India 2.1

So, second leg. I’m including a quick excursion to Varkala as part of my second step of my Journey.  I left the Ashram a day early and went to Varkala, by the sea, where quite a few people I’d met in Neyyer Dam were going.  I met a great new friend who I shared a room with for the night and we ended up running into quite a few people. Varkala is a mix between a temple town, I’ll admit I didn’t visit any, and a tourist destination by the sea. An entire strip of the land by the cliffs and the water is one booth after another of clothing, Indian wares, restaurants, hotels, inns, jewelry, so on and so forth. Rarely is there space left available.  I had a bit of a shopping bug in me and managed to keep it down to a new colorful outfit, surely to be seen in pictures, some anklets and a skirt.  I definitely packed badly for the trip. I’ll get into that more later.  We had a beautiful room at the ends of the cliff; so quieter, with a pool and a deck with a lovely view of the sea in the near distance. It was absolutely what I needed after the last few weeks and so worth the extra expense of the trip over. If ever you find yourself in Southern India, swing by Varkala. There are Ayurvedic shops, yoga, temples, shopping, and really anything one could want in a lovely ocean setting.  I highly recommend it! We had a lovely Italian dinner and I couldn’t have been happier when my dear Sweet Alison and her boyfriend walked by us!!! We didn’t know if we were going to be 2 ships passing in the night as I had no idea where she was staying and she wasn’t sure when I was making it in, so I said a little prayer that I hoped we ran into each other and how happy could I be that we did!? We hadn’t seen each other since Yoga Teacher Training Graduation, December 12, in LA! She sends her love to everyone back in LA, by the way. She is amazing, absolutely amazing as usual... <3 my Bhakti Sister Alison!  Hopefully, our paths will cross again in Dharamsala next month... We also got to run into some of our Ashram ex-pats... It was such a wonderful night full of joy and laughter and great new friends. Hopefully my path will cross with theirs again as well... What great, great people! Here’s to you David (please thank Billy for that amazing green lemonade thing, it was divine), Paddy (Superhawk), Vari, and Fran!!!! Blessings to all of you on your paths!!!! I also got a GREAT picture of some North Face gear on mannequins dressed for the Himalayas, that I can’t wait for my TNF friends to see... I love seeing that stuff when I’m traveling. This was funnier though because they were super bundled up and ready to go when it was 100F yesterday...

Mumbai:

I now find myself in the Radhagopinath Temple in Chowpatty, outside of Mumbai. This is the home of Radhanath Swami, whom I met last year at Bhakti Fest. To say he has had a profound affect on me is an understatement.  If you’ve read “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramansa Yogananda I highly recommend his book “The Journey Home” by Radhanath Swami. And, if you struggle with Autobiography of a Yogi, Radhanath Swami’s book is a perfect book for you... 

In short, he is a Swami in India, from Chicago. He came to India in 1969, in search... What he found and has created is powerful and far reaching. He is the first “Holy Man”, for lack of a better term, who has been able to ‘speak to me’. I liken it to finding a Pastor or Father in a church, as a Christian, who can deliver the message of God in a way you understand.  It’s all God, right? HHRS (His Holiness Radhanath Swami) has done this for me. He has painted a picture, told many stories and explained the human relationship with God in a way that completely personalizes it for me.  He is one of the people in my life who has brought me God.  

I have a long and interesting relationship with religion.  I have, in essence, rejected organized religion all my life.  This relationship has shifted over the last year.  I pray. I talk to God, in many forms.  I sing to God. I sing about God. I talk to God.  I still have ‘issue’ with dogma and some of the interpretations of the words of God; however, not necessarily the word of God Himself. This, along with my teacher training, the leap of faith I took last year and study of the Bhagavad Gita have profoundly affected my human relationships as well as my divine relationships.  What I appreciate about Hindu philosophy is it’s inclusion and acceptance of all faiths and religions; though, you will still most likely never find me as a secularist, an exclusionist or preachy. I include your belief and the guy in the streets belief and find no fault in how we each choose to have a relationship with the divine, whatever you want to call the divine; be it Krishna, Science, God, Jesus, Kali, Allah, Cosmic, whatever... It’s all good.  

