good morning...
my day begins with a climb up the ladder to the roof, and spreading out my blankets beneath the sun rising over the valley wall, overlooking the neighbors practicing tai chi, and the whole of this breathtaking valley. there i sit in my yoga clothes, covered with my warm, wool skirt (the underskirt of a sari for the himalyan women, really) and my precious fleece blanket 9thank you noam for insisting i carry it along). i practice meditation, and then prananyama (breathing exercises). after, i connect with reiki and give myself a treatment..having just completed reiki 2, this is quite important right now. after this, i begin my asana (yoga postures) practice, and finish in the full warmth of the late morning sun.
my home is high on the hill of upper bhagsu, up the valley from dharamasala, known best as the home of his holiness the dalai lama, whose residence, as well as the tibetan governemnt-in-exile is in mcloed ganj, a nice 2 km walk through the village and above dharamkot. mcleod ganj is a nice place to visit, more hectic than my hillside haven, but quite peaceable. this is home to a growing number of tibetan refugees, and their presence is undeniable. the women walk the lanes in tradtional clothing, the countless monks from the monestaries stroll in their maroon and orange robes. community projects and education programs to sustain the wisdom, philosophy, traditons, language, and art of tibet are numerous and active. as these things are further squelched under the increasing chinese rule of their homeland, it is a sanctuary for this ancient culture that many of us are thankful for without even fully understanding its significance.
and, there are good momos on the street in mcleod ganj, but if i try the hot sauce one more time, my system may shut down in flames.
life is simple in this family home. i wash my clothes as the women here do, squatting on the cement slab and using the water from the river (which conveniently comes out through the hose) and in buckets. it rains daily, so i'm fortunate that if i'm not home to rescue my things from the line, bindu or another daughter will fetch them and keep them until i return. banadana joins me on the porch some days. she's 12 and very vivacious. she braids my hair, puts bindis on my head, sings hindi songs and i teach her english songs. she's fun to tickle because she's smaller than me. love that. the chicken tends to wander in my room if i don't latch the door, but he's learning that when i say, "owowowowow" the way bindu does, that it's time to go. too bad he's not toilet trained, or i'd let him stay. the visits from the swallows add a nice perk to each day, and the dogs keep my legs warm as we curl up on the floor rug in the evening. the father is from the village, a stone's throw away, and we all just celebrated harsh's first birthday, resplendent with chocolate cake, singing, dancing, and local whiskey. there's a wedding next wednesday at the house just below me, and the village young people have danced and sang in celebration almost every night for three weeks. next week, three to four hundred people will come from all the neighboring villages for the wedding. we foreigners think we'll watch the goings-on from the safety of my veranda, although judging form the insistence of my house sisters and mother at the baby's birthday party for our inclusion, i think we'll be partaking in the festivities a bit as well.
with my reiki class and crystals healing class still fresh in my mind, i study my notes and try and learn all that i can. i'm reading a wonderful book about healing with energy written by a tibetan rinpoche, and am gaining a deeper understanding of tibetan wisdom and philosophy, and how this wisdom brought forth these healing practices and others. there are nice people in my neighborhood~a wonderful english girl studying enviromental conservation and completing her internship with a project in the neighborhood. she is recently finished a vipassana meditation course, along with many in the neighborhood, and as she and others continue with their meditation practice, it's a nice element to have all around.
the houses cling to the hillside, which makes for convenient roof-to-porch socializing. above me is a witty israeli (former rabbi), whose jokes entertain for hours, and are mostly potshots at himself, in a fun, light-hearted kind of way. below a few houses is liz, a lovely american girl and her boyfriend, his brother, and some others. they are enthusiastic about community, with doors always open to visitors, frequent informal gatherings, dinners, and meditation groups from time to time. there are others, naturally, but no need to spend ages describing them all, eh?
the weather is omnipresent in our lives these days, with daily thunderstorms making the presence of the local gods quite evident. these storms include torrential rains and hail, and the most fantastic displays of electricity and sound in memory. fortunately, the storms usually come midday, so i have time to finish my morning practice and descend safely from the rooftop, thereby avoiding a descent on a wet, metal ladder and impending electrocution. today the rains began whilst i was doing my washing, but it was okay because i was going to shower soon anyway. the women gather at the stream to wash the clothes each day, and today they seemed unaffected by the incoming weather. beautiful relationship mountain people have with their gods and their environment.
ah! the rain has stopped! i'm off to the women's cooperative to see about the alleged homemade tofu and soy milk they sell, then a few more details and i begin my steep descent up the winding slate steps back home. tonight i'll give cat (the english girl) a reiki treatment, and hopefully sit for meditation as well.
hope all is well with everyone~write when you can and tell me what's what.
with love,
karin
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