Delhi - Dec 2010

Sitting at the ornate reception area of my favorite hotel in Pharaghanj, after a cup of chai in the local out-door chai stole across the street, at 6 am in the morning. Too hungry, excited, and bubbling with creative energy to do any more practice or sleep. We arrived yesterday at 3am. I crashed long before dinner, and woke up at 11pm, at 1pm, and again for good at 4am, to practice on the roof, greeting the Smokey morning. Waiting for restaurants to open after not having any substantial meal for about 20 hours… There is something about India, despite the smog, the dust, the dirtiness, the noise, the overt stimulation, or maybe because of that; I feel so happy to be here. Happy to be.

 Yesterday was a blare of little delights; eating sweet potato with over dose of kala namak and obscure masalas in the street, followed by Veg. Momos, and lime-masala drink. Surveying hundreds of natural fabrics, handloom, handspun, unimaginable designs, colors and textures, oh India, the kingdom of sensual inventions and prohibitions…My favorite textile discovery: Handspun mulberry pulp by-product made into gorgeous soft and royal shirt in natural color with unique neckline combining inner v shape inserted into round accent.

Today’s subjective are simple: flowing with the jetlag into balance, more fabrics, more masalas (with food), and maybe a visit to the art museum.

And tomorrow, Orissa my love, going back to the land of Odissi, where modernization is around the corner, pushing in against thick and ancient culture, threatening to completely swoop over and permeate between the threads, but not yet, just not yet.

Mudras of India

Dear Readers,

I'm excited to announce I just started a new blog titled: Mudras of India http://mudrasofindia.blogspot.com/

The Sanskrit word mudra means “attitude,” “gesture,” or “seal.” The Kularnava Tantra traces the word mudra to the root mud, meaning “to delight in,” and dru, meaning “to draw forth.” In Yoga, hand mudras are a subtle form of practice used to concentrate the mind, balance the body’s vital energy, and awaken the spirit of devotion. 

I am adding a new Mudra at least once a week or more. Posts include extensive information about the ways of usage for every Mudra, and detailed images.

I'm starting with covering the 28 single-hand mudras (Asamyutta Hasta) and the 24 joint-hand mudras (Samyutta Hasta) of Indian Dance, and will move on to introducing many more mudras of Dance, Yoga, and Meditation.

If you are a student of Indian Dance, a Yoga practitioner, or interested in the ways Mudras can contribute to your life as a healing tool, and to enhance your creative splendor, this blog could be of immense value to you. Check it out and follow!

 My husband, Cain Carroll and I  recently created two unique posters artistically presenting 118 traditional hand mudras of Yoga and Indian Dance. (58 Dance and 60 Yoga). As far as we know, these are the only posters of their kind available. We worked with long time friend and Yoga student, Reed Rahn, to capture the mudras in clear, beautiful photographs.

They are now available to purchase on my web site: shaktibhakti.com

Mudras of Indian Dance Poster

For the first time ever, the beautiful hand mudras of Indian Dance have been captured in poster form. Created by internationally acclaimed Odissi Dancer and Yogini, Revital Carroll, this unique poster is both a learning tool and a work of art. The poster documents the 52 fundamental hand mudras of the Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikeswara (one of the most important ancient Sanskrit texts on dance). Each of the 52 mudras is elegantly presented in its traditional practice order, with all the Sanskrit names transliterated into English including proper accent markings. This poster measures 24 x 36 inches, and is printed on high quality acid free 100lb stock. 

Hand Mudras of Yoga Poster

This beautifully designed poster presents 60 of the most powerful hand mudras traditionally used in Yoga practice. Created by senior Yoga teachers, Cain and Revital Carroll, this one of a kind poster is the product of over 20 years of research and in-depth yoga practice. Detailed photos of the hands make it easy to learn the mudras, and each Sanskrit name has been transliterated into English with proper accent markings by Sanskrit scholar Nicolai Bachman. This distinctive poster makes a gorgeous wall hanging, and is an invaluable resource for deepening your understanding of Yoga Mudras. 19 X 27 inches, printed on acid free 100lb stock.