So, today marks the beginning of a journey with HHRS. I am absolutely speechless in gratitude that this is happening for me. I was bereft when I saw him last and didn’t know when I would be able to partake in his wisdom again. That my path has brought me here, now, is amazing.  How lucky.  My path has been so blessed. So, the next few posts, I’m sure, will shift from a very physical experience to a much more metaphysical and deeply personal (on a whole different level) experience.  Rarely do I feel nerves for what’s ahead for me. I generally meet most experiences with excitement and eyes wide.  Because I feel some of this nervousness I know there is something rich, deep and transformative for me here.  I am open to and excited to this next step.

Until next time friends.

Side note, my “getting here” was a complete and utter jeux-to-position of my getting here at the ashram.  Prem Gauranga Das picked me up at the airport and was the perfect greeting for me.  Jason showed me around the temple grounds, imparting some of his great wisdom of the lineage and the “why’s” of being Hindu and we sat and had an absolutely beautiful dinner sharing stories.  I feel so cared for and welcome and ‘held’.  My wellspring of gratitude is finding it’s depths, that’s for sure.

India 1.3 (new labeling system - leg one, 3rd entry):

POWER:

I’m so excited I can barely stand it! I have POWER!!! So, Jerry, my step-dad, went to Best Buy before I left. I asked him if he could get me a charger for my little camera. He came back with this big honkin’ thing that changed out for different battery types. Unfortunately, not both of my camera batteries fit in it, but it came along anyway because it works for one of them. Randomly, on the back of that thing has some sort of converter that just slips over the 2 prongs of a plug. AND WORKS!!!!!! I found it today in my bags when I was going through my camera battery stuff and started futzing around with it... and, well, tickle me pink. I have power!!!! My poor roommate and I have been bumming converters from the approximately 6 American’s who are here (she left her converter in her hotel)... It’s been pretty comical. Now, 2 days before she leaves, I have power... Good news though, no?!?!

It’s the little things in life that make us infinitely happy... This is one of them! Whoot Whoot!

Speaking of power. Don’t expect consistent internet usage (even when they say you’ll have it) or consistent power in India. That may be a duh statement, but just don’t. A bunch of us sit at the internet wi-fi area just waiting and hoping that the internet will go on during it’s appointed time like crack addicts... What am I going to DO without FACEBOOK for another WHOLE day???? :)

PANCHAKARMA:

Days 10-14 have been thoroughly interesting. The good news about repetition, is hopefully one gets to learn from the previous experience, right? As soon as I thought I might be getting into the swing of things and managing through the PK and ashram life, little and big enema days hit me. Since we’ve gotten so familiar with bodily functions, why bother couching my words now? I’ve explained little enema day... It’s nothing.  Big enema laughs in the face of little enema.  We’re talking a cup of honey, a cup of oil, a cup of mineral water, medicine, powder stuff and the kitchen sink. About 4 cups of liquid... they had me count during the administering process... oh yeah, count ‘em. 104 and 170 (!!!!!)...  And then wait...  I guess I should have taken a hint, the first time, when the girls were standing over me and I’m lying on the table and they both go, “Dylan???? Toilet????” Nope, I’m fine... a couple minutes later... “Dylan???!!! Toilet???!!!” a couple minutes later, “Dylan, get up, Toilet”... Let’s suffice it to say, when they think you should be going, just get up and go, waiting is no noble task... (I’ve had similar issues in the past because of the fact that my insides aren’t exactly where they’re supposed to be and it affects the impression that say, my bladder is full. I had this crazy mean bitch doing and ultrasound on me when I was about 18 and after she pumped me full of 2 liters of water (and I was seriously in pain) did she go, “Now WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD A TILTED UTERUS???” Um, I’m 18, how would I know that??? That’s how I found out about that.  Best diagnosis process, e-v-e-r.  I didn’t remember this until later.)  Anyway, this was a brutal day for me. Let’s just say, if you go to the bathroom long enough, you can induce vomiting. This is a bad thing. It’s better to get up and moving, after a while, and then go back if you have to.  Then they wanted me to eat a big ol’ bowl of rice water... ohyeah, was not loving day 11 and 13.  I pretty much slept the entire rest of the day. Gals, I highly recommend wearing a skirt on these days. Gents, a skirt too... why bother with pride and niceties, go for ease and comfort. :) Thank God I’ve packed 2 skirts (not part of the aforementioned 6 pair of bottoms, by the way - yeah, way too many bottoms were packed).  So, I alternated big and little enemas over the last few days of my PK. The good news: my hair and nails have never looked and felt better, it’s incredible. Tommy, my hair dresser, would be gushing over my hair. It feels that good, styling? not so much.  I’ve pretty much slept for days on end, so I’m pretty well rested. My guts, which were pretty distended and bloated, very uncomfortable all the time; feel light and comfortable. I know, that should not be surprising.

