Ganeshpuri 1

I am so happy to be here! I spent a lot of time cautioning myself about the discomforts of being in India. You may have heard me say that I was having a hard time remembering all the things that were uncomfortable about India before the bliss kicked in. It took a few days last time. Not this time, though. The bliss is so palpable here. And you know what? The things that seemed so uncomfortable last time don’t seem so bad right now. I may have a different story on a different day, but right now, everything just feels so right. So very right. 

I’ve had people caution me about spending too much of my time posting to this blog. Many of you have made it clear that I shouldn’t feel pressure to post regularly. And I considered that. But you know what? There is no pressure. Putting words to your experience is so important and valuable. Sound familiar? You may have heard this teaching before, when we are encouraged to journal after meditation or share the differences that we notice in a marker pose. Putting words to your experience makes it more real. It cements it in there. I can do that with these posts. Just like with the daily dose of yoga, it’s as much a practice for me as it is something for you to read. 

I am writing to you from the second-floor gallery (veranda) at Yogini’s guest house. It’s about 8am, and the temperature is a cool 70 degrees. There is a fan set on high (I don’t know if the fans here have any other setting – lol!) and a delicious breeze coming through. I am enjoying this now because the high today is 105. I am feeling great – rested and caught up from my epic journey halfway around the world. Let me catch you up on what I’ve been up to. It feels so right to be writing to you after my morning sadhana with a cup of coffee by my side. Just like at home! 

The issues with the airline made for a slow departure from the airport. After waiting in the customs line for a long time, there was paperwork to be filled out at the lost and found. I was amazed at how busy the Mumbai airport was at midnight. They have most of their flights arriving in the middle of the night, and it’s not very busy during the day. I really felt for the people working at the lost and found. Nobody gave them a heads up that a plane full of people without luggage and information were heading their way. Talk about a blindside!

Nevertheless, they were gracious and accommodating. I finally made it out of the airport around 1:30am. I met Moti and Viral when I came outside, and Viral drove me to Ganeshpuri, which is just over two hours away. After getting a little settled in my room, freshening up and changing my clothes, I took the five minute walk down Temple Rd to Nityananda’s temple for the early morning ceremonies. The ceremonies are performed to the life size statue of Nityananda. The first ceremony is an Abishek, which is a holy bath with water, milk, jaggery, honey, and yogurt. Every day they bathe Nityananda’s statue with great devotion, and then dress the statue (he is seated) with a loincloth and a beautiful shawl. They place a hat adorned with feathers and pearl on his head, and hang malas and garlands of flowers around his neck. All this to the sound of a brahmin priest chanting. It is a powerful experience.

The temple has a large hall, and you sit on a hard marble floor. There is a thin carpet on the floor, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of padding. I was thinking ahead this year when I put a backpack on my Christmas list. Not only can I carry the things I need in it, it makes a nice cushion to sit on! After Abishek is Arti, which is a candle flame ceremony. One of the brahmin priests waves a candle flame or flames in front of Nityananda’s statue. They start with a single flame, and their trays get larger and more elaborate as the ceremony goes on. My favorite part is the last tray the priest receives. It is a round silver tray, similar in size and shape to a tray a server would bring you your drinks on in a restaurant. There are a dozen or more cotton wicks soaked in ghee (clarified butter), stuck to the lip of the tray, and lit. As they burn, their flames get bigger. It is mesmerizing to watch the priest wave the flames in circles. The Arti is accompanied by chanting, and I know some of the chants. I love to sing along! The time goes so quickly in the temple! These ceremonies take 2 hours, and it feels like 5 minutes. 

I realize I’m halfway through my second page, and I haven’t gotten past the first three hours I was in Ganeshpuri – lol! After the temple, I headed back to Yogini’s place and crashed. I thought I would only sleep a couple of hours, but five hours was really what I needed. When I woke up, Bharti, who is Yogini’s caretaker, tracked me down and invited my up for some lunch. I delight in the cuisine here – very simple, very flavorful, and very plentiful. I have learned not to empty my dish unless I want more. And sometimes that doesn’t even work! As we were eating, some of the other guests staying here returned. There is a fellow from London, one from Yugoslavia, and another from India. There is a woman also from India, and a woman from Venice . All of us are solo travelers, and Yogini creates a lovely home for us. 

I rushed through my after-lunch coffee so that I could prepare for my next holy ceremony. So many holy ceremonies! Yogini told me I needed to wear a sari for the ceremony. For those of you unfamiliar with what I think is traditional Indian dress, there are saris and punjabis. Saris consist of a halter top that shows your belly, a cotton slip that is like a long skirt that you tie around your waist, and a long piece of fabric that gets wrapped around you to make a dress. I don’t know how to wrap a sari, so there are local women that dress me. It’s quite an experience! A punjabi is a whole outfit - a long shirt, pants and a scarf. 

Truth be told, I started this post hours ago, and am just getting back to my computer. I want to post this, and I need to go upstairs for some social time and chai. 😊 To be continued… 

Actually, now it’s my bedtime. When I tried to post this earlier, I was unable to because there was no power and I wrote this on my laptop. With no power, there was no router. Why no power? On Fridays, from 9 or 10am to 7pm there is no power in Ganeshpuri. They send it somewhere else in India. The village has accommodated with lots of battery backups, but modems are not considered necessary and not connected to the backup. So, now I bid you good day, and I am off to sleep!