On Being a Karma Yogi

I thought of this blog post while meditating this morning ... my mind does wonder off in all different directions as is the way of the mind.  The morning and evening satsangs, or gatherings, are 2 hrs in length so after the meditation of 30 minutes there is chanting and then some kind of music or lecture/discussion.  It is usually quite lively but this morning my mind drifted and I wanted to share how it is to be a karma yogi at an ashram.

The Caribbean is absolutely gloriously beautiful, the beach clean and the sand warm and lovely to walk on.  The temperatures have fluctuated dramatically over the last 2 weeks and I have had days where there was pelting rain and quite cold for here ... well, let's say in the low 60's but with the humidity it felt colder.  Then the days are hot and sunny and I run around in as little as the ashram guidelines allow - shoulders and knees covered.  Unless we are on the beach.

Now to get back to being a karma yogi - it is challenging, as I work approximately 5 hours per day in the boutique/health hut where I started out stocking the shelves with books, clothing and t-shirts, sweets, drinks and then was instructed on the cash handling and cash register operation and now am in charge of cooking cookies and other sweets including smoothies and grilled cheese each day from 11 to 3 pm.  I am on my feet all day and that is a challenge (memories of Yoga Plus but much more relaxed for those ofyou who remember that adventure) but I am pretty self directed and have another karma yogi helper from the teacher training program some of the time.  We can get great ingredients for everything here but the costs are high and these are reflected in what we charge for the goodies - usually $3.00 for a large Sivananda oatmeal cookie and up to 6.00 for a kale smoothie.

Karma yogis are many - we have staff meetings each morning - it seems there may be up to 50 of us, I'm getting to know everyone, most come for 3 months or longer and are from all over the world.  It is fun to meet and chat with people from around the world - when I get time, meals (we have two each day) are morning and afternoon - 10 am after yoga practice on the lovely outdoor platforms overlooking the sea - and 6 pm after I have had a walk/swim and rest - but they are short meals as I work again after each meal.  I am eating lest and savouring it more.

Life is good overall - when it was raining heavily a couple of weeks ago I was concerned at the safety and security in my tent - but all went well and I was all dry.  A good tent and other equipment saved me.

I have a few hours off here and there to manage my laundry and swimming and yoga and friendly chatting - enough to feel like it is not all work.  Karma yoga is not for everyone, I have found it pays to develop a thick skin, ask for what I need ( like a few extra hours off if one is too tired ) and a willingness to pitch in as there is much to do.  The property is not large but many hands make light work.

This is a most beautiful place and I would encourage anyone who is curious about it to check it out online or come down and take a program.  The presenters and most of the yoga instructors are excellent.  There is a teacher training program with up to 50 participants each month - it will be my job this month to make little bouquets of flowers for each for their graduation, which is a great pleasure.

Life is good, what a way to spend the winter!  I feel healthy and well and very grateful to have this experience.

Busy daily routine

I know many of you are curious about my daily routine; I think I gave you a brief, bird's eye view in the last post but to be more specific.  It's arduous with all the chanting and meditation, two hours both am and pm starting at 5.30 am and ending at 10.00 pm.  BUT the presenters have been fantastic.  We have had an interfaith panel over the last few days as well as musicians from all parts of the world playing music for us and now there is a creative writing and yoga and creativity special event.  It is busy!  This is the busiest time of the year as the weather is lovely.  I just got back from a swim in the Sea and it was so wonderful!  Usually I walk on the beach after my workday but today I swam and was so glad I did!  The weather here is cooler than usual, when we talk in the morning for ameditation walk on the beach I wear my fleece and toque!  The wind is cool.  But most of the time we are in casual, cool clothes and eating and living outside.

All in all the life is good here; today I prepared 40 bouquets of flowers and 40 small packages of three fruits for the teacher trainees who will be graduating and getting their spiritual names tomorrow.  It is lovely to watch these new teachers grow and develop and talk to them about all their experiences while they have been here.  Tonite I had a meal with a young woman from Russia and her friend from Ottawa (her father is from Napanee!).  It is a small world.

This morning (think 7.00 to 8.00 am) we had a lecture from Dr Joe Dispenza and he talks about our brain and how we can use meditation and visualization to create the life we want.  I am impressed, loved his presentation and plan to read his book.  Check out his website formore info.

Am planning on having some body work done here, perhaps a thai yoga massage, there are great therapists.  But daily yoga keeps me limber and I feel very well and healthy.  The food is nutritious and delicious.  I still have to get over to Nassau (by short boat ride) to explore there ... perhaps in my next blog???

Hope no one has too much snow to shovel.  The beach is lovely here.