The upside to getting a PK in India: you are in the home of Ayurveda. Really, it’s on every street corner (beware by the way, make sure you go somewhere reputable or recommended. And women, NEVER get actual treatments from a man, treatments should always come from the same sex.). It’s a way of life and people in India, as in many European countries, live on herbs and homeopathy. I think filing our bodies with herbal remedies rather than concocted pharmaceuticals can only be good for us. This is a MUCH bigger discussion; however, I can speak after being on birth control, of some sort, for more than 1/2 my life and then anti-depressants, stuff started to go real wonky with me.  I started to be the one who went to the dr and was going to pile drug on top of drug because it became a domino effect. I was eating so many Excedrin, Tylenol, Motrin, Aleve, Advil and Tums daily that it’s a freaking miracle I didn’t have a raging ulcer.  So, I have limited experience with the pharmaceutical world. There are people who are on 10, 20+ medicines a day... Imagine... So, back to PK. What if we had got back to our natural core? What if we all figured out what our true baseline is and THEN treat ourselves from there? That’s what so much of this year has been for me. Find out who really is in here. Beyond the crust and protection I’ve built around myself, who is in here? What is my baseline? Where am I, again?  THEN, I get to move on from there. It’s been quite a process and one I’m clear is not over because of all that I’ve done over the last 8 or 9 months. I know there’s more. 

So, back to the benefit of doing a PK in India. Cost. Astronomically different. A 14 day PK in the States, generally speaking, is anywhere from $450 a day to $3,000, or more, a full course. In the research I did, it was unaffordable for a huge majority of the population.  In India, you can get a good PK for $450/14 days.  Again, you are in the home of Ayurveda and provided you find a place that you trust is real, the knowledge is everywhere. Also, generally speaking, you will be giving all of your attention to the PK with little outside distractions. If you can imagine that I’m tired of daily massages and treatments, I can only 1/2 imagine what it would be like in the states with additional stresses, work, etc. to contend with. This has been an all consuming process to say the very least. A swiss man and I were comparing the process, as much as we could, yesterday and the best thing he said is his room has been his jail. We have been very limited in what we can do, when we can do. My appetite has been all over the board, generally not hungry. My energy has been SUPER all over the board. I’ve had a place where I can go, sleep, rest, relax and no have to ‘deal’ per se. I am forever grateful for that.

The upside to getting a PK in the States: There is a distinct language barrier. I’m sure it’s different in different places; however, I have struggled with the need to know side of me. What’s in there? What will it do? What’s happening tomorrow? What kind of medicine is that? What is it treating? So on and so forth. This has been a big practice in my letting go, once again, and trusting. I do have a place I trust is going to treat me well, now I just have to trust the process with limited information.  I did get some herbs to take for the next month and some guidelines of what to eat/not to eat and other things that work for my dosha as an “exit interview”, luckily.  Other than that, no frills in India. Don’t mistake a series of 14 days of massages, etc with a spa vacation in India. It’s a medical treatment. Though my therapist is loving, wonderful, really truly cares and does her absolute best by me; this is no spa.  In the US, generally speaking; my impression s that it’s made to be a much more spa like experience.  

