Hi from Flower Garden Ashram

I`ve spent much more time on the meditation cushion than online these past three months, and this blog has gotten quite neglected. Also, I`ve forgotten my camera cord and can`t download pictures (yet), so haven`t felt as inspired to post.

I`ve just spent the past twenty days at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama in Rishikesh for a Yoga Nidra Workshop and Conference. My mind is swirling in all sorts of lovely directions and have been exposed to some research that has been done on meditation, yoga nidra, and yoga. The brain research (seeing what brainwaves correlate with different states of meditation) is particularly interesting, because it is an attempt to quantify subjective experience. How do we do that? Because of this, while discussing the topic it makes most sense to step out of the realm of science and move into philosophical tangents, which makes it good fun!

This Ashram is the most beautiful (in terms of crisp and clean) place I`ve been in India. More than twenty kinds of flowers grace the pathways and the brick cottages are very quaint. The Himalayas are a nice backdrop and are generally very visible on even cloudy days.

Next up: One week of finishing writing about everything I`ve done in the past three months, and then up to McLeod Ganj for a Buddhist meditation retreat. After this one, I am vetoing anything intensive and-or retreatlike, unless it has to do with dancing or climbing mountains. All these hours of meditation have left me quite restless, which is a good thing to observe, but, I am nearly done observing the restlessness and am ready to move! Happy to say I`ll be spending the month of April traveling and hopefully getting connected with projects outside of the realm of strict sitting meditation (environmental organizations). Yay!

As far as the yoga goes, it is quite strange that I came here for yoga and haven`t spent much time with formal instruction on the mat. Instead, I`ve studied grazed over yogic philosophy, vedantic texts and rituals, and things yoga related, but perhaps it is time to also explore some asana (moving and yoga postures). Rishikesh is either a really good place to do that, or a really bad place to do that (depending on your views on the westernization of yoga and authenticity of yoga), so maybe I`ll come back here?