Karma Yoga at the Ashram

It has been nearly two weeks here at the Sivananda Retreat Centre and Ashram in the Bahamas.  It is not necessarily easy at times ... there are challenges of learning who people are and the rhythm of the Centre. I have been given my work assignment and it is to be in the Boutique approximately 5-6 hours per day and to keep it looking fresh and clean, monitor the bookshelves, do laminating of the various Indian saints and dieties and to set up special displays. I have also been trained on cash.  It seems like a lot but is fun being around the guests and near the food snacks (healthy things like energy bars and bars and smoothies with kale that I love!).  The weather is warm and the sea a little cold for me but soon I think it will be warm enough for me to swim ... I tried it once and I walk on the beach each day after my shift ... usually between 3 and 5 pm.  I have settled into a routine and rhythm of life in a tent (pretty simple and basic life) and am enjoying the yoga each morning between 8 and 10 am.  I love the food and the outdoor living and all the people from various parts of the world and have even bumped into people that I have met at Val Morin at the Sivananda Centre there in the past!  How fun, a woman who I did the juice fast last spring with, she is from Tremblant and another woman who is from Belgium and is doing karma yoga for over one year now at places around the world.

The lifestyle is very disciplined here.  It is part of the "practice" ... we are awoken at 5.30 am by cow bells and they ring continuously til the morning meditiation starts at 6.00 am.  Then two hours of meditation and chanting and yogic philosophy and then a short staff meeting and yoga for two hours at 8.00 am.  Brunch at 10.00 am and then work from 11 to 3 pm.  I have three hours off then and dinner is at 6.00 pm.  I go back to work for one hour between 6.45 and 7.30 to handle last minute customers and clean/close the boutique.  It is a full day but very worthwhile.  I am learning a ton about myself ... more posts about that in future.

I am not missing snow or shovelling or snow tires or anything of that business.  The beach is absolutely glorious and I am feeling very well and recovered from my cold and flu of December. 

More to follow.  This will give you some idea of life here.  O, my tent is well sealed, we have had some evening rain and condensation and I am quite cosy!  I'm grateful for that.

Surfacing

After being under the weather with cold and flu and jet lag over the last more than one week, I'm back on my game and tomorrow heading for Bahamas ... a 3 month commitment in the advanced karma yoga program at the Sivananda retreat centre.  I will be camping, have a lovely new and very light tent, with instructions and help from friends Tim and Debbie!  It will be yet another part of my adventure on my Sacred Sabbatical 6 months!

Coming back to Canada in the middle of winter from India has been quite an eye opener and I would not recommend it to anyone to be honest.  It is very tough, the cold and snow and ice and trying to drive safely without snow tires ... stressful ... but only one of two storms during the last one-plus week.

The bus to Pearson Toronto today with a huge suitcase which holds not only my summer work and yoga clothes, but my camping gear.  Heavier than what I took to India but necessary.

Looking forward to sun and beach life for the next 3 months.  More updates on the work in Bahamas, the scene at the retreat centre and my life as a camper!

Happy New Year to all who are reading!

My typical day in Auroville

As many of you can tell from my emails and previous blogs, I'm loving it in India.  I have managed to find places and people that really suit my nature especially here in Auroville where I am surrounded my lush, tropical greenery, easygoing people from all over the world who are united in their quest for greater peace and serenity through selfless service, ie, work!

Each day starts quietly - well not really so quiet because the temple nearby blasts chants from 5.30 or 6.00 am but some days I cannot hear them from my room depending on the wind.  Then I am up and making a pot of tea (a wide variety of organic blends, all from here in Auroville, provided by the guest house) and time for a little sit outside looking at the greenery all around me and sipping a wonderful tasty blend with honey.  Then I'm usually going to the Matrimandir, the spiritual centre of Auroville, for meditation or biking or walking through the forest to the yoga centre for a class.  I have a good variety of classes and teachers in this lovely serene building surrounding by tropical trees and plants, then back to the guest house for a fresh fruit breakfast.

The rest of the days are spent biking around to see small settlements in the forest, stopping at roadside cafes and shops, visiting with people that I have met since I have been here or new ones, some massage or other bodywork, classes in the philosophy of this community (established by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in 1968) to learn more about the Aurovilians and sometimes just relaxing and reading and having time to try to think about very little.

I have always been interested in intentional communities as many of you know so this is a real experience for me, I am in awe of the work that has gone into Auroville by so many thousands of people from all over the world.  Auroville is owned by no one and no one here owns anything ... they are paid a "maintenance salary" for their work and most of their daily needs are met.  The entrepreneurial spirit is strong here and there is a very strong European influence -mainly French, Italians, Germans and some British.  There are 10 Canadians living here but I have not met any.  Much research into so many aspects of sustainable living is conducted here.

I'm happy but must leave this Saturday and will post again soon.

Kind seasonal wishes to all who are reading this ... enjoy!

Auroville Life

I arrived here in this idyllic international, spiritual community (since 1968) just over a week ago.  It has been wonderful, peaceful and like a little oasis in the middle of the noise, smells, garbage and sometimes (well, most of the time!) the chaos of India.  I am staying in a little guest house called Creativity with 5 bedrooms.  We are an international house with residents from France, USA, Italy, Denmark and myself and my friend Theresa from Canada.  The house is overseen quite capably by a Belgium woman who is a real den mother and looks after us in a most compassionate manner.  It is quiet and well maintained as we have a cleaner who keeps things lovely for us (right down to flower arrangements) 6 days a week, including our clothes washing.  My room is lovely with a bright orange painted wall, double bed, desk and little outdoor sitting area.  Dogs and cats and cows/bulls roam wherever, whenever so I never know when I will be visited.

