Yoga Ashram India series on TravelWireAsiaI write a regular ‘column’ for the TravelWireAsia website about India, yoga and travel in Asia (my favourite continent for travel!). Recently, I published a three-part series on How to “do” a yoga ashram in India. Here’s a synopsis of each post — to read the full article click on the link provided.
HAVE you considered going to an ashram in India? This is a 3-part series on where to go, what you need to know and what to expect. (more…)
At the Toronto Yoga Show
I am not that keen on yoga shows and conferences and cannot afford the big-ticket class fees. But I did pay a Saturday visit to the Toronto Yoga Show floor and was drawn to speak with a number of people who seemed sincere and knowledgeable (in spite of the overtly commercial atmosphere). I chatted with some people from Sivananda Yoga. I have been to several of their worldwide yoga ashrams and centres — such as the beautiful Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp north of Montreal, in the Laurentian Mountains — and I often recommend them on Breathedreamgo and in the articles I write. Also enjoyed chatting with Kevin “The Wolf” Alexander, Wearer of Many Hats, from the Northern Edge Algonquin retreat centre. I have wanted to go to this very special retreat on the edge of Algonquin Park for more years than I care to remember. Somehow, after chatting with Kevin, I think this summer will finally be the one. Among other special events, they often host yoga retreats.
The highlight, for me, was unexpectedly coming across sitar teacher Lata Swarn modestly sitting on the floor and playing in a booth selling yoga clothes. I kneeled down and listened, falling into a trance induced by the classical Indian music. Not only can she play like a charm, but she’s a lovely person too — and I discovered that she lives in the same west-end Toronto building as my brother. Another highlight was meeting yoga “legend” Dharma Mittra. (more…)
30 days of yoga classes in TorontoI finished my 30-day Yoga Challenge at Lila Yoga Studio, Toronto, on Monday, March 19 — finished as I started, with a class by owner and yoga teacher Shelly Rowen. I am proud to say that I never missed a day. There were days I didn’t want to go — the sun was shining or I was tired or I just didn’t want to face myself — but I went, and I did the yoga class with those thoughts and feelings. Yoga is not about being a specific way; it is not about being perfect, or looking like the cover of a magazine, or feeling calm and compassionate at all times. At the ashram I go to in India, there’s a sign that says, “All life is yoga.” And that’s what I experienced during my 30-day Yoga Challenge.
For part 1, read: My 30-day Yoga Challenge
For part 2, read: Travelling within
For part 3, read: Journey of acceptance
To read about my last 10 days, and what I learned and gained from the experience… (more…)
Day 20 at Lila Yoga
At the start of my 30-day yoga challenge at Lila Yoga, everyday felt like a journey and an achievement. But now, going to yoga class every day feels “normal.” Though it is not always easy to be present and breathe into the various pains and tensions in my body, I am accepting the challenge and the practise of “being with” rather than trying to change anything. Meditation is becoming a bit easier, I am moving more easily … but my yoga pants are still as tight as they were on day 1! (Weight loss is a life goal for me right now, but not really a point of the yoga challenge.)
Day 11 was a very small intimate Flow class with Sahara, and she created a warm and supportive atmosphere — but in a small class like this, there is no where to hide! I felt very clunky, not flow-y at all. Late in the class, she massaged my head, and I felt grief and other sad emotions welling up. Outside, the bleakness of late winter and my own turbulent emotions made me aware of the polarities of two energetic forces within me, the positive and the negative. Day 12 was Hatha with Shelly and I really struggled. It was a stressful time for me personally, and the slow pace of the class made it paradoxically hard for me to settle down. A lot of difficult emotions welled up, and my left hip was causing me real pain when I moved. That night, I slept badly, and was filled with restless energy. On Day 13 I accidentally went to Yoga for Absolute Beginners with Melissa — and in truth, I do feel like an absolute beginner these days. The slow pace was challenging for me — I felt stiff and resistant. But I fell into a deep shavasana. I can see how anyone, no matter how “advanced,” could benefit from a beginner class like this. (more…)
Discovering the benefits of regular yoga classes
Though Breathedreamgo is primarily a travel blog, yoga is way of travelling within, to discover your own uncharted territories. The best journeys are both inner and outer, if you ask me.
On Saturday, February 18, 2012, I started a 30-day yoga challenge — I made a decision to go to a yoga class at Lila Yoga Studio, Toronto, every day for 30 days. I wrote about my reasons for starting, and my interview with studio owner Shelly Rowen in this post, My 30-Day Yoga Challenge.
