Coming Home

Starting my trip with a long weekend holiday was awesome! And, it was packed so full of incredible experiences that I have yet to make posts anything more than the first day. I still have the adventures of Saturday and Sunday to share with you. Yet, I've been in Ganeshpuri almost a week, and haven't said anything about my time here. So I'm pausing my holiday recap to fill you in on what's going on for me now.

It is great to be back in Ganeshpuri. It is great to be back at Yogini's house. The staff is still the same, and Sanjeev, Yogini's son and current inn keeper, has made some nice improvements. The one I am benefitting from the most is the changes he made to my room. I now have more floor space for yoga - woo hoo! I had a tight little alley for poses before. Now, it's half the room. That does mean a smaller bed, but it's still big enough for me.

My room at Yogini's house

I brought another two blankets and two blocks with me this trip, so I have five blankets and four blocks in India. It is a luxury to do yoga with a full compliment of propping.

I begin my retreat with Gurudevi next Tuesday night. I am grateful to have this time beforehand in Ganeshpuri to follow my own schedule. It is a lovely schedule that I follow! I wake at my usual time - 3:30am. Of course, at home I'm going to bed much earlier than I do here. But, at home, I'm not consistent with an afternoon rest, so it all balances out. The first thing I do is my asana practice. I learned my lesson last time about what happens when I am not consistently taking care of my body. The asana practice first thing in the morning makes it easier for me to sit at the temple for long periods of time. We sit on the floor there, and I have a bag filled with soft stuff that I use for a wedge to give my spine a lift. That makes a big difference!

The first few hours of my day feel very holy and sacred. There are morning ceremonies in Nityananda's temple, and then a ceremony in the Shiva temple. If you recall from posts on prior visits, that Shiva temple is my favorite spot. They have a ceremony in the Shiva temple twice a day at 5:30am and 7:30pm. I do my best to not miss either of them. After the morning ceremony, it's back over to Nityananda's temple for morning Arti. They do Arti at the temple five times a day. I usually make three of those five times - 6am, 12pm, and 8pm. The noontime Arti is streamed live on YouTube every day. Here is yesterday's ceremony -

After the 6am Arti ceremony, I head back over to the Shiva temple for some practices. Then I get some chai at the local canteen. That is the one place Gurudevi says it is safe for westerners to eat. They make a great chai!

After three chais (there are small, so three might equal 10oz) I go to the Banglorewala building to meditate. They have an Arti ceremony at 8am. This is my morning meditation view. It is quite blissful!

This is the room where Nityananda left his body on 8/8/61. His bed has been enshrined here, and ceremonies are performed in here three times a day.

After that, I head back to Yogini's house for breakfast. Indian breakfast food is my favorite! And if you are wondering (I'm talking to you, Alan!), I have been taking pictures of the food that I eat. I will make a post about all the different food soon. It tastes better this year than it did last year!

After breakfast, I write. Between this blog, the daily dose and a couple of monthly newsletters I create, I have my hands full of creative outlets. If I have errands to run, the morning is a great time to get them done, before it gets too hot. Of course, it feels downright cool here compared to the last time I visited. That means the heat at the height of the day doesn't feel too bad.

You might be wondering what kind of errands I am running in Ganeshpuri. I have Indian clothing that usually needs a little tending to, and I take that just up the road to Vashali's Saree Center. I drop it off one day, and pick it up the next. When I went to pick up my pants yesterday, I was surprised by Vashali herself! She is a friend of mine who lives a few hours away. Her mother tends the Saree shop. I was delighted to see Vashali yesterday when I stopped in. That extended my time there, since we visited and had chai.

Kushala, Vashali, and Kundan

Yesterday, I went to the bank to get change for some big bills. That might not seem like such a big deal, but it was. When I exchanged my money, I got lots of 500 rupee notes back. What I needed was 20 rupee notes. That is what I leave at the temple when I visit. That is also what my morning chai costs. Actually, my morning chai costs 21 rupees (7 rupees each). I have been scrambling to get small bills. There is a Bank of Baroda branch just a couple of buildings away from Yogini's house. I stopped in, hoping that someone there would speak English. Someone did, and a few minutes later, I walked out with 100 20 rupee notes, neatly bound and crisp. I felt very accomplished at being able to take care of that myself!

Around 11-11:30, I head back down the hill to visit my friend Viju in her shop. Then noontime Arti, and back to Yogini's for lunch. After lunch, I do some seva, maybe some more writing. Then it's time for practices and rest. Meditation Club is from 5pm-6pm here, and I participate in that when I can. After meditation, it's back down the hill for more visiting with Viju, and the evening programs at the Shiva temple and Nityananda's temple. It's between 8:30-9pm when I am heading home for dinner. In America, 9pm is when I usually go to bed, so having dinner at that time always takes a little getting used to. Bedtime here is between 10:30-11, and then I'm up to do it all over again.

I love a routine. I love finding places that feel like home. The same people come to the morning ceremony at the Shiva temple. The same people are working at the canteen and serve me my chai. The simple act of doing the same thing day after day connects us. I value that consistency. I value the opportunity to focus on my sadhana and my creativity. It's quite a gift that I am able to create this space in my life regularly. I am so grateful! Until next time - cheers!

Morning coffee on the second floor gallery at Yogini's house is delightful!