Travel in your clothes

Being a world traveler, one of the biggest draw and fascination for me is the cultural aspect. I love immersing myself in a culture. It is in a way like being an actor on a movie set, and it makes me realize how in fact the manifest world, and more specifically, the filters and codes of behavior of a culture are a big game we are all playing. Culture and its richness and unique flavor is naturally a reflection of the common values and attention we give the various aspects of life as a group. It is the way we people relate. It harmonizes us into a cohesive community, so we can share common humane experiences, and the rhythms of life. Ritualized points of weight in our life, from the mundane to the celebratory are the structure of our existence. The people in power to control the masses sometime manipulate culture.

When I travel, I love to immerse myself in the culture by wearing what the locals do. Eating the local food, learning some of the local language and local habits and gestures are very useful too, but it seems like magic, when you were the clothes, you are instantly in.

I was looking at my wardrobe the other day, staring at my vast, unique, and colorful assortment of outfits, wandering why nothing seems right today...realizing my clothes are like my travel! Perhaps, if my stars where aligned slightly differently I would have become a fashion designer, or at least a high fashion model, but as it is, I'm on my own, designing my own private show. If I had it my way, I would have traditional garbs of all cultures, and wear a different one every day. (I could probably get by doing so in Santa Cruz). I have a collection reserved for when in India, and another set of clothes that only feel right while in Israel, I have some funky west coast creative garbs, and more and more, random pieces of history and travel in my closet. I love to travel in my clothes. You can time travel wearing something from a time period you wish to experience. I become a different person, and even a different personality, wearing the garbs of a different culture. I'm one of these people my friends always come to when it is Halloween (or Purim) to find some dress up clothing, since my day to day clothes would be a costume to others:)! If you aren't already dressing up just because you fell like it, try it! It is great fun.

As I reflect deeper into 'cultural and historical fashion', I realize American culture, as I experience it, is all about 'casual' and 'functional', and so clothing are casual and functional. At least where I've lived, you can dress casually going to the theater, fancy dinner, or even some wedding parties! There are hardly ever any opportunities to dress up. Japanese culture emphasizes simple beauty and exquisite aesthetic, attention to details. Traditional Japanese garbs are not only comfortable and functional, they are simple, beautiful, attentive to details, and just so, perfect. Indian culture is colorful, overly ornate and rich, and also spontaneous and fluid. The clothing - simple flowing fabrics with outrages colors and designs wrapped around in numerous creative ways, jewelry of every kind decorating the ladies from head to toe. The way we dress tells so much about our culture. About what is important for us, and were do we place our attention. Dressing up, and undressing... can be a ritual in and of itself, every day. In fact, every moment and act of our day if goes by unnoticed, as a means to an end, is wasted, and if executed with care and attention, 'ritualized', is an opportunity to feel alive, and a source of infinite joy. Drinking Tea. Making Breakfast. Washing Dishes. Hanging Laundry. This is our daily life.

One of the things I love most about traveling is the internal travel that occurs while being placed out of my comfort zone, being placed in a new environment that forces me to PAY ATTENTION. The opportunity to re-set my 'view' is precious and allows inner growth and open mindedness. The need to increase my level of awareness, understanding and patience (all qualities I've been spending a life time to develop and yet far from mastered) is unavoidable.

You might be guessing, I'm planning another trip this winter back to India for a month, and I'm looking forward for the various projects and events awaiting me there. I hope to blog again before my departure, and if not, I will be sure to blog from India, sharing some of the mind opening, heart expanding, lively adventure I'm about to behold in December.

The secret of Youthful Radiance

I feel inspired to share this ideas with you readers, (especially women), since I live in the US, and work with soooo many women of all ages - teens to elderly, who struggle with their self-image and self-worth (=self love). I feel so strongly about my idea of 'healthy beauty', that I want to shout it out load to the all world, so I do. (Thank you blogspot!)

Well, this great 'beauty image' lie that glares at us from every magazine stand, billboard commercial and street corner, persistently demanding our attention, energy and money, insisting to argue: "I am real, chase me, pursue me, you must have me!", is in fact, a huge great cheater. Why is it there then, this glossy one-size beauty, permeating ever deeper into modern culture of every nation, persuading you incessantly to follow it and only it? How did we all end up giving obscene amount of power and money to build this huge, fake, useless, wasteful, and harmful industry? The story of modern culture, a mixture of control, ignorance and fear (maybe?). For now, if you are willing to let go of the WHY and the injustice and follow me with focusing on what we can do, and is in our power, then let's go, and you can decide for yourself where you stand with it.

