Halloween

Hi all Ghosts and Goblins!!!
Today is halloween. I spent most of the day at the temple, but in the evening I dressed in the costume I worked on all week and went Trick or Treating with my friends and our siblings. I got a huge amount of candy. I am posting this entry tonight and tomorrow I will post pictures of our costumes. Ok thanks!! I will write some nice spiritual/my excpirence things tomorrow. Bye!!

Being in Tune (not music)

I know I have already talked about this factor (blog entry two?) but I really want to speak, write of it again.This is the matter of being in tune with existence. When you are in tune with exsistence every thing you need will be right there. When you are not in tune with exsistence everything you need will still be there, but you may not realize it. There is a Jain quote "When you come to planet Earth you come with everything you will need. Food, water, everything you need to live your span of life." The problem is we totally wast these things, energy is included in this. There is this sweet story I read a few months back.
This young girl is sitting in class and the teacher asks the students to write the seven wonders of the world. All the kids write and the put their pencils down. This one little girl keeps writing though. Finally after a few minutes the teacher says "there are only seven how can you have so much to write?" The child replies "there are more then seven! I can see, I can hear, I can smell, I can touch, I can read..... she keeps going on until the teacher finally stops her."
This is what i mean by 'in tune with existence' this child perfectly understood the existence was providing for her. The problem is in today's society we get caught up in so many extra things. When we don't get though things we get depressed. So that all I have for today. Please check back in soon!

Your body, a temple

My Dear readers,
So as a quick note before we get started on the main subject, it is day five of 21 days. I diden't do so well this morning I woke up this morning relaxed, and well, lazy! I did manage to do Three rounds of Surya Namaskar and some unclutching though. Ok so thats done and finshed, moving on!
I have wanted to write about this subject for a while now, and tonight I am doing it! I have heard many people, including Swamiji say that your body is a temple. It is like your house that you are currently living in. Your casa (house in Spanish) I have known of this concept for a few years now and logically understand it, but for the second time tonight I actully excpirenced it. Both times have been when marching our show for marching band on the football field. Now I suppose to think back I have excpirenced this before, but this month I have REALLY excpirenced it.
Now what am I talking about? Well what is feels like when I truly realize I am not my body. My body is just my casa that I am living it. I can litarly feel my body, watch my body, do stuff and I clearly feel myself as different from my body although totally coordinating with like an excpert puppiter with his puppets. I think and I everything, but I just have this great feeling of being INSIDE my templo/casa. I am one with my body out of practise, but I am not my body. I just thought you guys would like to hear about that!
You guys have seen a similer version of this pic. I wanted to put it because I remember feeing really ....... special. I just wanted to put it, cool? Ok.

Day four

So it's day four. I started my new teen age efforts by printing out a survey and packaging it to send to my friends to distrubute in different schools, hopefully I will get them back. I used all my copies up to send to my friends so I will have to get some more before school tomorrow. So that is my first effort, besides continuously writing this blog.

So day # 4! got up earlier then ever before. Did two postures, three rounds of Nithya Surya Namaskar, unclutching, and oilpulling (cleans out toxins in the stumach) This is an improvment on the past few days, but still is not that great. Ok I know that wasen't the best entry, but I am not in a blogging mood so goos night, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite!!!!

Picture.....? um I went to my random pictures folder and there it was. This picture is of one of the five sacrade rivers in India (I can't remember it name right now though) but it is near to Mysore in Karnatika India and we went there for the thried year South Indian Kumba Mela

My dear readers?????

So days 2 and 3 of my new practise are going.......
Ok well to make my excuses yesterday I hit "off" insted of the snooze button on my alarm clock and diden't wake up until much later when my dad came into my room. I did manage to do three rounds of surya namaskar, patanjali dhyaan, and five minutes of Swamiji's signature "unclutching" meditation. This seems good, but it is not the full practise. I should be doing more postures, nithya dhyaan, guru pooja, and pranayama. So yes.

