The only journey is the one within.

Today is my last day at Paramanand Ashram. I feel a deep sense of peace yet some small part of me naturally feels sad. However, I have learnt in my time here that sorrow, sadness and pain only exist because we allow them to. They exist because of our minds. That is only the tip of the iceberg of knowledge that melts quickly in India. Everything about this journey has been positive,  moving and beautiful. It has been absolutely life changing and a journey I will never forget despite the fact that at times it felt like I was in a scene from Spirtitual Survivor.

A special thank you to every person at Paramanand Ashram for making it what it is , to Mahesh for taking care of us, to Sapna for the food, Diveya for helping us in asana class, Mahendra for keeping the internet up, Shashikant for his special co - ordination skills and to all of our newfound friends from around the world- Liza, Ida, Aleema, Katie, Bodil, Sonali, Premila and Crystal. All of us were destined to be there and even if the reasons are not clear now they will be in the future. None of this would be possible without the guidance of Guruji and Sunita who inspired us everyday and will continue to do so. There is a vast difference between an ordinary teacher and a guru. We feel honoured to have learned from you and appreciate your patience, compassion and guidance.

Thank you to my sister Melissa who made this trip possible for me., it was the perfect combination of Eat, Pray, Love and Slumdog Millionaire. I have never laughed so hard in my life and will always cherish the memories. We are ending off this trip in Goa so essentially our journey home begins now, but not before we stop off at the beach. Arabian Sea here we come !!!

Love
C and M

The wise see knowledge and action as one - The Bhagavad Gita

Today we visited the proposed site for the new Paramanand Ashram. It was about an hours drive away from where we are currently located in a rural area, further away from the hustle and bustle of Indore. It is set to be opened in approximately two years and while there was not much to see in terms of buildings, the scenery was breathtaking and there is no doubt the new ashram will flourish. We headed out at about 6.30am and packed our breakfast to eat there. Usually for breakfast we have a dish called poha along with our fruit, poha is basically rice flakes that you soak and then fry with mustard seeds, tumeric and corriander. It is delicious and im bringing the recipe home. We did our morning practice over there and tried something different.......we kept our eyes closed for the whole class. The purpose of this was to come deeper into the practice and to bring greater awareness to what the body and mind are doing. It was a great experience and I encourage everyone to try this at least once, it brings a new dynamic to the practice and a deep sense of peace. The other senses start to work a little harder and you start to breathe deeper, feel more and hear more. Upon opening our eyes, the world seemed brighter and more beautiful. What an awesome morning, enjoy your weekend yogis.

Namaste,

Candice and Melissa

Waiting for the car 

Proposed plans for the new site 

Poha, Watermelon and Chai Tea ( which I didnt drink after
I realised they put cows milk in it)

Group shot

There was absolutely no on around and then this train
came through! 

Add caption

Indian Myth - Make a wish and walk around this tree 7 times
if you want it to come true. Easy to get dizzy after 2 or 3 wishes. 

Melissa and I 

Light and Compassion

I apologise for the lack of "blogging" this week, I guess the combination of heat, a new diet, new surroundings and all the activity finally got to us. Melissa and I had a 24 hour bout of sickness which I wont get into the details of. We were well taken care of at the ashram and luckily it has passed. Since then we have been taking it easy and scaled back on a few of the activities. Nonetheless its always an adventure. We started off our morning yesterday by visiting a park not to far from the ashram, we got there around 7am and walked around before doing a few asanas. It was awesome to see how many people go to the park to do yoga. This truly reinforced how strong the yoga influence is in this country even outside of the ashrams. Almost every bench and corner was occupied by a mat. I would love to continue rising at dawn when we get back to Canada. We all know it is beneficial for us but a lot of people can't articulate why, the reality is that it is the perfect time to wake up. During the day it is hot and bright whereas the night is cool and dark. Dawn is the perfect balance between the two and essentially yoga is balance so this is why it is an essential part of the yoga lifestyle. If I can wake up early at home maybe I will make it to a park at dawn to do some asanas myself ! Maybe you can join me ? I feel a sunrise challenge coming on!

Temple in the park

Our group with Guruji

Apart from that we have been having our usual playtime ! 

Dr.Bansals Lecture on Yoga Therapy

Another significant event took place in the last couple of days. Melissa and I were given our yogi names by our Guru. This is a significant moment on ones yoga path and the experience was very moving. After the Guru learned about our personalities we met individually with him to discuss our life path and yoga path, he then named us accordingly and gifted us with energised mala beads and our own mantras for meditation. The mantras are secret and lose their power if revealed. However, we can reveal our names! Attaining these names means taking the responsibility that comes with them. It redefines our path and challenges us to leave the past behind and live consciously. Truly beautiful. Melissa was named MaJyoti - The Mother of Light. Jyoti is Sanskrit for light. Her new name invites her to continue to spread this light , it represents her sacrificing nature and her ability to guide people. I was named MaKaruna - The Mother of Compassion-Karuna is Sanskrit for Compassion. This name invites me to spread compassion and love to those that surround me accepting flaws without any judgement Big shoes to fill.....but always up for the challenge.