Generally, I think these are the largest trade offs. I am incredibly glad I have done this, at the beginning of my journey to wherever. I am so grateful to be able to have cleansed out as much as I have. Again, I don’t know that 14 days of PK is going to clear out everything and get me back to baby health, though; I believe I’m starting from a relative good baseline.  It’s a continual process and one I’m fascinated to see the long term effects of.

Moving On:

I’m leaving the ashram a day earlier than I thought. I have a friend who is staying by the beach down here, so I’m going to go stay there for a night before my flight to Bombay for my next leg.  India can be very laises-faire (hooked on phonics works for me). If you change your mind one day and decide to move on, no problem. You can roll into pretty much anywhere and find a place to stay for as long as you want. Virtually everyone here (predominately Europeans) are headed in a certain direction and will figure it out as they go. DO be aware of the major religious holidays, by the way. If I were to roll into Varanasi today, there would be a problem. Tomorrow is Shivaratri, one of the holiest of celebrations and Varanasi is the home of Shiva. Pretty sure I would have a problem finding a roof over my head over the next couple of days.  I do plan on going to Varanasi, later. I’ll update you on it then.  

Taxi Service Update:

When traveling here. Do your absolute best to either get a prepaid taxi or make sure you negotiate your fare before you get in. This way, it isn’t made up and a fair price.  

Back to getting here real quick:

So, I had my lovely tour of the ashram by my delinquent greeter, right? Turns out there are full on tours of the ashram. My roommate continually reminded me of all the stuff she found out by going on an official tour that I didn’t get. Like, it took me 2 days to find the filtered water station, I almost died of dehydration, thought I was going to... Yeah, getting here continues to crack me up.

2nd Edition

No one has to like absolutely EVERYTHING:

I have been instructed in meditation, yoga and pretty much any spiritual practice out there that not everything is for everyone. I strongly believe that people need to try all types out before they settle. Unless, miraculously, they walk into the exact right yoga class or start with the exact right type of meditation the very first shot; bravo to you.  I think when we find ourselves on the wrong path, it becomes obvious.  We become apathetic, we force ourselves, we speak negative words about, we dread whatever practice it is. This goes for work too. If we’re in the wrong career or wrong company, the same may apply. (Believe me, I know this one)  Just as some people absolutely swear by Bikram Yoga, and others couldn’t dread going into a 106 degree room more than anything else.  

The best thing is to be respectful, do your best and move on. The student will find their master as the master will find the student.  I say this because I’m pretty clear that the place where I’m at, is not my path.  It’s clearly the path for quite a few people here and enriching for some others and clearly not for others.  It’s interesting, to me, how polarizing I’ve seen the spiritual practice become.  I say, though, don’t give up hope. Don’t believe your first drink from the well is your last. Keep drinking.  We all find our path if we are looking with earnestness and passion.

I feel blessed, in this life, to have been struck deeply by a book I read when I was about 12.  A young white girl gets lost in the Australian Outback.  She remembers what one of her farm hands told her.  When someone gets lost, they start looking for landmarks. A tree, walks to it. A creek bed, walks to it.  A boulder, walks to it. The premise is, eventually one is walking the path of their family and will meet up with their family.  She does this, meets her ‘family’, and is safely brought ‘home’.  I have lived my life this way. One landmark after another.  Some may call it short sighted, some call it living in the moment.  I have rarely been able to answer the question of, “What’s your 5 year plan? What’s your 10 year plan?”  Seriously? I have no idea where I’m going to be. That rock has not appeared.  In the meantime, I will walk along this creek bed and revel in the river rock and the feel of the sand in between my toes.  I love living this way.  I generally am not thinking about 2 or 3 landmarks from now, just have my head up looking for the next one.  I have been able to live an extraordinary life this way. One I am generally proud of. 

May you all find your ‘family’.  May you find the melody that makes your heart sing and your soul find comfort. May you find home.

Panchakarma:

So, I’m feeling almost 100%. Dealing with a lingering cough and blowing my nose something fierce, still... But, I’ve got hope that this too shall pass, and soon.  