I have decided to really, truly start working on this Teenage Spirituality thing. This is the point I really wish some TEENS where reading my blog. Are there any of you out there? Any at all? because it feels like I am just writing into this big empty space, cyber space you could say, and there really is know point to it. So thats all I have for today's entry. Thank you thank you THANK YOU if you read this entry. If you did please send me a comment. let me know you are there!

Day one

I have completed (almost) day one of my new practice. I would love to say wonderful it was, but I am going to tell the truth. I totaly forgot why I was getting up at 5:00 am and automatically snoozed it until 5:30 am. Finally I got up and forgetting about the yoga part did the 30 minute Nithya Dhyaan meditation. Which I fell asleep in twice. But with 20 days left I have room to improve.
I know this is a really short entry, but as I am waking early torrow morning, and I am tired I am going to finsih off this entry. Today's pic was taken right after the one I used yesterday. I choose this one because wile I am meditating in the first one in this on I am not therefore it shows how I diden't have the best day one. Ok thats al now

my 21 day commitment

Greetings!
This is going to be a fast one, but I must tell you all my plan. I have decided to commit to doing a full yoga practise every morning for the next 21 days. Now I know most of you thik no big deal, she probebly already does yoga everyday. Well know actully I haven't since the school year started and my meditation sessions have been short. Starting tomorrow though I am going to do 21 days intensive practise. Oh I think I will also do a small mediation befor to sleep each night starting torrorw asw well, unclutching or something. Ok so I will be writing daily updates during this three week period so yep thats my plan.
Why 21 days? Well 21 is a very sacrad number as is 108, 1008, and a few others. 21 days is one energy cycle also so I will be doing my practise for one energy cycle, which should make it properly inplanted in me. Ok so my eyelids are growing heavy (I typed like a million, alright five, emails before today's blogging, so yep. Ok talk to ya later!!!
This picture was taken at the banyan tree in Bidadi.

Nithya Surya Namaskar

Well....
It has been another long very enjoyable day in the city of Delaware. I have two really great thing to write about, but I am going to save the second one for tomorrow so I will have something to write about at 5:00 am when I probebly will be writing. So about today's subject. Nithya Surya Namaskar.
Ok first comes a story. Pretty much most of my life i had detested yoga. It was something my mom did. Something she went away for weekends for, leaving my sister and I alone with my Dad. It was painful and required aspects of living I did not want to put fourth. When I decided to take the Three Month Life Bliss Engineering program or rather LBE I somehow failed to realize that would do for then 500 hours of yoga in the course of those three months. I still and will probebly always remember my very first Yoga class. It was in the Ananda Sabha I don't truthfully remember the most of it I just remember doing Nithya Surya Namaskar and thinking "wow this is so fun! why haven't I done this before?"
Ok So what is this "Nithya Surya Namaskar" Basically the exact translation is Eternal Salutation to the Sun. A series of postures woven together to creat a beautiful Vinyasa. It is a Vinyasa that has been around for thousand of years. After high school started I diden't really do much yoga. By that i mean I wasen't doing a daily practise. Today though I did. I did two postures and then three rounds, or six sets of Surya Namaskar.
This is the interesting part. Now even though I haden't done the Vinyasa is nearly three months my body, my musels remembered every movement. from my torso to my toes my body did all the movments. I watched my self. I watched my body, my house, my temple, move it's musels from one postion to another. I watched as my body of it's own accord pushed itself up and laid down...... It is almost to much to write here in just words. It was so amazing, it really showed the concept of musle memory. I almost coulden't believe it, but there it is.
Ok that is my day's excpirence. Check back in tomorrow for updates on your dear friend's life, and to read about my other really cool thought. Today's picture I took in South India. It is of the sunrise from a train. You always do Surya Namaskar in the morning to salut the riding sun.