Over and out from India.
Sending you lots of Light and Compassion !

Namaste

A day for relaxing ....or not!

Sundays are our days off at the Ashram and with the rigid schedule they have in place we have been looking forward to it all week. In our yoga classes which are held 3 times a day we delve deeply into each asana deconstructing it and discussing all angles of the poses, spending about 15 minutes on each one. We kinda missed the flow as well as the individualised aspect of practicing yoga so Melissa offered to lead a flow class on our rooftop to start off the day for a few of the girls! 

Hows that for enthusiasm? 7am on our day off  and still doing yoga

Liza and Aida 

Tell me you don't love my Ali Baba pants, cost me a grand total of $6. 

We then decided to get a traditional Ayurvedic full body massage at a clinic in the city.
What an experience ! So relaxing 

Any takers for Green Hairs ?

Black Lips anyone ? What about Height Increasing ?

Ayurvedic Texts at the Dr's office 

Might as well get a pedicure and read up on some Bollywood gossip 

Cows are the only thing that can stop traffic in this country. So if you dont wana get run
over....hang with them. Holy Cow  !

We decided to go out for dinner and venture away from the yogic diet (we are such rebels)
This is Melissas drink, its called "Fire on Ice" , please not the jalapeno on the rim of the glass 

Eagerly awaiting our feast ! 

Cottage Cheese 

No Idea 

Delicious ! 

So are we well rested? Definately not. It was back to Karma Yoga at around 6am this morning and we had a busy Monday. There are constantly people in and out of the Ashram who are seeking help through Yoga Therapy. It is a charitable organisation so we have the oppurtunity to meet and interact with a lot of people that come to visit throughout the day. Learnt a few words in Hindi so far but you gotta love having a conversation with someone speaking a totally different language but somehow it works out......

Stay tuned for Tuesday's delights!

With Love from India ! 

xoxoxo

Good Friday ....Or Lord Hanuman Day

Lord Hanuman is a Hindu deity that is representative of safety against evil sprits. Today in India is Lord Hanuman Day, a public holiday across the country. Although we initially felt a little home sick this morning it was great to learn about what is important to the people that surround us. Our roomate is from India but currently lives in Boston, she came back to India to complete her yoga studies in the traditional Indian way. She taught us about Lord Hanuman and we taught her about the meaning of Good Friday.  We started the day off by cleansing our sinuses with a neti pot and doing some meditation, then we did some gardening, and ended with a bonfire under a full moon. All in all, an amazing day here in India, despite the sweltering heat.
Enjoy the photo journal and Happy Easter Yogis and Yoginis !

A little trouble with the hosepipe at first.....

Katie from San Francisco 

Nothing that cant be fixed ! 

Yummy cabbage !

Medicine Garden 

Go Girl ! 

Getting sprayed with a hosepipe to cool us down after a sweaty day, it reached 44 degrees 

Full Moon 

During our fire ceremony we threw away anything we no longer wanted to carry
with us. 

Namaste

Candice and Melissa 

Guruvaar

Every Thursday at the Ashram we practice silence. It is called the day of Guruvaar.
We are not doing too well at keeping silent so far.....I figure if I cut this blog post short I have done my due diligence in observing Guruvaar ! Melissa agrees. Hows that for silence?

Namaste 

Yoga Therapy

If you have not heard of yoga therapy before you have probably heard about the healing benefits of yoga.  Yoga Therapy serves to treat illnesses, disease and ailments, it is an alternative to Western medicine.  However, in India, it is often considered a mainstream path of healing in conjuction with Ayurvedic Medicine.

The International Association of Yoga Therapy has defined it as: "...derived from the Yoga tradition of Patanjali and the Ayurvedic system of healthcare, it is the adaptation and application of Yoga techniques and practices to help individuals facing health challenges at any level manage their condition, reduce symptoms, restore balance, increase vitality and improve attitude". 

The fact that an International Association of Yoga Therapy even exists speaks to the fact that Yoga Therapy is starting to make its way into our modern lives.