 We have a choice. There are layers of reality and non-reality we can subscribe to. We can subject ourselves to the horrifying terrors of surgeries, and the annoyance of medial appointment, that will equip us with balloon shaped boobs, and Barbie size noses, and many more variations of these questionable modification 'solutions', or we can take a deep breath, find out inner smile, look deeper, (maybe something meaningful we long forgot about is hiding deep down), and resist the default temptation to follow the lowest common denominator of our culture. Muster the courage to stand against that current, and develop healthy self-image and self-love. Live life empowered, with joy, inner glow, true beauty, and healthy radiance. Save your own sanity, and be an example of true grace and power to your children. Having talked with many who subjected themselves to these experiences, I'm certain all the surgeries and external modifications will make no difference. Apart from perhaps funneling you deeper into the subscription of chasing empty dreams. Nobody, including you, really cares about the size and shape of your boobs, hips or nose. However, if you radiate confidence, self-love and natural beauty, which are already yours to begin with, the all world is attracted to you, and you enjoy your own company too. The 'inner' approach is what does make a difference, infuses you with abundant energy, beauty, and joy that can be resurrected, maintained and developed at any time, and in turn radiates outwardly, naturally attracting love, magic, richness, and everything else you would want into your life.

 If you busy yourself chasing empty dreams when you are 20, you likely to be chasing the same empty dreams when you are 40 and beyond. The pattern of your early days will likely to intensify with age. (Especially the negative ones. Sorry.) The unconscious and careless 'wasteful' behavior of your youth that was forgiven by the 'greenness' of youth has long lost its charm. The desires of the past only multiply, unless, you decide one bright day to pause (today?), and embarked on a path of self-reflection and self-growth, and made, make, or will make the decision to not follow the lowest common denominator of our culture, but actually empower yourself to find out for yourself what is truly meaningful and worth chasing. Perhaps you will find chasing does not work, and being, feeling, and creating will fill in the spaces.

Along the way of inner cultivation, you will quickly find the source of your inner glow and youthful radiance. The basic premises is that you have to do something that makes you feel good every day, which usually distills into three areas: MIND CONTROL (through meditation / reflection / spiritual cultivation) so you could continuously choose the direction of your thoughts pattern, (positive? negative?) and develop calmness, clarity and focus. HEALTHY DIET, suitable to your body type and lifestyle requirements, to truly nourish you. Adequate EXERCISE regime, to suite your body type and personality needs, so you can 'charge your battery', detox, metabolize, and basically function according to nature design. Now, there is an extra special secret ingredient to the plan that will make a huge difference: SEX. Lots of positive sex. Inner cultivation, dual cultivation, meditation, internal massage and exercise, deep nourishment love, abundance of energy, radiant glow, all can be accomplished with sex. The 'good' kind that is free of negativity, abuse, or unconscious madness. All of the above align you into natural balance that harmonizes your emotions, nourish your body and spirit, and makes you glow like a star. 

If you feel like you are not tall enough (or too tall), not thin enough (or too...) you get the idea, or your breast size and shape is not 'perfect', then wake up from spiraling into negativity, wasting your life away. Get a good bra if you want to, and an admiring lover (!), and let it go baby. Focus on enjoying to its fullest what you do have, the magnificence of your nature. Nothing is wrong with beautifying yourself either. When you feel inspired, use as much make up as you like, fun clothing, accessorize, play the game, pamper yourself, enjoy the attention, but why suffer? Why beat yourself down with negativity and feed all of your power and money and energy to the system of control? Do not let some one else tell you what size and shape you ought to be! If you end up with criticizing lovers or other off-putting relations in your life, then chances it is one of two: you either convince yourself so fully of your inadequacy that you attract people who reflect your own beliefs to you, or you actually can use a little wake up call, and do something meaningful about reclaiming your life, power and inner radiance. (i.e. Healthy lifestyle - thought, food and exercise, and wholesome sex).