My Mathamatical Merical

Hello My Dear Ones,
As promised I am dutifully writing again. Today I just have to speak on the mathamatical merical (as you can see there have been no spelling mericals. How do you spell that word!) At the last eKal, the one before the one last Saturday, I asked Swamiji to help me with my math. He said "you just go to class and I will do the work."
Ever since maybe third grade I have been renowned for being absalutly horrid in Math. Last year I basically failed my Algebra class, and only got through because the teacher felt sorry for me. I had been in India for most of the year though. The only way I was able to get into geometry was by talking the guidence counceler into it! My point is though I was bad. Well the past two, maybe three weeks, I suddenly understand everything. It's not like an instant understanding, but I can figure it out quickly where as before I just NEVER figured it out. Now I am helping my friends study for tests, explaining problems to my class mates and finishing my homework with ease. And it doesen't stop there. Lately I have been finding Math work so fun. Like a puzzle I work my way though the problems. I get really excited when the teacher gives up practise problems at the begining of class.
The moral of my story? I am not really sure of an exact moral. I wanted to share with all of you that way Just a few words from Swamiji's mouth can totaly change everything! I mean what else can I say but.......
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANKS for being there. For helping us on planet earth reach liberation!
(and by the way this picture is of my sort of hugging Dakshinamorthi. The ultimate guru, a form of Lord Shiva, and to me, Swamiji. Whenever he wasen't at the ashram Dakshina was his replacment, to me. In this photo the deity is dressed up in his gold plated finery following the Jayonthi celebrations.)

So so much!!

So as I said in my last entry I have ad a really REALLY busy past week. I don't really remember when I last wrote, but here is a quick summery of my week thus far and then I will go into details. I know that these arn't exactly "spiritual excpirences", but I really want to write about them, so I am going to. So....
On friday my band traveled to Big Walnut for an away game. Our football team lost (15-0) but that was excpected, they arn't excatly respected in our school anymore.... if you get my drift. The cool thing about that night was the other lined up making a long tunnal for us to run through. Fan's do this for the football teams all the time but for us band members it was a real treat to be acctuly honared! (I don't think I spelled that right) yeah and when we got to the end of the tunnal, it was really long the was a big table literaly heaped with all sorts of goodies and treats, there was something for everyone including the vegan's and Satvic diet people. AKA me.
Satuurday started very early in the morning. I dressed in my only fitting white and orange half-sari and drove with a woman frm Kentucky who had been staying at our house to the temple. A clear an fresh morning it was. People started arriving at the temple quickly and by eight am a large crowd was assembeld in the basement of the temple. We where to have an eKalpataru! I went through all the meditations and was the very first person to have darshan. I would rather not write of the details of the dashran here, but I can assure you it was an absalutly amazing excpirence. After eating a quick but really good lunch one of the temple devotees drove one of my friends, who attended the program, and I to school. There we met the rest of our band members and started a few hour process in getting ready for that eavning's OMEA cometition. This includes Music rehersal, and marching rehersal for many hours, putting on uniforms, cleaning instruments, and of course eating a lot. Were teenagers!
This is a seperate paragraph cause it is a way different event from eKal (as I will now call it) Well we drove by school bus to Findley and the competetion. I have to say I really like the town of Findley and it has a collage I may look into when the time comes. Anyhow I slept the whole bus ride, a talent you can procure from weeks of travel in India. We rehearsed a bit and did our preformance, put away our things and then went to sit in the stands. While watching the other bands preform most of our band had a popcorn fight using the popcorn as ammunition. This is because the other bands where so good we diden't want to consentrate on them (it's something that happens to you when you know that you are going to loose.) Well we diden't get a One (the highest score) achive State-going-band status of place in any class. It was a quiet bus ride back to school. But to look on the bright side, I did everyone of of MY moves perfect so I mean thats wonderful!!
Sunday morning got up early agian had Mum drive me across town to feed, medicate, and pet a cat I was petsitting. Went to the temple, helped with Anishakum and Alankar (always an amazing excpirence) then changed into jeans and a shirt and my dad drove me to Equi-Valent. There was a horse clinic taking place and snce I am a volunteer I got to go for free! It was really cool and taught Natural Horsemanship. We did roundpen work with the horse (I will explain later if you remind me) and it was VERY hands on with the horses. Wonderful excpirence though. Came home donned an aprone and made an eggless cheese cake with my sister, from scratch. Ran (literly) to the temple and taught a kids yoga class, for four very hyper active adolesents, did the eavening arathi, ate dinner. And then went to bed! And thats just my weekend.
It is late now, I promise to write more tomorrow PLEASE contact me with questions it makes writing this thing 1 million times easier. So TTFN! (ta ta for now!)