Since our last installment, I’ve experienced quite a bit in the PK.  I had a couple days of Shirodhara. This is when a continuous stream of warm oil is focused on the forehead/third eye area for an extended period of time. It’s a powerful experience. I found myself, at first, observing myself. I felt the oil, the smooth flow of it and then I started to relax. It was lovely. At one point, Sindul (my therapist) rubbed my forehead and it felt tingly and sensitive.  The last day of Shirodhara, I kept falling asleep and jerking and sleeping and jerking. It was funny. It was like being in a deep state of meditation and just going past the veil.  On each Shirodhara day, I would get Nasya. Nasal drops. I’ve been using an Ayurvedic trained friend of mine as a consultant because my therapist isn’t well enough versed in english for me to adequately get my answers of what’s this, what’s that, what does it do, so on and so forth. Nasya administers herbs and treatments quickly as there is a this barrier between the nose and the brain. 

Purgation day. Root word: Purge.  I went to the clinic and had to drink a cup of this herbal concoction. It was like very dense dirt, almost. Very spicy too. Then I was handed a kettle, told to go to my room, drink a cup of warm water every 10 minutes. Wait. Another man was walking around with his kettle at the same time, it was like a brotherhood symbol. We both knew what we were in for.  I went back to my room and within an hour, massively threw up my herbal concoction... oh yeah, pretty sure that wasn’t the aim. So, I walked my happy self back to the clinic, reported in. She said, keep drinking the water and if no bathroom, tomorrow we will try a different medicine. I think I was kind of cheating, because purge I did. I can’t even begin to imagine what my experience would have been had I not thrown up... yeah, messy.  Needless to say, I was pretty empty.  I used toilet and toilet paper for this experience, in case any of you lefty questioners were wondering!

Today, started the enema process. Let’s just say I’ve never had one, so I’m nervous right? I go in, and proceed to get a massage. The entire time all I can repeat instead of Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram is Enema, Enema, Enema, Enema... pretty sure NOT the healing message I was trying for with Ram, Ram, Ram. :) I was fixated, to say the very least!  So, after my usual daily massage and hot herbal compress tap down, THEN I got the treatment. “Little One, today,” she says, as she pours a large bowl of oil... Sweet, this means tomorrow I get a big one... can’t WAIT to see the size of that bowl.  All in all, it was an easy process and all is going well. 

Karma Yoga:

I’m starting to get into the swing of things as I feel like I can manage the PK, I’m not sick as a dog (how sick is a dog by the way?) and I am somewhat regulated, I guess. We do an hour of Karma Yoga a day, I have created a very symbiotic Karma yoga process. This lovely strong man from Manchester lugs these hugely heavy bins of produce waste, from the Health Hut, to the compost pile and I wash them out. Bravo. I feel like a participating member of Karma Yoga after struggling with how to get the massively huge bins to the compost pile as I am not a large and strong man... :)  I figure I’ll just be really getting into the swing of things as it’s time for me to leave the ashram and move on. 

Week 1

Week 1:

So, I really wish I could write my thoughts while lying awake at night. I think it would be rather entertaining and very complete. For now, we’ll have to go with what I think I remember...  

I've decided to write, as is, no real editing especially since (as you'll read) I seem to be on a bit of a power borrowing system... 

I have so many subjects to cover so I’ll go by topic of interest.

Getting here:

So, 36 hours of travel (I know it’s not 36 hours, but that is what the clock says, so I’m taking it) a little over an hour taxi ride (my cabbie took a wrong turn) and I made it to the Ashram.  

Side note, I think I figured out the honking thing.  So, because everyone drives as insane speeds for the terrain, or crazy for the congested areas, there is no real in sight driving. So, if you honk, at least ones sense of hearing is being alerted, right? There is definitely a hierarchy. Pedestrian, bicycle (some of these people should look into professional cycling considering the terrain they get over on clunky single speeds around here!!!), Scooter/Motorcycle (how an entire family of 4 fits on one of these, I’m not sure I’ll ever know), rickshaw, car, truck (depending on the size of the truck), bus.  A tap or a couple taps means look out, I’m here/coming around the corner/going to pass/etc. Laying on the horn means I’m really about to pass or you’ve pissed me off.  It’s actually got a sense of order to it once put to those terms. We’ll see if that completely gets thrown out next time I’m out there.