What's wrong with old age anyways? How about an old tree or your favorite old dress or old saree? An old (ancient) stone Temple? Do you hate them? Do you think they are ugly? well, eventually they will all die too. I think the time arrives in every one's life that one can say with confidence: 'I'm old and I feel old', and also 'I'm dying' same as 'I'm living' really. What we are afraid of has most control over us.

Your beauty becomes subtler, more refine, and less 'sexy' and out pouring with age. More fragile and delicate in away, nevertheless, magnificent. Let yourself transform. Surrender to the process of life, so you can enjoy and savor the subtle flavors. There is no remedy for aging really. We are all going to die. Face it. Live with it. There is no 'Ever lasting youth', even if Deepak Chopra says so.

As you grow older, you might have more money, name, fame, power. You also accumulate more wrinkles and white hairs. Se la vie. You have the potential of gaining wisdom, clarity, richness of relationships, unfathomed depth of joy, peace, and love, and refined skills. But sometimes all you end up with is more insecurities, more obsessions...deeper and stronger negativity. Do not let yourself run around trapped in the same old struggle, obsessing with trying to look what you are not, be who you never will. Letting un-needed worries and concerns eat away your original radiance, and hedge deeper lines into your face, hunch your back with defeat. Instead, stand upright, greet every day with wonder, curiosity, excitement, and commitment to fulfill yourself and live your truth in the face of declining cultural values, or modern foolishness. As Gandhi said and many repeated: Be the change you want to see in the world. Blaze your light, and begin accepting your self. As you are.

If you would like more guidance or support on embarking on a path of self-empowered and meaningful life, contact me in person for more information on how you can become the most radiant Goddess you truly are.

Community

I started blogging regularly this past winter, while I was in Orissa, surrounded by creative energy and inspiration to share my travel-life and dance process. I'm still inspired, motivated, living creative life...so what happened? Why am I not as industrious with my blog writing? Well, I'm in the USA now, and life is just different here. It moves in a faster pace. There are more bills, expenses, media interactions, cars, taxes, work...and in short, the productive and practical aspect of my life is in full swing, and creative expressions get pushed into the narrow spaces of productivity. I'm holding onto my dance practice time in the threatening face of my 'To Do' list (on my i-phone), and I'm spending way too much time trying to figure out how to spend less time managing the back-stage of my life, the money ground. The promising spaciousness every day starts with shrinks by the afternoons, and by dinner time, I'm left to wonder where did the day go again? Details, Details, piling up on my mind desk, nagging for my attention...and it is me who need to give myself a break, breath deep, do nothing for a moment, and reflect clear mind in clear schedule.
 
Cain and I recently returned from our teaching and performing trip in Alaska. We had an amazing time up north under the bright summer sun with Anchorage's Dance / Yoga / Qi Gong communities. The Alaskan weather Gods arranged for us the best weather possible in Alaska - about 70 degrees, and it was truly elating to experience sunset around midnight, and never fully dark nights - twilight to twilight. Alaska is so spacious and vast, and in the summer, the days are stretched-out long. In the midst of a very busy teaching schedule we enjoyed the delight of nature hikes, Moose sightings, and even climbed on a glacier. Our Alaskan hosts were so warm and welcoming. The attention, care, and interest we received every place we went was refreshing in light of the too-busy-to-notice-you attitude I often get in my professional interactions in the 'lower 48' (the Alaskan term for the rest of the US excluding Hawaii). In this way, Alaska reminded me of India.

I used to think that crowdedness breeds hatred and war, and in places with less population, people are friendlier and peace prevails. Simply due to the fact there are not that many interactions to overload our human nerve system and literally 'get on our nerves'. Alaska fits into this theory. India, however, is one the most crowded countries on earth, and yet, people are so open and tolerant. You feel noticed, cared for, acknowledged, loved even. It is also a relatively peaceful place, even though people are constantly adjusting for diminishing resources and living space. As I look deeper into it, I think loving attention emerges out of the spacious inside us. Keeping our heart open, our mind clear, and our breath deep is all we need to welcome intimate relations, and treat others with kindness and genuine care.