Quite an incident last week when I was walking through the forest on the way to the yoga centre, a bull and a cow were standing by the path, I walked by carefully and as I was passing by the bull, I was head butted in the arm, a nice bruise in green/purple greets me these days.  The great thing is that I was en route to the yoga centre/healing centre and they took wonderful care of me.  However, no one expects such a thing and I was in a little shock for a few minutes after.

I have been biking all over the huge complex for the last week now - many people ride motorcycles or mopeds but I am quite happy with my bright pink bike - and getting to explore all the little nooks and crannies of this fascinating place.  Most of the roads are hard packed, a few are paved but the pavement stops quite randomly so I usually only bike during the day.  It is incredibly dark at nite here so evening times are usually spent preparing a meal and relaxing.

We are served a lovely fruit, homemade yogurt, tea and bread/jam (homemade right here in Auroville) breakfast outside near the garden of the complex (the weather has been lovely and warm and sunny every day) and then usually I attend a yoga class or another event.  Last Saturday was a half day workshop on Consciousness as Medicine given by an Indian doctor, it was wonderful and I learned a great deal and got to practice techniques which I am still practicing. 

It is easy to be relaxed and joyful here as most people seem to enjoy their life and many Aurovillians have been here for many years, some since the inception of the community in 1968!  It is so fascinating to see an international complex like this utilizing compassion, spirituality and kind communication to operate a community of more than 2,000. 

The yoga classes (Iyengar so they are quite precise and a good challenge for me) have been excellent, usually 1.5 hours long and so reasonably priced.  And I have had a facial massage/treatment and plan a craniosacral session later this week.  There are many many therapists from all over the world here offering all sorts of treatments.

The most famous place in Auroville is the Matrimandir complex, too much to explain, suffice to say it is a huge structure that is absolutely magical to enter and meditate in.  Check it out online for more info.  I did my preliminary visit there last week so now may go any morning after 10 am.  But there is so much to do here I have not been back yet.


I am really enjoying this leg of my journey but am also planning my return to Canada late December, briefly, between Dec 28 and Jan 3/4 before moving on to Sivananda retreat in Nassau, Bahamas for 3 months.

My dear son Christopher has also had some changes in his life during my absence and will be leaving Kingston to move to Calgary to accept a job next weekend.  Please keep him in your hearts and minds over the next few weeks as he settles into his new life in Calgary!  Burrito Amigo will remain open and day to day operations will be passed to the cook, Ben, who has been working with Christopher since he opened in May.

Thanks to all of you who stay in touch through email or FB; it's great to know what people are up to.

Namaste from India ... more from the Gypsy at 60 - plus!

Since Rasa Ayurvedic ...

I have been super-negligent about posting to this blog since I left the Ayurvedic healing centre but have been having a wonderful time travelling around.  First I went to a beach called Kovalam Beach where I had a lovely quite little room way up a hill from the beautiful beach - right next to a yoga centre - and on the other side a lovely small hotel owned by an Italian couple who served nutritious and delicious breakfasts.  I had a quite time reading, walking on the beach, chatting with locals and planning the next phase of my journey.

After Kovalam Beach (which was a little more touristy than I was wanting) I teamed up with a new friend from Rasa and we travelled by train to Fort Cochin which was a bright star in the journey ... quiet, cleaner than much of India, relaxed and full of other surprises!  Including a homestay (like a B&B) where we each had beautiful rooms, mine was bright yellow with a huge balcony overlooking the parade ground.  The shops were very posh indeed and we had a real shopping spree.  So much of India is colourful and great prices it was hard to resist.  But I'm conscious I'm trying to travel light with one small bag on wheels and a light knapsack. 

After Fort Cochin we travelled together to the hills where the tea and coffee is grown and we had a very very very special 4 days with two top of the line hotels ... first the Windemere Estates for two nites - overlooking the tea plantations - quiet and very elegant with the best bathroom yet!  Then we had another nite in a different hotel because Windemere was booked and we stayed in our own little chalet at a place called Tall Trees.  You can google these and get a real taste for the elegance.  We were both unwell unfortunately with little bugs but made the most of the rooftop restaurant and lovely food and furnishings in our little chalet overlooking yes, the tall trees.

I am thoroughly enjoying all the variety of exciting travel experiences since I left Canada on Oct 15th as both India and the UK have offered a wide variety of sites and sounds.  But India is the best for both!  The people in the south have been warm, friendly, gentle and slow moving.  And very very willing to do whatever they can do to make the ferenghi (foreigner) happy.  Even the frequent power cuts have not bothered me too much.

Now I'm in the southeast of India near Chennai and will post very soon!

Stay tuned for more adventures ... life is warm, humid and always fun on the road!  Check out my facebook page for some photos as/when I remember to upload them.