  

Anyway, getting here is important because it cracked me up.

I check into the Ashram and get my greeter person to make sure I understand everything.  He then starts to show me around. Turns out he’s only been at the Ashram for a day and isn’t really sure what all the buildings are called. But, he does his best. We walk by a pool of water and he says “I’m not sure what that is but it’s kind of gross.”  We are walking around and he says, “Usually there’s this really weird music playing, I don’t know why but it’s not playing right now.”  He shows me the health hut (what has become my salvation while I couldn’t eat a full meal) and tells me to get there early because the fruit always runs out.  He takes me to the kitchen to get me food, when really I’m just dying of thirst, and tells me that the plates are washed but it’s never enough, is it (turns out they get washed no less than 2 times before they’re used again).  He admits he’s never done yoga. I ask him how he managed to get here.  His mother and brother are graduates here. After watching him for a few days I think he might be the younger “troubled” son who needs a little structure and is here to get it. It absolutely cracked me up that I got this kid who seemed to not be able to answer any questions, point out anything and generally show disdain for everything he was showing me. It was an odd entry.  My last few days have been consumed with finding the quickest, most efficient way to the Ayurvedic clinic and back to my bed, so it turns out it wasn’t terribly important. Now I’m excited to go explore some and really figure it all out.

Packing:

For my family who watched me unpack and pack about 47 times before I left you will either not be surprised AT ALL or totally surprised that I have something to say on this matter. I am not sure what I was thinking during the final pack. But, here are some tips for success if you’re planning a 4-8 month pack trip, half of which you need to have your shoulders covered... separate your piles of tops into sleeve length. I have 5 tank tops, 3 long sleeve shirts and 3 t-shirts. Yep, 3 t shirts. Who did that? I did! Now, I also have something like 6 pairs of bottoms... this one I can somewhat justify (we’ll get to later) because you never know with bottoms. But, here is my advice. Ladies, 2 MAYBE 3 pair of harem pants and a pair of travel pants (I just wear yoga pants) and you’re good to go. Rarely will you be somewhere where you can’t wash your clothes or get them washed. I know I’ve read that 112 times on the internet but really, it’s the truth. 

Now, here’s the really important bit. CHECK YOUR CONVERTER before you go. Check every country you plan on going to and check what converter you need. One of the reasons you haven’t heard from me is because I’m conserving energy because, you guessed it, my handy dandy super converter doesn’t work here. Who’s the smart cookie? And, ironically, my roommate left her converter in the hotel on accident so we’re both begging borrowing and stealing for power. It’s kind of funny and really not considering how much technology I’m lugging around.

The neat thing though? Even though I could have swapped out a pant or two for a t shirt or two, I got on the plane in Dulles with a 35 lb. pack. I’m pretty house proud (to borrow a term) of the fact that I am a notorious under or over packer and I managed to do that. Now, we can add on the lb’s I had on my carry on of computer and such and we’re probably hitting 40, but really, who’s the good girl here?

I’m absolutely 1,000,000% sure I’ll have more to say on this subject later as I get into my travels. I have a billion baggies full of all sorts of supplies (I’m pretty much ready to do triage if the next world war breaks out) and I can’t wait to see what I learn about having all of these goods means. 

Panchakarma:

