This was me about six years ago, after yoga teacher training. Photo by Christine Lynes.
Starting today, February 18, 2012, I am undertaking a 30-day yoga challenge: for the next 30 days, I will go to one yoga class a day at Lila Yoga Studio. I am giving myself this challenge because I have essentially spent most of the last three years sitting at my desk, and on my computer, working very hard to get my travel writing and travel blogging career off the ground. I have often worked 16-hour days, writing, organizing Toronto Travel Massive events, building social media relationships, pitching story ideas to online and print publications, trying to get sponsors for Breathedreamgo – all the myriad things it takes to build a successful career.
The toll it has taken on my physical health is a bit grim. Six years ago, in 2004-5, I trained to become a vinyasa yoga teacher, and by the end of the training I was in peak shape and I felt great. From then to now I feel I have aged 20 years: I feel heavy, stiff, out of shape and I’m worried about my spine and joints. Sitting is a killer, there is no doubt about it. So I am taking this yoga challenge to get my energy flowing and my body moving; to lose some weight; and to get back into my yoga practise.
Please follow my journey — which I will update weekly here on Breathedreamgo and more regularly on Twitter and the Breathedreamgo Facebook page.
The moment it hit me I was in India: mosque at Qutab Minar complex, Delhi 2005
It was six years ago today, December 6, 2005, that I landed in Delhi, India for the first time. It was Day One of my six-month odyssey; the start of my trip-of-a-lifetime; and the beginning of a new chapter in life, I hoped.
On my first morning in India, I stepped out into the warm December sunshine of my friends’ big, white, marble terrace in South Delhi and felt I had landed in heaven. It was warm, I was surrounded by a loving family and I was finally in India — a place I had dreamed of since childhood, but never thought I would ever see. I felt an immediate affinity with India; it was like going “home.” But I had absolutely no idea where the next six months would lead, what would happen, or what I would get out of the experience. (more…)
Mick, Mariellen, Katy at Intrepid Travel, Toronto Travel Massive meetup, photo by Natalie Taylor
Thanks to everyone who donated to the fundraising project for Deepalaya through The Intrepid Foundation. Due to the generosity of friends, family, acquaintances and complete strangers, I was able to raise $1,272.00 for The Intrepid Foundation, which supports Deepalaya, a program that houses and educates street kids in Delhi. The Intrepid Foundation is matching the amount raised, which means that $2,544.00 will be going to Deepalaya. To read more about the contest, read Donate and win. To read about the winners, read more. (more…)
Remember this?Back in the day, we carried a thick, cardboard, wax-coated box around with us as we went from door to door, trick-or-treating, on Hallowe’en night. It was the UNICEF box, and we expected each household to contribute to our collection by inserting coins through the top. As the box filled and became heavier, the sound of the coins landing became more satisfying. Thunk! instead of ch-ch-ingle. And when we got home and spilled pennies, nickels, dimes and the occasional quarter onto the floor, we enjoyed adding it all up to see our final tally for UNICEF. My mother, who was truly a Great Soul, taught us about UNICEF’s worldwide mission to help children in need, and about the importance of giving, and made the whole exercise both fun and meaningful.
In this day and age, as the world becomes smaller and the gap between rich and poor wider, giving is more important than ever. And now, UNICEF Canada is asking people to donate online and fill up UNICEF’s virtual orange Hallowe’en box. It’s easy and takes just a minute or two! If you are in Canada, simply visit unicef.ca/oct31 to make your gift today. You can also join the UNICEF Facebook page. Each and every gift will help purchase educational supplies – pencils, workbooks, textbooks and other resources so children can have the chance to learn and build a brighter future. (more…)
Fires on the Ganges by Andrew Adams of Katha Images
By October 26, 2011 I am hoping to raise $2,000 for the fundraising project for Deepalaya through The Intrepid Foundation. For every $10 you donate, I will enter your name into a draw. So, for example, if you donate $50, you get five ballots. I will put all ballots in a hat and draw randomly. But the more ballots you have in the hat, the more chances you have to win!
To read more about this fundraising project, please read my post Help the street kids of Delhi — and send me to India. And see below for more information about Intrepid Travel and Deepalaya.
Here’s where you can donate online. And here are the prizes, below — there are 17 prizes so you have a great chance of winning! (more…)
And girls all over the world, too. I’m participating in The Girl Effect blogger challenge — which is about raising awareness of the challenges girls face around the world. In India, my area of specialty, girls are often not educated; there are far more illiterate girls than boys; and girls are often forced into marriage. Yet, girls (and women) hold the key to an improved life for their families and communities. It has been proven that educated girls bring a lot more wealth and a higher standard of living and health into their communities.
All over India I have met beautiful girls and powerful women. It’s so obvious to me they are the future. But we need to consciously change the world to make sure they get the opportunities they deserve.
Currently, I am fundraising for The Intrepid Foundation for Deepalaya, a project in Delhi that helps street kids. Deepalaya is building a hostel for girls. If I win the fundraising drive, I will buy a school kit for every person who donates and deliver them personally to the girls. Read this blog, Help the street kids of India, and please donate! You can donate directly here on the Intrepid for Deepalaya page.
