India Part Nine: A warm Welcome, Delicious Food, and Lucid Dream

After one more train, bus, tuktuk, I was exhausted but in a good way when Arve and I reached the ashram Sunday morning, November 6, 2015 after more than forty hours of traveling since arrival in Delhi with a few naps, delicious meals, and chais in between. 

I wanted to describe it a bit more in detail here, but after visiting the ashram website, I decided to welcome you without further delay to Shri Jasnath Asan (ashram) where the focus is on the irrevocable bond between man and nature.  

Kripalu: Guiding Gently, Suggesting, or Perhaps just Listening et al.

Time to finish this post about Kripalu (June 1 to 6); it will help me finish "processing" my stay. 
  
Speaking of processing ("digesting"), this time around at Kripalu (as faculty assistant) working with Lakshmi Voelker, Tracey Eccleston and fellow chair yoginis, Grace, Wendy, and Kathleen certifying new LVCYTs, my digestion was working extremely well from day two on; day one was just a bit off.  During the last day (day 5), I think I went to the bathroom three times before lunch.  I was thinking to myself that I had to go for every bowl of food I ate ;-)(some of the LVCYTT team agreed laughingly that we were overeating at every meal).  At times I indeed ate three bowls of food per meal (not full though).

So grateful to teach the 4 Essential Hand Reflexes
I designed for the TT Manual: a highlight

A Pictorial: Visiting Chinatown and MoMA during Lunar Year of the Horse Celebrations

Visiting MoMA the day of the New Lunar Year celebrations..the atrium felt like an art lounge with couch-like furniture to sit on and take in the monumental video installations (

A Crescent Moon greeted me coming out of the subway station over Canal Street the next day- life is perfect so often, isn't
it?  I felt it was perfect that moment.  If I had planned to see the moon over Chinatown, I probably would not have seen it.

LV Chair Yoga, the "Louis Vuitton" of Chair Yoga.

Howie, Tracey, Melinda, myself, and Lakshmi (from L)

A friend of mine who used to work for LV jokingly asked if LV Chair Yoga stands for Louis Vuitton Chair Yoga?  Yes! I do think it is an amazing program, however it is accessible to anyone unlike authentic LV merchandise!

Returning to Kripalu (in May) assisting at the Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga (LVCY) Teacher Training was even more enriching than the first time, now that I knew my way around the building.  I am part of a team that is making yoga accessible to anyone, no more excuses, seriously.  I still hear too often how some people are too stiff and how they can not focus or balance. 

Another Training will take place August 20-23, 2013, at the New York Open Center:

Students are sitting on a chair, nevertheless, if it is within ability,

Kripalu Chair Yoga Teacher Training - Krishna Das in Concert

Yoga is seeing life the way it is. - Patanjali Yoga Sutras

After looking at the Kripalu catalog* for years, I made it there on Oct. 8, 3 days shy of my birthday.  I happily accepted an invitation to assist Lakshmi Voelker and Tracey Eccleston with their Chair Yoga Teacher Training*; I had assisted them twice at the Open Center where I was trained in Chair Yoga.  The program is awesome and complements everything I do beautifully and anyone can really benefit from chair yoga.  Although I absolutely have no problems getting unto a mat, I love Lakshmi's Chair Yoga** and I was astonished how much the legs get worked despite sitting on a chair. 

One of my favorite self care rituals this summer

Wanted N O T: Another Cold ever again!

Child's Pose with Fitness Ball - Hugging that big ball!

When I had a bit of energy during the worst of my most recent cold (the 2nd or third bad cold ever), I wrote some notes on my i-phone which I am sharing below; although I was trying to pay attention to the details, it was impossible.  (The healing artist in me is very curious about pain, its patterns, alleviation so part of me was observing the symptoms which helped me get distance from the pain rather than completely be consumed by it).  However, there was just too much going on so I just let go and rested as much as I could, I needed to get back on my feet.  I was generally very weak for two days and there was no way I could do all the self care I wanted to do, so I did something whenever I had a bit of energy, whatever I needed most then.  Connecting to my breath was the one thing that I did the most because it allowed me to simply rest and close my eyes.

I think I would have gone to the doctor but due to what happened last time (the prescription caused side effects that were scarier than the ones I started out with) I decided not to.