERTED WHEN I MAKE A POST**

Wed, Oct. 3, 2012:
NEPAL
OLD WORLD MEETS NEW WORLD, TAKE ONE:
One of my new Nepali friends told me that her marriage was an arranged one. It is still frequent in today’s society. Although they would go on one or two dates before they were actually wed, once they talked on the phone, they “Facebook Friended” each other so they could see what each other looked like right away.
THE PEOPLE
Lifespan:
…the average in Nepal  is 64 yrs old. 
Indiginous People:
One of the many is the “Taru” of the Chitwan area.  They built their homes of cow dung & mud.  They don’t smell & look sturdy.

THE DRESS & THE WEATHER:

It is offensive for a woman to expose your shoulders or wear anything above the knee, which  has made for burning a lot of calories due to the heat & humidity up til now.  I got here at the end of monsoon season & it rained for a week.  Now it’s sunny daily, it the mid 80’s during the day with high humidity.  Cools off at night now that it’s Oct, but spent many sweaty nights at 1^st.

THE HOSTEL:

..is run by a couple in their 20’s.  They have an adorable (mischievous) 3 yr old who manages to get into everything.  It sleeps 14 people.  The rooms are co-ed.  Most volunteers come through for a day or two on their way from the airport to their project (hospital, orphanage, conservation—weeding gardens).  Some stay a week for the language program, which is 3 hrs/day for 5 days. Since I have a problem using a hole in the ground as a toilet, I’m the only person here for 5 weeks who isn’t moving on to a host family for the duration.  It is fun to constantly meet new travelers from all over.  There are no tempurpedic beds here & it took a few weeks of AM stretching for my back to adjust to the 2 “ mattress on a board..

THE FOOD:

“Dahl” (rice) -“Bhat” (lentils)  is the traditional food eaten 2-3 meals per day in Nepal.  They eat mostly a vegetarian diet.  Cows are sacred.  We get served protein ever y 2-3 days..  At the hostel we have a good variety of potatoes in curry, sometimes mixed w/ eggplant.  Eggs, pancakes, & cornflakes for breakfast.  Chicken soup for dinner & noodles w/ a taco like shell. 

 For the Foodies:  The Taru people make a snail soup, where they soak the whole snail in flour 12 hours so it shits, then make the soup w/ tons of garlic & ginger.  They suck the snail from the shell .

 (I have found the Oreo’s & Twix at the grocery across the street)

HOW MUCH THINGS COST:

The bus is 15cents.  A cab is $2.50 to the tourist area.  I got a traditional dress w/ lining & pants  made from material I picked out & sewn at the tailor for $14.  I can barter (which is fun) to get a 100% Cashmere or Pashmina shawl for about $11, which would cost about $90 in the states. 

CUSTOMS:

Smoking:
Women aren’t allowed to in public..
SUPERSTITIONS:
Snakes on the buildings:
Our hotel guide said that some buildings have carved snakes over the entrance to the building.  Since snakes are  poisonous, they can absorb & take away poison & evil. .They absorb the poison & purify you as you enter the building.

NEW WORLD MEETS OLD WORLD, TAKE “II:

 As I was walking down the street in Chitwan shopping, I saw a horse & buggy stopped in the road.  Traffic had come to a halt as there was, at the corner, a  Nepali MTV music video being shot complete with scantily clad lead girl singing & a group of back up boy dancers, doing moves something like Michael Jackson’s Thriller video.  The horse & buggy patiently waited as the music blared, director said cut, & make up was touched up.

SIGHTSEEING:

Bouddhanath Tibetan Buddhist :
This is an area of Kathmandu where most of the Tibetan  refugees live.  It has stores built in a circle around the temple, almost looking like a city of it’s own.
Jabar Park:
…. a very nice park with a river running through it,  not far from the chaos of Kathmandu.  