/explination

Wow!!! It feel so great to write to you guys agian.
Ok so my laptop wasen't working for a few days and I was to lazy to beg someone for their laptop, so I simply diden't write. Also I can not even start (but I will!) explain how utterly inscane my schedual is. Every night I fall into bed exhusted sometimes even forgetting to put on my nightgown! And if you want to know how inscane (but really really cool) my life is go and read my next entry!
This is my kinda random blog. It is not technecly part of my blog I just wanted to write it here, also that picture goes along with the random theam. It is of myself when i was pretending to be an elf.

egoism

One BIG part of spirituality is loosing your ego. Before you are able to progress on your path of enlightenlightenment, you must loose your ego. Most people consider the ego like a friend and are scared to drop it, but in truth it will only make you miserable. One last thing about ego, see there are certain people you can look at and say "wow that person has a big ego" I geuss if someone where to be with me for over week yeah, they would proebly say that (I love giving myself complements!) But there is another kind of ego all together. This is called subtle ego. Have you ever spoken to someone who was like "oh no you have it. I am fine" like when you are asking if they want another cookie and you know they really do but they are refusing. Or they act really shy. This is called subtle ego. The problem with this sort of ego is that it accepted, more then accepted encouraged! By socioty. You might refer to a person as if the are such a humble person. Actully this type of ego is 10000 times worse then direct ego.
Ok so that is my teaching segment, I learned all that when I took my Life Bliss Program teachers training in India over last winter, that is part of the content for Swamiji's first level meditation class. Now as this blog is about MY expirences how have I expirenced ego. I have to say a lot of thing that have happened to my over the past two years could (I suppose they did a little bit) led me to be very egoistic. I am constently getting complements for one thing about how sweet I am doing spirituality at such a young age, about how pretty I look, how talented I am, how good I am in school. And so fourth. yes it has effected me a little bit, but I swear with I out Swamiji's teaching and with just all of that I would be a ruin right now. Ok so I don't think I am rid of my ego, but I have progressed to a point where I am aware of being egoistic when I am. So that is todays spiritual teaching!!! I have a football game tonight, so thats about all, please comment my dear readers I need to know what I writing is OK, and what the picture has to do with this subject... I don't really know. Chasing the bad ego away???? Interpurate for yourself please.

Bliss bliss bliss!

Today I went to the temple. There where only a handful of people there are all where doing work in other areas of the building. Like I always do I turned on some dance music (Indian of course) I had some things I needed to do but for about five minutes I just let my self totaly dance away all the pressures and stress of school, marching band, being a teenager......
I danced for Swamiji, for Anandaswara not caring if anyone saw me. I sang along with the song playing, I knew it well, it was so wonderful! Finally feeling fresh and happy I started on my tasks of ironing some clothes and then I cooked a wonderful dinner of pasta, Indian style green beans, herb tomato sauce, and italian bread (ok actully I just cut that up). Making the meal was so fun, like the house keeping games I used to play with my classmates in second grade. Yes I ended up slashing my finger open attempting to open a jar of sauce, and burned my thumb frying a piece of bread (I diden't want to dirty the spatula) it was so fun. Then when I actully got to eat the meal I cooked up I was so excited I spilled my plate on the floor. Now don't get me wrong, I actully cook a lot, well bake rather, it's just the mood I did it in today made it seem so great!
So yep that todays message live in bliss! If you don't how to do that come to a temple and dance. Kay? It helps with EVERYTHING!
(Oh and about todays picture, I know it is not pasta of even the meal we had, but it is the only picture of food I have. So yeah, it's food.)

Picture blog....

Ok dears,
Tonight I have decided to do a picture blog. As a follow up of last night's entry. So here goes! You guys all have to tell me what you think of this format. Oh and by the way I took these pictures and they are all copyrighted by me, so if you want pictures of india, fine. Use them, but just make sure you reference me, cause other wise thats stealing. Ok now then

1.) This first picture gives you a small idea of the huge crowds I was trying to explain. That whole day we coulden't barely leave our hotel. Every single street was packed, and if you think you know the tearm packed just take a look at this picture!

