In a way, this trip is like a pilgrimage for me. My intent for the first month of my journey is to increase my inner peace and strength, and to create clarity. After 2 years of working up to 4 jobs at one time (often 80 hour weeks) and of having a constant sleep deficit, I am excited to use this time to restore balance and enjoy every minute of my day!
I will begin my trip by studying Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga for a month at the Vishwa Yoga Darshan, an ashram in the mountains east of Mumbai. The program will be intense, but if I study hard and pass the examinations I will come home with a yoga teacher certification. Many people have asked me, why am I going all the way to India to study yoga when I could just take courses at home? So I ask in return, why learn here when I could go to the place where yoga was born, and fully immerse myself in the culture? Indian traditional yoga is more than just exercise; through yoga, one's mind, body, and spirit are connected and balance is achieved. The yoga philosophies of yoga create peace and can enrich one's life. Yoga isn't just a hobby; yoga is a lifestyle. This short article explains what I mean: www.healthtree.com/articles/yoga/philosophy.
The last 3 months of my trip I will be circling the entire country, and venturing into Nepal. I'll be visiting large cities and small villages, tiger reserves and national parks, boating in tropical backwaters and hiking in the Himalayas, seeing the Ganges river and ancient temples. I'll see colorful displays of culture, as well as the heartbreaking sight of abject poverty. Despite the vast amount of research I have done, I guarantee I will get culture shock. But the bitter-sweet juxtaposition of vibrant beauty and upsetting filth, joyous festivals and muffled sorrow, and of solitude in nature and over-crowding in cities... this is what makes the world such an exciting place.
My original plan was to experience this all on my own, traveling solo to push my boundaries. But I am fortunate that I will be sharing segments of this trip with two of my favorite people, my best friend Mathew and my sweet mother. I am excited to take my mom on her first major international trip! I'll be posting some of the pictures of our adventures on flickr. Leaving in less than two weeks, I can't wait!!!
Good luck! I plan to take a venture similar to this in fall!
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