Practice Time

Hello Life-Dance Lovers,

It has been almost two months since I last connected with my blog...and so much have happened! It was travel time, inwardly and outwardly, as it always is...

At first, I made the journey from Orissa, on the east coast of India, where I lived and danced all winter, to Delhi, the lively capital. I love Delhi. I always have so much fun finding the most awesome cultural events of music, dance, and art. There was a festival of sacred art around the time I was there, and I saw incredible performances of ecstatic Sufi music and dance from Egypt (!) and a concert that wove together all of south India classical music traditions. What a journey! I also met some great people while I was there, and of course, shopped until I dropped.  Then I traveled across the planet back to the USA. Cain and I met in AZ where we basically said hello and goodbye to family and friends and drove off in a U-haul with all of our staff westward to Santa Cruz, CA.

 I've been landing, grounding, re-orienting, and feeling it out here ever since. We have a lovely nest in the form of a rustic cabin in the woods, a quiet spot in the Santa Cruz hills. The air is moist and we are surrounded by Oak, Madrone, California Bay, Pine, Redwoods, Manzanitas, lush ferns, and wild herbs, (a bit of poison oak...), and so many other plant-friends. We also have lots of deer running around, and I think some wild dog and cat-like creatures. Every time we leave and return, we travel through a winding narrow corridor of lush greenery, and the gentle rumble of flowing water as background music, so nourishing!

 Santa Cruz town is a funky place. One of the great things for me is the lively world-culture scene. There is so much music and dance from around the world, creative expression exploding in the streets, and in the concert halls, I'm really digging it here art-wise. It feels like arriving at the oasis after a long journey in the desert. I love Prescott - the crystal-clear sky, sparkly air, and small community of friends we made while living there. However, cowboy poetry and square dancing doesn't nourish me the same way as being able to watch, and dance to, world-class flamenco, Moroccan Music, Afro-Brazilian-Reggae, Middle-eastern band, and much more, all in the same week!

Travel didn't stop yet though...We have been to Oregon, going back to Arizona, and then the grand journey to Alaska. I have a dear community of Dance-Yoga-Qi friends in Anchorage Alaska, that Cain and I will return to this May. We will be teaching Odissi dance, Yoga, Qi Gong, and related knowledge. This upcoming Alaska journey has been a great incentive to dive deeply and wholly into practice. I'm fully immersed these days in Odissi dance & music, Yoga, and Qi-gong practice, and feeling the deepening of my experience moment by moment. Realizations, openings, and clarity bubbling from within and raining from above. What a gift! I'm writing articles, preparing performances, classes, intensive dance seminar - an elaborate program of events to unfold in Alaska. In this light - I feel moved to shift this blog greatly toward movement-practice related info, rather then my own personal life stories.

And so to begin with, below is some information about the preliminary steps a dancer takes preparing herself to dance.

Preparing to Dance Odissi  
 
 Sloka – Prayer 
 
Before we start dancing we initiate our practice reciting a sloka. Slokas are short
verses from the Vedas – the ancient scriptures. They usually attributed to specific
Gods or Goddesses and serve as an invocation prayer to attain steady and peaceful
state of being. Below are the two most common dance slokas from the Abhinaya
Darpana by Nandikeshvara, one of the ancient classical dance texts. 
 

Namaskriya Sloka:
Nama  -Salutation, 
Kriya  -Action
Sloka – spiritual poetry
 
 Lord Shiva is praised as the embodiment of the 4 types of abhinaya (Body & hand
movement, ornaments and costume, Song, Mood/emotional expression) in this
following sloka.
 
Angikam Bhuvanam Yasya (All our body parts are yours)
Vachikam Sarva Bhagmayam (Our words are your world)
Aharyam Chandra Taradi (The Sun and Moon are your ornaments)
Tum Namaa Satvikam Shivam (I salute you Shiva, the embodiment of truth, with my
body-mind-spirit) 
 
“We bow to Him the benevolent One
whose limbs are the world, 
whose song and poetry are the essence of all language,
whose costume is the moon and the stars..."
 