While we are at the Ashram Melissa is specialising in Yoga Therapy. Today, a little girl named Kutta from the village visited us. She is suffering from muscular dystrophy, this is a disease that is screened for at birth in North America. If a baby is found to have it the diet is changed so that the symptoms can be avoided. In India, the babies are not screened and when Kutta was born she displayed no symptoms. Around 6 months old her parents noticed that her eyes would wander and she could not properly control them, a doctor diagnosed her with dystrophy and she is now 3 years old. Her parents have brought her to the Ashram in the hopes that Yoga Therapy will work for her, but also because medicine is not an option. We all had the oppurtunity to play with her and surround her with love. We put her into a head stand to increase the space in her body and allow her energy to spread. We then put her into plough pose which she loved. Her parents have been prescribed to do these poses every day including cat and cow to strengthen her spine and movement. Yoga Therapy combined with Ayurvedic Medicine can be very powerful and although it is natural to be skeptical we expect to see some results before we leave. If anything, she was definately smiling and overjoyed at all the love she received from us and the positive energy surrounding her.

Here is to hoping this special little girl lives a long fulfilling life



Namaste.
Candice and Melissa 

Good Morning Yogis !

We are starting to get into the swing of things here at the Ashram, lights out by 10.30pm and up at 5.30am. Our schedule in between these hours varies from day to day as sometimes we have guest speakers and according to Guruji Indian time is not really set in stone.


What might we be doing when we wake up at 5.30am you ask? We pondered that question too but soon found out the answer,  Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga is one of the paths of the yoga journey, essentially, it is the yoga of selfless service.  In the West, when teachers volunteer their services to teach yoga we have dubbed this as Karma Yoga, which it is, but over here it has a whole new meaning. In the pictures I posted yesterday the image that was painted by previous students is an example of Karma Yoga as it was painted by them to "pretty" up the Ashram for future students.  Melissa and I are going to look into planting some vegetables as part of our Karma Yoga duties. Basically, you can do anything that is selfless and for the good of others but the main concept of Karma Yoga is that you should not expect anything in return. After Karma Yoga duties we participated in morning practice from 7am until 8.30am. This morning, we fed the cows grass as part of our morning practice so that we could "give life to those who do not have the mouth to ask for it." I have never fed a cow before so this was interesting. I wonder how it would go at the studio if I said mid practice that we were going to water the plants outside the studio, to give them life.....thoughts? Just kidding.

Me, Ismelda from Texas and Puttel from Denmark on our way to feed the cows 

 Azala from Ottawa 

Cute little calf 

Our breakfast this morning was fresh fruit and homemade yoghurt from the cows in the backyard. The fruits are so lucious and tasty and REAL. Not used to this. Breakfast was followed by a lecture on Ayurvedic Medicine. It is interesting to hear how Ayurvedic Doctors and Yoga Therapists view disease and illness. For them any illness or disease comes down to the lifestyle a person lives. As an analogy, a significant number of people living in North America suffer from allergies whereas the percentage of people living in India suffering from allergies is extremely low. The pollution in India is sky high ( I will vouch for that fact ) so why aren't more people suffering from allergies ?There is no scientific explanation for this, but it can be used as a perfect example of how what you consume can invite problems and as most of us know, what we consume in North America is full of preservatives, hormones and other toxic materials. On that note, I will continue to enjoy the fresh hormone free fruit over here and thank my lucky stars I have no allergies!
Namaste

Candice and Melissa
xoxo 

Mumbai to Indore

On Sunday morning we had our last breakfast in Mumbai. Translation: last little piece of luxury. Our flight from Mumbai to Indore was about an hour long and we arrived at Paramanand Yoga Institute around 9pm. Indore has been dubbed "Mini Mumbai" and although significantly smaller you cannot underestimate the pollution and traffic. The population in Indore is approximately 2 million, yet it is the 15th largest city in India. I think that the majority of these 2 million people own motorcycles and don't know what a lane looks like, traffic is on par with Mumbai traffic, that much I know.........

It took us about 45 minutes to get to Paramanand from the airport, it is located about ten minutes off a main road so we are away from the noise and bustle of the city. This morning we woke up around 6.30am and did our first yoga practice with Dr.Om Anand Ji (Guruji). Much to my surprise he asked  Melissa and I to demonstrate asanas. Melissa was asked to do Triangle ( Trikonasana ) and I was asked to do Boat ( Navasana ). Our first yoga practice in India was very moving, it is a very spiritual place so it is hard not to be moved. The birds were chirping and the air was cool which is something to be appreciated considering temperatures often go up to 40 degrees celsius. After our practice we had some breakfast and a chance to meet some of the other students here. There are about ten people in total , including another sister pair from Ottawa! We start our lectures in a couple of hours and look forward to learning from Dr. Om Anand Ji, who has his doctorate in Yoga Philosophy and Meditation and is a chief disciple of the Guru Yugpurhsh Achaarya Mahamandleshwr. Intimidated? Slightly.....stay tuned for our enlightenment. 

Our back yard for the next couple of weeks 

Melissa

The street behind the ashram

Staircase at the ashram painted by previous students