2.) This first picture is on my very first day in Haridwar. I am praying to the Mother Ganga (although I may have been posing for this perticular picture) You can see the foot hills of the himalayas in the distance. And wow, that picture makes me look fat! Ok not the picture, the clothes, but to bad because I love that top.

3.) This picture is me (agian) standing on a bridge crossing the ganga. I am in front of the ganga, foothills, and huge statue of Lord Shiva which besides, the river and mountians is the trademark of Haridwar.

4.) This is a deity of Ma Ganga sitting apone her "pet" or "vehical" which is a crocodile. Each of the Hindu gods has a "vehical" that is always with them and helps them do certain tasks. So yes this is the human form of the river. The river goddess you could say, but just fo the Ganga River.

5.) Ok I know this is a strange picture, but I love it so.... I just had to put it in! When I first actuly touched the ganga with my physical body I was pretty sick. I had a high fevor and a bad cold, an Indian version of the flu. Anyhow I haden't brought a change of clothes so I diden't want to take my dip then like everyone else. So I simply washed my face with the wonderful water and then sat on the bank with my feet in it. Two of my traveling companions where with me, and after their dips sat down beside me. Then one of them took this pictue. So yeah

6.) Ok this is just such a beautiful picture. It is a direct veiw of the really natural part of the Ganga on the edge of the city and the direct foothills of the Himalayas... one of the greatest mountain ranges in the world.

Picture Blog.

A bath in the Ganges

Hallo my dear ones!
It's another Monday. In other words a day of vey mixed feelings for me. On one hand it is the most horrible day of the week beacuse it is another day of school. The first day in a week after a weekend of getting to sleep in a bit you have to wake up early. You probebly know, the works of high school. Anyhow the other side of the coin is that is my day of helping with the Barn Buddies program at the Stable. We did that today and it was very fun... I worked with just one girl today. An eleven year old. So that was nice. Beacuse I am feeling cold I am reminded of probebly the coldest excpirence I had in India. But one of the definetly more amazing. (When I had horrible chills due to a high fever, well that doesen't count.) Anyhow After living in the ashram during our many weeks of travel My mum and I found our selves at the Kumba Mela. It is the largest gathering of human beings on planet earth and they are all there (with the exception of say twenty tourests) to realize God. This event has been going on for thousands of years and the earlier ones, the dates where carved into a stone tabelet. By earlier I mean about you know how about 5 thousand years ago.
Anyhow we are going to go on a yatra (spiritual journey) with Swamiji himself, but things got complicated due to the scandle and the trip got canceld. So anyhow my mother and I found our selves there. The main thing to do at Kumba Mela is to take a dip in the holy water of the river Ganga. Now if you take a dip in the water at any point it is amazing, but in Haridwar (which means gate of the gods) Is ....... practically undescribable.
But here I am going to describe my excpirence to you. We went early in the morning, now if you American kids this 6:00 am is early... we woke up at three am to take our dip. We went to the main ghat (river bank) that is the most spiritual Hariki Puri ghat. And after much mental and physical resistence I got into the water fully dressed. At four in the morning (it had taken an hour to walk from hour hotel as the city was practically busting open with people.) Now that part of the river comes directly from the mountains and is really really REALLY cold. Then you add the factors that it is Februrary, oh yes and four in the morning. I can not even describe in words how cold that water is. Also it is fast flowing. So fast they built these chains about three feet out from the bank, so when you come to take the dip you can hold on to the chain and not get swept away. Now the water was cold, but as this is India we are talking about where EVERYTHING has a reason why. It immedietly jerks you awake. And I don't put that simply awake from not just your nightly sleep but it seems from lifetimes of sleep. It just jerks you awake. And then this energy flows through you. You can just feel Mother Ganga, the spirit of the river blessing you. It is the most amazing feeling..... You must dunk under the water three times as customary and then I rush out. On the bank you loose all scense of ego. hundreds of people are all around you getting in and out of the water. The men hurry away their clothes wet, which is not a totaly true statement as most simply bathed in a loin cloth, or underwear. The woman on the other hand make tents of their saris and quickly change. My mom and me try and shelter each other as we strip off our freezing wet clothes and put on lovely dry ones. Then we hurry back to our hotel as the streets already full are brimming with people. Today is the day of the Royal Bath. My dear Swamiji would have led it, but now someone has taken his place. Today it is estimated (and come true) that 50,000,000 people will be in the city at one time. One city!