Guru Brhama (Birth, You are my teacher)
Guru Vishnu (Life, You are my teacher)
Guru Deva Maheshvara (Death, You are my teacher)
Guru Sakshat Param Bramha (Emptiness, You are certainly my teacher)
Tasmay shri Guruveh Namaha (To such respected teacher I offer my devotion)
 
 
Bumi Paranam - Salutation to the earth:
 
Odissi dancer offers Bumi Paranam - A Dance-Prayer sequence to initiate and to
conclude every dance session. Bumi is the earth Goddess. We salute the earth
before practice, asking permission to stump upon her and generate our creation, and
we thank her at the end of our practice, for allowing us to do so. 
 
Practice Time:
 
Odissi dance takes shape as a gradual progression: addressing all the elements of
the dance and then layering them together into a complete and intricate whole. We
begin every practice session with gentle exercises; joint opening sequences and light
stretches, followed by stronger exercises that strengthen the legs, open the hips, flex
the spine, and develop stamina and rhythm. We proceed with the distinct dance
postures in various dance steps, spins, walks and jumps, climaxing in practice of
choreography. A session usually concludes with unwinding and cooling down
stretches, as well as refining our mudra practice, developing eye, head, and neck
movements, emotional expressions, and other facets and elements of odissi. 
Before we begin moving  - The dancer always centers and grounds:
connecting with her breath, with the earth through the sole of her feet, with heaven
through the top of her head, and with space within and around. The dancer is seen
as the creator of the universe, creating her own universe with her dance and letting
creation happen through her while dancing.  As we prepare ourselves to dance, it is
important to view ourselves as the center axis between heaven and earth, and let all
manifestation revolve around us. The most profound role of the dancer is her ability to
transform her own reality and touch her audience deeply, offering the opportunity to
transcend ʻordinaryʼ life moments into ʻextra-ordinaryʼ spiritual ones.
 

Travel time

 Sipping on the last bit of my special Pu-erh tea, my beloved husband sent me to India with. There is no more good tea. It must be time to leave. It is getting hot again after a short 2+ months of perfect weather winter. When I first got here, it was so hot and sticky; I could fill a pool with my sweat. I would break in sweat just chewing my food! And looked like I stepped out of a pond after my dance practice. Now, humidity and temperature are rising, and I dream of the ocean. I'm leaving Orissa in a week. Dance practice used to be the highlight of my days here, now it is skyping with my daughter and my husband. I'm grateful for all the treasures Orissa had to offer me, and still enjoy riding the ecstatic waves of music with dance, but ready for a break, and for intimate time with my dance, internalizing all of what I learned. 

I have loads of writings inspired by the Vipassana meditation retreat I took in Bodh Gaya, but first I want to share my recent Konark-Puri trip while it's still fresh in my mind. 

I took off dreading a bit the bus experience I was about to embark on, but I started off lucky. The bus, that has no time table or consistency, arrived a second after I did, and I ran and pushed, and won a precious sit. Half the people on the bus stands, climb the windows, or hang out on the roof, so a sit is luxury. My knees smashed and banged against the bench in front of me. Body parts, with not-so-good-odor, pushing against me, forcing me to push (gently) back, so I can maintain a decent sitting posture. Loud noises, honking, banging, shouting, but I'm happy. I enjoy checking out the old ladies, their exotic sarees and ornate delicate jewelry. As for the man; there are the fashionable, clean shaved 'cool' looking guys, there are the scruffy, too much oil in the hair, mismatched dressed guys, there are the old, dhoti wearing, red-pan-stained-teeth looking guys, and they all gaze at me with intense dark eyes. For a while, I suspected they take turn standing next to me, pushing their hips against my body...but they are so discrete, it is hard to tell. The man sitting next to me (the fashionable clean type, lucky me!), offered to pay my bus fare. I pretended to not understand, and rushed to pay before he had a chance to. It is not polite to refuse. Then he offered an India style candy - a packet of fennel, coconut and spices, I took it after he insisted. Then, he bought me a mango frooti drink. Of course, I had to accept. He did not talk to me at all the entire 2+ hours of squished together bus ride, but when I was pushed and yanked off the bus in Konark I politely said good-bye. He rejected my good bye, and instead accompanying me as we walked toward the magnificent Sun Temple. Then he talked, in Hindi, but I could understand. He wanted to spend the day with me, and invited me to attend his cousin's wedding that night....hmmm, I wonder if I were to accept, he would have proposed marriage by the end of the day? Anyways I brushed him off elegantly (I have experience:), and hurried to meet my Odissi friends at the Fancy tourist Bungalows. We took a trip into the Orissa back-country to visit an old, obscure and well kept, amazingly ornate Varahi Temple. 