I have just completed 10 days, haven’t missed a day, and discovered new reasons, and new benefits, for doing this that I hadn’t thought of before I started. Here are the highlights of my first 10 days of a yoga-class-a-day — and what I discovered about the power of yoga, the magic of process and my own inner journeys. (more…)
Social media is a spiritual discipline
Me, Liz and the subcontinentBecause I travel in India and write about it, many people ask me if I was influenced by the book Eat, Pray, Love, and they try and compare me to author Elizabeth Gilbert. Here are the five key differences between my story and Gilbert’s.
1. I did not have a hefty book advance to subsidize my trip. My trip to India was not research for a book, and I had to subsidize it myself out of my meager resources. I sold 1/3 of my possessions, gave up my apartment, moved into a small room and scrimped and saved for a year. After I returned, and realized how much I’d changed, I went through a lot of financial instability. The whole experience was a “real spiritual quest,” in the sense that I threw myself into it without any attachment to outcome. A big part of my journey was about throwing myself off the cliff to find out IF a net would appear. Read on for the other four. (more…)
Scene from the Mahabharat: Krishna and Arjun at the battle of Kurukshetra
Yoga philosopher, Kirtan leader, Sanskrit teacher, Sitar artist and the writer / blogger behind Akshara Yoga blog: Ram Vakkalanka is accomplished in many things. He is also my friend, I am proud to say. Ram and I have bonded over our deep love and respect for the wisdom traditions and culture of India. We have many shared ideas and notions about yoga and spiritual philosophy, and feel that the essence of these teachings is largely lost, overlooked or misunderstood in the west (and sometimes even in India).
Some time back, I wrote a blog, What yoga is, after attending a workshop with internationally known yoga teacher Mark Whitwell at the Yoga Festival of Toronto. I was delighted to discover that Mark Whitwell really “gets” yoga; and I feel the same way about Ram. Over dosas at a Toronto South Indian restaurant, we discussed the essence of spirituality and Ram told me the story of Kaushika, which I loved. He said, “In the great epic Mahabharata, there is the story an aspiring yogi called Kaushika who meditates for many years but fails to attains self-awakening.” I feel the story expresses a truth about spirituality that many people don’t seem to understand. Here it is. (more…)
India is a teacher; travelers are studentsPeople often ask me why I am so interested in India, why I like traveling there so much. There are lots of reasons, of course — from the warmth of the people, to the taste of the food; from the adventure of travel to the colourful festivals; from the flowing, feminine clothes to the sunny skies. The single most compelling reason, however, is probably the attitude towards god and spirituality — and how that attitude affects almost everything about the culture and atmosphere of India.
And what does that difference mean for me (and other spiritual seekers from the west)? It means that when I am in India, not only do I feel more alive than anywhere else (for the reasons listed above), but I learn a lot. I learn a lot about myself, about the world, and about spiritual truths. Travel in India is adventure travel in every sense of the word. Here are the top five things I’ve learned in India. (more…)
Taj Mahal, Agra, India 2006
[Note: Originally published on Bootsnall as 10 Reasons to visit India now.]
1. The Taj Mahal. Yup, it is. The world’s most beautiful building. This is one of those rare times in life when all of your expectations will be blown away, no matter how much hyperbole you’ve been exposed to about it; no matter how many pictures you’ve seen; no matter how much poetry you’ve read. Tagore had it right when he wrote the Taj Mahal is, “a teardrop on the face of eternity.” See it at sunrise, put up with Agra, do whatever you can, but make sure the Taj Mahal is on your itinerary or you will kick yourself for eternity. (more…)
On the morning of April 14 approximately 10 million people streamed into the sacred town of Haridwar in north India to bathe in the Ganga on the most auspicious day during the 2010 Kumbh Mela. I was one of them. Find out how I found myself alone, and at home, at the world’s largest spiritual gathering.
In Varanasi, where the veil between life and death seems very thin, a boat ride on the river can become a journey to the other side. Come along with me on a boat ride on the Ganges River in India’s oldest, holiest city and pierce the veil.
The Ganges / Ganga River is the Mother of India. The River speaks in many voices as she travels from the high Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. At the source, her song is joyous, full of the the jubilance of youth, the rush of fresh mountain streams, the sincere chanting of pilgrims and the excitement of the onward journey.