Here is a picture of the exact place where I took my dip

Angery.....

My Dear Readers,
I had an interesting occurence today. I was really really annoyed, not for any reason, but I just was. I was mad at the cold (now that fall has rolled it is cold, cold, cold! Also I really strong, really cold, wind is blowing about. Let me repeat it is cold!) So yes I was mad at the weather, I was mad not getting to be home so much. I was mad for no good reason, just for the sake of being mad. Now everone gets mad, but here comes the interesting part. I was intensly aware that I was mad. Now you may be mad, or angery but how often is it that you are aware that you are angry? Well I was so aware that I was so rediculously angry I was practically laughing at myself! So yes there is my little blurb as I like to call these entries, SEnd me some comments!

Ok peeps,
Now that I am getting more comfortable writing to you I want to share an interesting insight I had. Lately I have been pondering over a question. See in band I am usually very happy. I kept wondering why do I need to go to the temple, do meditiation ect. If MARCHING BAND makes me happy?
Today I realized though that when I am band I am happy because people are really nice to me there, and they give me a lot of attention. "oh she is such a great frehman... she is so good for her first year. The works." All these complements make me hapy of course, I mean attention is energy. The problem is in that situation I am relying on someone, something, somebody else to make me happy! If for one day someone people are not nice to me, I will get instantly depressed. On the contrary when I am at the temple doing Arathi. (a fire ritual I take a big part in, we do it every night of the week) I am happy just for the sake of being there! No one is complementing me, I mean they do, but there are plenty of times that I can be practically ignored. But sitting in front of the deities, or doing the rituals I am just in total bliss! and for no reason, just because I am blissful. So yes that was today's realization, I can do band. It is a great talent to learn (uh, don't ask me why though!)but for the sake of myself for when marching band stops and all I really need the temple and can not, should not, stop going.

Love

Hello my dear ones,
and I say that truthfully, for anyone who takes the time to read this blog really is a dear to me. Now lets see what does being a dear have to do with anything??? Love!
Yes today I feel like writing about love. Why? Well I am in contact with this 10 year old from India. Anyhow a few days back she sent me a letter with a frightened tone in it telling about how statistics showed most people are going to have to have heart sugery, and she was scared about that. Well I explained to her first off as she is a devotee of Swamiji she will be fine. I speak that in total truth. Then without thinking my fingers started to tell her about the heart chakra (energy center) and unconditional love. Of course while my finger's wrote this all out I sort of thought about what my finger's where telling that girl. See unconditional love is when you love someone without reason. Not because they are beautiful, or nice, or rich. No! you love them for the sake up having so much love in your being it just drips and oozes out of you, so you love others as well. The problem is, this isen't very commen. People love for one thing they love for a reason, in some cases this can be because they want something physical such as money or power. But there is a much much more common way then this, the way most people in fact use. And this is to love for attention. Think about everyone of your realationships. Do you have them because you are overflowing with love and it simple melds into someone else, or do you love them because they give you attention. A smile, a kind word, or really big attention. What are you thinking????
(By the way please don't think I made this all up. I took the info and content from my Life Bliss Medititation teacher training class I attened in February.) So thats about it. Any questions? I love to answer, so please ask!
Quick tory about this picture. It is one of my all time fav's first off, of myself that it. It was taken in Vrindavan, India. This huge full grown bull (one pictured) just walked up to me and put it's head on my shoulder! I felt immidetly connected to him. I stroked his cheek and eventuly he took his head off my shoulder (it was heavy!) but kept wanting me to pet him. After i decided the petting was enough I started out on my walk agian, he followed me for quite aways. Anyhow beautiful expirence.