 Varahi is the boar head Goddess. She is dark, and wears black garments and jewelry. She is a tantric Goddess and one of the aspects of the mother. She protects and grants wishes. In her temple I broke my camera. This is after I lost my phone in Gaya. It really is time to leave. 

That night, after an incredible evening of Music and dance in Konark, I found a ride with a lovely French couple to Puri, and all in perfect divine harmony, they stayed at my favorite Puri hotel, and there was one more room left for me. I got up early, greeted the magnificent ocean, and dived in for a long blissful swim. The Puri beach can be somewhat of a nuisance if you lay around. Everybody under the sun might bother you; the beggars, the eager vendors, the shy school students, the laud large families. But in the ocean it is quite and spacious. Indian people do not swim, at least not in the ocean. They only enter as far as knee deep. After my swim, followed the scrumptious breakfast at the famous German bakery, when again, in perfect divine order, I ran into an Odissi dancer I've been trying to meet up with for weeks. I also met an American lady I now refer to as the 'Saree Queen'. She has a fantastic SariSafari web site, where she sells her incredible collection of hand loom sarees she hand picks across India. She is truly passionate about fabric, and it was fascinating to learn from her more about the history and culture of sarees.

In Puri, I went for a long long walk on the beach all the way from the Fisherman village in the north, where the Hippie tourists hang out, to the south end of town at the entrance to the old city, where the Indian tourist flock the beach in their thousands. Then, I meandered through the picturesque old city narrow streets, where I would have taken many photos, should I still have had my camera. There is the wild Kali Temple, and the gnarled old Saddus that look like they are thousands of years old like the equally gnarled banyan and Bodhi trees. And there is the hustle and bustle of life that looks like form a different century. At the end of my walk I washed at the Jaganath bathing complex, and got stung by a bee in the center of my palm. I felt like the bee stung was auspicious, blessings me with an easy journey back to BBSR. 

I'm now busy with last days shopping, packing, and finalizing my affairs and connections here in Orissa. Letting myself sip in, along with my tea, the beauty of this place, the preciousness of this incredible rich culture.  

As I'm preparing myself to travel mode, a few useful language tips for the you who plan a trip to India: English is widely spoken which makes India an easy place to get by. Yet, especially if English is your first language, you may be surprised to find it a bit difficult at first to communicate. As one of my Rickshaw drivers said: "Madam, I speak English fully, but only Indian English". This sums it up. I would highly encourage anybody traveling in India to pick up some words of the local languages. It helps a lot in crossing the tourist veil and having a window into the local culture. A few typical phrases you likely to be addressed with are: 'You are one person or two?' (Means are you here as a couple or travel alone) 'You, coming from place?', 'Madam, your good name?' 'Problem? No problem'. In Orissa they tend to repeat words, especially verbs, twice. A classic is 'Adjust, adjust'. This is a big one since you always have to adjust! Another popular one is 'Thank you, Thank you'. They like to add ee sound to words such as Fatti, frooti, silki. Additional distinctive feature of traveling in India, particularly if you choose to spend time away from touristic spots is the 'super-star' phenomena. If being famous is one of your secret wishes, I highly recommend visiting India first; have a taste of what it is like being in the spotlight. As a foreigner, you likely to attract an all lot of attention in the more rural, non-touristic areas. Some of those back-country little towns and villages folks never met a 'white' or non-Indian person in real life, and if you appear in these places, the all village will surround you with excitement and examine your every move. You are the most thrilling occurrence they had for years! And the concept of privacy is non-existent. Personal space neither. (Be aware and prepared!).

The other day I went to the book fair here in BBSR, and as I walked out of the fair grounds, a young women of college age ran toward me, trembling with excitement, asking if she can speak to me. As we talked, she became increasingly more emotional and teary. She was from a small town a couple hours drive a way, and she revealed to me she prayed to God that morning that she will be able to speak to a foreigner on her trip to the big city. Oh, how sweet and innocent she was. I felt all of a sudden obligated to stand for the occasion, and make this experience truly special for her. In a way, being a foreigner, you are always noticed, and it requires a certain behavior of benevolence.