OVERNIGHT WITH A HOST FAMILY IN THE VILLAGE OF LAMITAR:

Village of 7,000 people in the stix.  20 people lived in the house.  Very quiet, simple life,( but of course the teenagers were on Facebook in the bedroom we were staying in).  They had 5 or 6 local teenage girls come at night & do a top 40 Nepali style MTV dance of sorts (to music on  an I Phone b/cause the power was out)

VACA WITHIN A VACA: GETAWAY TO CHITWAN:

I took 4 days/3 nights to Chitwan National Park, a 6-7 hr. bus ride away.
Geogrpahy:
The gorgeous (post monsoon), green countryside was breathtaking.  We wound around, up and down, lush green mountains where water ran down all around from the rains.  Although it was a start contrast to Kathmandu, the amount of dust from the roads was still incredible.
White Water Rafting: Pushing my comfort zone:
In light of the fact that I’m simply terrified of water & can’t swim, the decision to go white water rafting  (it was the lowest of grade) was really pushing the envelope for me.  When the guide was in the middle of explaining that if the raft capsizes, to get out from under it, I actually did try to bow out, but couldn’t because our tour guide had already taken off.  It was such a paradoxical experience b/cause the scenery was simply beautiful, to see,  but I was scared every second. ( Didn’t help that I was w/ 14 people from Spain who didn’t speak English & didn’t understand the commands on which way to row the oars.)..lol
Canoe Ride looking for Crocodiles: (Round 2 in the water)
I was actually fine not seeing any.  The canoe made from a hollowed out tree, was only a few  inches above the water & if any of the  6 people moved even  a little, the entire thing rocked quite a bit. 
When a male (bull) elephant disobeys the “Alpha” male in the pack he is ostracized & kicked out.  The most dangerous animal in the jungle is a lone male bull elephant.  He is a crazy one & will rip your head off in an instant.  There was one spotted the morning of our canoe ride, so our guide did not canoe back up the river. He took a car instead.
Bathing wi/ elephants:
By now, I could get in the water.  This was the most fun of my excursion. We sat on the elephant’s back as they dipped their trunk into the river & poured the water over us again & again.
Riding Elephants:
We saw a rhino.  It was 2 & ½ hrs & really cool.
Elephant Breeding Center:
 Each elephant has 3 keepers.  It takes 6 yrs to train to be an eolephant handler & it is a profession passed down from father to sonThe term having “a memory like an elephant” is true.  Our guide told a story of a trainer who had somehow blinded an elephant.  The trainer hadn’t been around the elephant for years & later went back to it.  The elephant remembered the trainer’s scent, picked him up in his trunk, & smashed him to the ground, killing him.
Jungle Walk:
When the guide said it was a “walk” (versus a ride in a jeep), I said, “Well, the guides with us will carry a gun, right?”  The answer was no, they carry a stick.. I was sick & didn’t go. (3 bouts of diarrhea in 2 & ½ weeks in the overall adjustment…knowing what you can & can’t eat).  The other volunteer had 2 guides.  They saw a rhino & 1 guide ran.  The other stood there so the rhino wouldn’t charge. A tiger won’t attack a human unless he’s had a taste of human blood.  Then he becomes addicted to it, & leaves the jungle to hunt humans.  The guide said we were fine & not to worry.  Then said they just killed 2 tigers recently who came into the village.
Cultural Dance:
I’ve seen numerous cultural dances around the world in the countries I’ve been to, but none was more fascinating than the Nepali one.   I now understood why they don’t need guns in the jungle.  It’s done with sticks that move so fast all around their bodies & you know it’s self defense dancing as with other cultures.

**UP & COMING**

The coordinator for my Buddhist Monastery Teaching project said he’d take me in Nov. when it cools off  to the actual city where Buddha was born, which is about 11 hrs. away.  It is a small city where all countries who practice Buddhism are currently building shrines.

MUSIC MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND, TAKE II:

As we sat on the city bus the other week, a Nepali man in his early 20’s struck up a conversation w/ the volunteer next to me.  It began w/ “Do you know Bryan Adams?”  As the volunteer was 24, she vaguely knew the name.  The Nepali man began to rattle off Bryan Adam’s hit songs beginning with “Summer of ’69.”  I guess Bryan Adams came to Nepal & did a show. A conversation ensued between the two of them on 80’s pop singers .

 

Durbar Square in Kathmandu