For every $10 you donate you will entered in a draw to win great prizes like a stay at the grand Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, a framed print by photographer Andrew Adams of Katha Images., tickets to see Bharati at the SONY Centre in Toronto and an autographed copy of the Weight of Silence: The Invisible Children of India by Shelley Seale.
Join The Girl Effect by publishing a post the week of October 4-11: here’s the instructions and more information. Then, link to this page. And watch the video, below to find out from a young woman in India what it means to support education for girls. (more…)
A street corner in Delhi
I have spent more than a year traveling in India, and months living in Delhi. I love India, and I love Delhi. In fact, I think Delhi is one of the most under-rated cities of the world. It has incredible richness of culture, layers of history in the form of monuments, gentle foggy mornings and iridescent pink sunsets, a jungle of greenery, great food, a treasure trove of shopping … and children, living on the streets. You see them at traffic lights, skinny bodies, huge eyes, wearing shabby clothing, sometimes no clothing at all. They turn somersaults, cling to their mothers, sell toys, flowers and magazines. They sleep under bridges, on the railway platforms or in blue-tarp juggis.
The street kids of Delhi always tug at my heart strings, and I sometimes find myself dreaming of finding ways to help them. I dream of giving them proper food, clothing, health care and shelter, and of educating them and giving them a fighting chance to rise above their status and at least earn a living making handicrafts, driving an autorickshaw, selling chai … and who knows what else. There are stories of former street kids who, after earning an education, had successful careers, made money, and seriously challenged the stereotypes.
What would it feel like to know that you helped a child beat the odds? You can help by donating to the fundraising project for Deepalaya through The Intrepid Foundation before October 26, 2011. (more…)
I have a lot of feeling for the elephant-headed Ganesh because he has protected me during all my travels in India (I always carry a representation of Ganesh with me).
Breathedreamgo grew out of a travel blog I wrote on Travelblog.org while I was traveling in India the first time. On December 5, 2005 I flew to Delhi, India for the start of a six-month odyssey. Blogging about that first trip really helped me gain meaning from the experience and also bolstered my confidence as a writer.
By the summer of 2009, when I was planning Breathedreamgo, I realized that blogging about my travels in India, yoga and Indian culture was my passion. But it hasn’t been easy. It has taken a huge leap of faith to pour my time, energy and skills into this blog — and it has taken those things away from other aspects of my life and career. I am now at a critical juncture. Back in August 2009, I gave myself two years to “breathe, dream and go.” To follow my dreams unfettered by thoughts of money, practicality or the future. Today, the two years is up. (more…)
Aurovalley Ashram, Rishidwar in North India is a haven of peace and conscious living — and it also offers services to the local community. There’s a school for village children and a new playroom filled with toys and art supplies, for kids who have almost never played with toys before. To help fund the school and playroom programs, Aurovalley recently initiated an Adopt-a-Soul program. You can read more about it on my blog Help a soul to grow at Aurovalley Ashram.
School children at Aurovalley Ashram, Rishidwar, India
Teacher and program manager Adriana Gonzalez with pupil
Adopt a Soul program helps children grow in an atmosphere of peace and love
In the morning, golden sunlight pours through the broad-leafed trees lighting up simple, white buildings, masses of vivid red tropical blooms, profusions of delicate butterflies, wide expanses of scrubby meadow and flaxen wheat fields. In the distance, the rolling hills of Chilla National Park fade into a misty hue. Birds fill the trees cackling, calling, singing and chirping. At any time, you can hear four or five distinct songs. The feeling is peace, harmony with nature and sweet sacredness. Here, you can hear yourself think, feel your heart’s stirrings and sense the movements of your soul. Here, the divine force lives almost unimpeded by man’s systems and notions.
chanting Gayatri Mantra in the ashram temple
I have written many times about my spiritual home, Aurovalley Ashram in north India. You can read my original post on Travelblog.org here, Peace on earth – this is the one that compelled at least three people that I know of to come to Aurovalley. Two of them are here now, Andrea (Ireland) and Charlotte (The Netherlands). Or, you can read the post I wrote last year, when I was here, Aurovalley Ashram: A haven of peace and conscious living.
But Aurovalley is not just a beautiful retreat, a haven of peace for spiritual seekers and a fountain of yoga knowledge for sincere students. It is also a community, and a part of the local community, Rishidwar, which includes several villages such as Raiwala. Aurovalley founder Swami Brahmdev (Swamiji) takes his responsibility to his community to heart, and he has established many worthwhile projects over the 25+ years he has been here.
Notably, for the past 15 years, Aurovalley Ashram has run a school for local children on the ashram grounds. These are children who might not otherwise have the opportunity for education. The education system in India is spotty, and if you can’t afford to send your children to a private school, you are sometimes out of luck.
To make a donation, and Adopt a Soul, click this link to get to the Aurovalley Blog and click the DONATE button in the header.
~If you are planning to go to India, read this first. I have pulled together a packing list and a lot of travel tips, recommended books and do’s and don’ts that will really help make your trip smoother and more enjoyable.
Aurovalley Ashram, near Rishikesh, India is a haven of peace, natural beauty and conscious living. Visitors can walk to the Ganga, learn the Sri Aurobindo philosophy of Integral Yoga and relax in a quiet, safe and inspiring environment.
Attempting to achieve some kind of yoga ideal, based on perfection of physical postures (asanas), is not yoga. Mark Whitwell sets the record straight about what yoga is.
