Focus Yoga

With the exception of the pouring rain and mud, this has been a really good day.

We are now on the Himalayan Institute's Khajuraho campus. I haven't been able to post as there is no internet connection. Also, I'll say it again, please forgive the poor writing and spelling errors. Conditions are not so comfortable for writing, I'm typing on an iPad on my lap in a tent, and so quality control is weak.

Campus is situated in a valley between two ridges, and it is about 8 kilometers from the town of Khajuraho. It is much quieter than Allahabad. There are no blaring loudspeakers. But, we do hear monkeys screaming at night. This is considered the "jungle" although it is still arid, and not very lush.

We have been to see the temples of Khajuraho, a major tourist attraction. These temples are made of sandstone and the exteriors are completely encrusted with carvings. The carvings are themed in three ascending horizontal layers. The bottom layer represents daily life and activities, basic human existence. These are what the temples seem to be best known for, the erotic carvings. The next two layers ascend in their spiritual emphasis, with the top layer representing spiritual attainment.

We spent time wandering and viewing the temples, and then went outside into the town. The girls had heard rumors of a cafe that served pizza, and there was no rest until we hit that spot. I really wasn't interested at first, but after seeing coffee and cake on the menu, it seemed like a better idea and I have to admit it really filled an empty space nicely.

One of the perks of being here is that we get to hear the spiritual leader of HI, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait speak frequently. His talks are entertaining, a bit rambling, full of stories, and use the new shrine that has just been built as a starting point. Panditji is a scholar of the scriptures and Sanskrit. The shrine is beautiful, and a wonderful place to meditate.

When on a walk on the road outside, Doug and I ran into Panditji and his wife one morning. He pointed to a small family walking through a field back to the road we were on. He said that he and his wife had been watching as they went up to the electric fence of the property and one of the locals working as HI staff handed some food through the fence. He said that hunger is the most painful condition, and that the hungry in India are largely ignored. He said its also challenging to come in and try to help as there are those that will find out and try to extort payment in return for "allowing" the help to go to those in need. It's best to keep your efforts quiet. In America we have soup kitchens and other ways of offering aid, and largely treat those in need with respect, something not done in India.

Sunday
Promises to be sunny, which will help dry things out. One daughter has been suffering from GI issues, and I now have a cold, which is a bit different from the cough that's pervaded camp. All fun in the dampness and rain.

We had a trip to Jata Shankar scheduled yesterday, but because of the rain, only about 35 of our group of 150 elected to go. We were in that group, and I'm so glad we went.    Is a village and shrine built into the side of a mountain. It was about a 2 hour bus ride away, and you know you've reached some sort of rope-end when a two hour bus ride sounds appealing. But, when we arrived, the rain stopped for the most part, making things muddy but manageable. The village is beautiful, colorful and crumbly, with a layer of trash and mud covering the ground, colorful paintings and tiles on the walls, and monkeys climbing the rooftops. We climbed stairs to the top, where there was a small shrine, and where they kept a very auspicious bull. This bull was born with three eyes, and developed three horns. He is kept very well, and my girls enjoyed that.

On the way down the mountain, we turned off the main path into a small shrine built into the mountainside, like a small cave. We took off our shoes and went inside, where the swami and several other men were playing a shruti box, drums, tingshaws (spelled incorrectly, I know) and some other instruments, singing kirtan-style chants. We sat on the stone floor. There was a fire built off to one side, and it was smoky. The music was wonderful, and we sat there for the longest time. The swami offered to let us play his shruti box and when he decided he played enough, he went into the little shrine. We made our offerings, he blessed us, and we went on our way.

There were rows of little stands offering cheap plastic jewelry, bindis, etc., and while there wasn't much we were really interested in, we bought some things from several stands.

A high point is always the friendliness of people. We are like celebrities, often stopped and asked to have pictures taken. Rows of young boys line up to shake the girl's hands while a friend snaps a picture. Or, they want us to take a picture of them with our camera. They laugh and admire the results, then thank us, not caring that they'll never see the picture again, just happy it exists.

We arrived home fulfilled and in time for chai. I went to fill a bucket with hot water to wash out muddy socks, and began popping Thieves for the cold I felt coming on. Another cold night last night, but the sun is now out, and it's going to be a good day.