Ayurveda is the sister science (I write this as a picture of some serious empty bottles, cans and such from what must be Niobrera or some other event shows up as my computer desktop) of yoga. I know just enough to be dangerous about this so anyone who wants to chime in and correct me, please do.  It is based on a Dosha premise. Everyone has a leading dosha and generally a secondary dosha. Often times what happens to someone is their doshas get out of balance. An Ayurvedic Dr. will diagnose your doshas, based on a whole host of information, and your imbalance and a multi day cleanse will ensue.  One of the biggest things I wanted to experience here, while in India, was a Panchakarma.  I have put myself and been through a whole host of crap that I’m sure have got me all sorts of whacked out. I’ve done as much as I can from a therapy, yoga, rest, eat, you name it point of view. I really really wanted to have a Panchakarma. So, day one, literally hour 1, I get my happy butt walked over to the Ayurvedic clinic here and interrupt a class... yeah, slick. I go BACK at the correct hour and sit down with the Dr. He looks at me and says, you must be Kapha/Pitta (anyone who knows me and knows Ayurveda, that’s pretty evident) and says, “You have PECOS, no?” Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.  I’ve never gotten the test, it’s a testosterone test; however, you should get a load of the honeycomb of my ovaries, they’re lovely, if that’s what you’re going for. Then he says, “is there anything else I should know.” Me, in my infinite wisdom decide apparently I’ve been well my whole life and tell him no. He takes my wrist, takes my pulse and says, “You have problems with your uterus.” Ahah! The flood gates open. (I figure I’m writing a full blog here, you know or you don’t, but you’re getting all the details). Duh, no, I am NOT a picture of lifelong health. Yes, you’re right Dr. I have a birth defect called a bicornuate uterus (something happened during my 13th week gestation and those cells decided they weren’t going to form correctly, I have a mild case, but this means I have a heart shaped/2 uteri). “What else?” he asks. It’s tilted. “Your pulse is telling me these things, you must tell your Dr. your health history.” I’m hooked. I mean really?????? Who does that? He asks about my thyroid, (I really thought something was wrong with my thyroid last year and got it checked).  Apparently I have nothing short of a few of the symptoms of imbalanced thyroid. And then he tells me, “You’ve struggled with depression, no?” So, essentially, I didn’t have to tell him my history, he got it all from my pulse.  All of this, and he sets up my next 14 days of treatments. He tells me when I’m done, I’ll feel much better. I’m stoked, because this means I’m getting a massage every day, right?

RIIIIIIIGHT... First 3 days are Massage for Weight Loss.  My massage lady (who I’m embarrassed, I have no idea what her name is, I’ve been so sick I could really only get myself there and back every day, but I’ll get it) rubs me down with what I can only describe as a sawdust like sand substance.  I rather like the smell, the first day, when I can smell.  So imagine my fear when I’m already crazy hot and she starts a fire and during the entire rub down all I can hear is boiling and percolating. Am I about to be boiled??? Luckily, this turns out to be a steam so the medicine can work.  I’m not to shower for at least 6 hours, so off I go on my merry way sawdusty/sand caked everywhere. That’s when the sick starts. Fever, headache (full migraine), sore, can’t sleep, only sleep, sweat, awfulness.  I woke up at midnight on Friday morning Thursday night and was up all night. When it was finally time for Satsang I went up to the Siva Hall, gave my observances to Siva and begged for relief, and lied down on the ground so it would be cooler, and cried. Just cried. I begged Siva, Krishna, Ram, everyone and anyone to come help me.  When I tell you I felt bad, I don’t remember feeling this sick. It was absolute torture. I hurt too much to even sleep through it, I think that was the worst part of it all. I managed through Friday and Saturday, going to the Dr. every chance I could. His pills he gave me were miraculous, until they ran out. Saturday night, Sunday morning, I woke up around 1am with another doozy. Until then, I was either so out of it to think and/or I was trying to be as observant of the Ayurvedic medicine as I could. That night, no way was I going through another round of the hell from the night before, I found my bottle of potpourri drugs and took an aleve and slept for hours.  Saturday I felt marginally better than Sunday. Sunday better than Saturday. Great, right. Until I wake up with a full blown massive cold/flu.  I figure this is just the last umpteen kids who had a cold I stayed with on my way out of the country and some panchakarma kicking in too. The cough hurt my body so much, I would have to brace myself for it.  Yeah, awesome. Luckily, my treatment changed on Sunday. 