The whistle guy, weaves of India, and the fabric of life.

I wonder if Indian boys dream of being a 'whistle man' one day when they grow up. In the same way American boys may dream of becoming a fire man. And I think Israelis, of being a soldier. (And of course, in that case, they all get to be one:).

The whistle man is a guy that emerges at night in the alleyways of wealthy and semi wealthy neighborhoods blowing his whistle constantly all night long, when it is finally perfectly peaceful and the chaos of the day has subsided for once. They look something between a policeman, a soldier and a bodyguard, but a little scruffy and less glamorous. They are full of importance and utmost diligence for their job.
According to Indian logic, having someone make noise all night long will scare the thieves away. It makes the citizens feel safe and cared for.  According to my logic, if a thief has half a brain, they can assess how far away the whistle is, and strategically plan their plot. But of course, the thieves are Indian too; so they follow the Indian logic, not mine. And no body seems to be bothered by the piercing noise of the whistle but me. Although, I have to admit, I've gotten used to it by now, and most of the nights sleep soundly through it. I try to also take advantage of the sacred nap time. Another window of relative quietude, when even the mosquito seems to rest.

I've definitely fallen of the blogging wagon back in December. It's not that I lack things to write about. On the contrary, perhaps overwhelmed with subjects and ideas, that I just let it go all together. My time and energy has been consumed by my dance training and the fullness of life, and then felt the yearning to spend more of my precious 'off' time in silence and meditation. I've been dancing day and night, watching lots and lots of dance in many spectacular festivals, and occasionally go on shopping excursions on my days off. These are time consuming and rather fascinating and exhausting affairs. There is so much to look through!!! It is heaven for fabric lovers. The abundance of brilliant weave patterns, colors and qualities is endless. Hand-loom weaving of silk, cotton and wool in a large variety of styles and qualities is still alive and abundant. Every region has its own, often centuries old, specialties and designs, and the products are stunning. There are many selections of natural dyes and natural fibers, and also "Madam, this is 100% chimical, nothing natural, (with a proud smile)". I love colors and fabrics, and I can spend hours examining, touching, admiring...what a delight! Thank goodness shopping unconsciously is not one of my weak spots, otherwise, I might have had to start a saree business with all the sarees I would acquire. However, I do intend to bring a small selection of shawls and scarves as gifts and goods to sell, (and yes, a few sarees too..) just because I can see all of my friends and students enjoying this exquisite fabrics, and also feel moved to support these businesses. Hand-loom weaving is a dying art. The cost of raw materials and the time it takes to produce these items makes it not 'productive' and not competitive in this industrial, digital, high-tech world of ours. This primal link of connection between humans and the earth is disappearing...most kids and even adults in our present time world have never worn a piece of hand made cloth, or naturally dyed fabric in their life! In India, the government (so far...) still support and sponsors hand loom weavers in a large scale. The citizens do too. Hand loom fabrics are common items in everybody's closets. All middle class women are proud of their hand loom collection of sarees. And it is tradition to wear those in all festivities, rituals and ceremonial occasions, as well as in daily life. There are large and successful hand-loom weavers companies and corporations. In Odissi dance classes, it is expected to wear traditional hand-loom Orissi sarees and fabrics. In performance it is compulsory. Traditional fabric designs are integral part of Indian culture and art, and the weave of fabrics is deeply woven in to the fabric of life.

Along with the dance and the spiritual heritage of India, the fabrics are another captivating aspect for me of this rich and diverse culture.

I have many more of my life experiences and insights that I wish to share in this blog, and I hope to continue to do so frequently in the near future. Tomorrow, I'm taking the long journey by train to Bodh Gaya, the enlightenment place of Guatama Sidharta (The Buddha), for a 10 day insight meditation retreat. I'm very ripe for this time of deep silence and reflection, strengthening my mindfulness. I take refuge in the Buddha.
I'll be away for two weeks and will report soon after my return.

love, peace and blessings to all.