Now we moved into a full body oil massage followed by a herbal bundle hot oil pat down.  Once again, the fire is  lit here and the oil is heated right in my view. Ohmigod is pretty much all I can think.  What I haven’t told you is during my treatments, I’m chanting the name Ram over and over and over. They say, when you chant the name of Ram, the past can be undone and miracles can happen. I’m pretty sure (my logical brain says) that the last couple years of abuse and neglect on my body can’t be undone in 14 days; however, (my believer brain - which I had an amazing dream about during hell night) believes. So, I’m chanting Ram with every hand stroke, with every pressure point touch, with every breath, with every tap of the really freaking hot bundles of herbs. 

Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram 

over and over and over and over again.  Because I believe. I made a choice, when I quit my job, to trust that this was the right decision. That my path would open in front of me. That all would be okay. And, it really has. So, I need to not hold back my belief here. I always have stopped here, this time I’m believing 100%. No a la carte believing, right?

So, today, I go for my second day of hot oil all body massage, the Dr. gave me some cough syrup (turns out coughing is really not a good thing for panchakarma) and more pills (ahhhh, the wonderful pills) and I’m actually somewhat human. Not ready to dive into the quite rigorous schedule here (which I’m sure I’ll have more to say once I participate in a full day), but almost human. Thank God!

And finally, you’ve been waiting for it!

THE LEFT HAND!!!!

So, my first time I walked into the bathroom all noble and ready for, you know, the left hand experience, and there was a roll of toilet paper AND a toilet!!! I laughed and laughed and laughed... until the next time I walked in and there wasn’t.  I cried and cried and cried... no, I really didn’t, I’ve done enough of that. :)  So, the first couple days were a mixture of thank god for my wipes and, oh by the way, the boutique sells toilet paper.  Which has also been a godsend now that my nose has decided it needs to run 24/7... I’m not going to lie, the first day, or two, I have used the left hand (promptly washed). I figure I’m not always going to have this luxury option, am I? I’m not sure. So, I’m somewhat prepared.  I’ve made sure to use the hole in the floor enough times that I have good aim and can make it in the big bad world out there, when time need be. 

Enough of that, no?  

Getting Ready

So, the time is getting closer and the tickets are about to get bought. The Indian Consulate has my Passport and are processing my Visa. I am working on my travel plans to get across the country, my first part of my journey.

First step, I'm heading to Santa Fe, New Mexico on January 26th.  There, I will be visiting my Biological Father and his wife. We have a long story, and our story has been us getting closer over the last year. It's been lovely, and I'm so glad to be headed to visit them. It's a perfect way to start my journey.

Second step, I'll be flying to Colorado to visit some of my great friends in Colorado and Nebraska.  I'm so blessed to have friends all over the country, and the world, for that matter; and I'm stoked to be able to have some time to see them too.

Third step, I'll be flying over to the East Coast to visit with my sister, Ramsey and her family.  She has such a gorgeous family and I'll be so glad to spend time with them all.

After that, I'll be headed to India. No flights, to India, will be booked until I get my Visa back from the Indian Consulate. Cross your fingers it comes soon.  I can barely hold back my excitement for this trip. I have a feeling, deep inside, that there is something 'out there', in my journey, for me and I am so ready for it.

I'm getting so excited for this all to start.

What I have to do first, is pack. I will be packing a backpack for my international journeys, a bag for Nebraska and Colorado and a bag for Virginia.  The rest of my stuff is being packed up and put in storage and moving to Greece with my parents, Mom and Jerry.  Right now, I have a huge pile of stuff that I'm holding aside for when I pack.  I'll let you know what I end up packing once that's done...

This is the Spot!

So, as I embark on my "journey", this will be my most usable space to update everyone on where I am, what I've been doing, who and what I've been seeing and what has been happening in the world.

I was just saying today, how I can't wait to just "go". I can't wait for the day where I feel like I can just journey and set off on my own very personal Pilgrimage... I have such big plans for where to go.
On the list, as of now:

Greece - which will be my starting point...
Czechoslovakia
Pretty much all of Europe
India
Bali
Thialand
Vietnam
Australia
New Zealand

I can't imagine I've missed a whole lot; however, I am so willing for the wind to "take me" where I need to go...

My heart yearns for the freedom to just "go"...

May you all have fun following my trip around the world...

Blessings and Namaste,
Dylan
www.beingdylan.com