Yoga-Scorpion, Lightning Bugs and Soggy

Hello there,
How are you? I hope joy is radiating all around and through you and may you carry a smile on the inside at all times. I send you many great big hugs.
As for me, I am still at the Sivananda Ashram. I can't seem to leave. I am met the most amazing people and am bonding with just gorgeous people, well women actually. I put it out there to connect with women and it's happening left and right. We are supporting each other, laughing, crying, hugging, snuggling, joking, eating, sharing fruit and stories with one another.

I want to put all of them in my bag and take them with me, especially two of them-Laura and Helene. Helene I'll be seeing in Sydney when I get there, but Laura she's off to England in a few days, she seems like a great sister. Oh, then there was Lawrence, she is the little sister I never had, OH my gosh I love her, she lives in Colorado so I'll be seeing her again. I got her up on stage dancing last week.

Last week I told you that there is a talent show, well I kind of went over board trying to get people up on stage and doing my own things as well. Well it was fun but I was pooped! I did 5 out of the 8 acts that got up. YIKES! I did a solo dance, a solo song, a duet dance with Lawrence, a trio with Viv and Laura and a duet with Viv. Wow it is so nice to play on stage.

Last week I taught a body awareness class through movement to everyone, plus sang and danced. It was nice to share my work with everyone. I'm not sure when I'm leaving but Laura already has me down to perform on Saturday, I told her I maybe gone by then.

I have mixed feelings. I am loving being here, but part of me is feeling trapped inside the walls of the ashram, only to be let out on Fridays. But what keeps me here are a few things, one is I can hold a head stand now for over 3 minutes, after 2 1/2 weeks I am doing the scorpion from the headstand with support from a teacher or the wall, within days I maybe doing it myself, yet I'm not touching my head with my toes yet.

This is an Asana where you are on your forearms and your body is up in the air, your back arched back and your feet come down to your head and your head is off the ground. So the only thing on the floor is your forearms. I never thought I'd be doing this, but it's amazing. What a powerful posture and so happy I'm strong enough and getting confident enough to start trying it on my own! I'm thrilled.

Plus I am loving the chanting. I think I'm going to start leading some of the chants. They are so lovely and stick in my head. I go to bed and wake up chanting. It's brilliant-what a gorgeous way to wake up! Funny, when I hear these words I hear an English accent as I'm around Laura-my lovely British friend! Makes me smile!!! ; ) Finding family every where around the world!

Of course doing this work all kinds of stuff comes up but thank goodness for the lake and thankfully the girls are there. I had an incredible breakdown the other day and Laura just held me for must have been 20-30 minutes and she would have held me longer but I couldn't breathe. Oh she reminds of my friends in Flagstaff, AZ where I was raised, such an open heart and trusting of life. It's so nice to be just loved so fully and completely. I am grateful for all of these situations, interactions and reminders of who I want to be when I grow up!!! ; ) The message is love, more love and a side order of love and listening of course!

The other amazing thing is there are tons of lightning bugs here, they get on your mosquito net and their little light bulb butt lights up a yellow green color as they walk around the net or fly around in eratic patterns of lighting and they light the whole room at times and in the bushes. So lovely to be so close to nature.

I've been doing visualization meditation for relaxation lately and all that comes to mind is being in nature, my feet in the grass or river, on the rocks, dancing in nature with flowing clothes on. Yet the visual of this home keeps coming to mind too, I wonder if I'll be finding it on this trip. I'll see. But I'm loving the visuals, my country girl nature wants to come out!

Since I've been here I've been touching, hugging and kissing as many people as I can as it's so nice to be close. I met this lovely women from Chili and I went up to her, kissed her cheek and gave her a hug and she responded with "you have Amma energy" well I'll take that as a compliment, how beautiful is that. I've always loved hugs, it's just my thing, thank goodness others get out of it some of what I do!!

I have to say I am loving the Yoga way of being, it's so tempting to just go study yoga but I'll have to see when or if the time is right. I love all the food and ways of being as a yogi. How lovely. Some of the teachers just blow me away. Yet I've been a little sore the past few days. But it's all good.

OH, here in Kerala everything is cooked with coconut. It's delicious! Try this-sprouted beans with fresh shredded coconut with a tad of onion and curry leaves, just barely warmed in coconut oil and steamed. It's my favorite! Also there is a lot of beets and carrots with coconut-yummy!

It is monsoon season here and when they say it rains, it rains. I am soggy, I've been soggy for days now and thinking of going north to get dry. I miss the warmth, yet it maybe too warm, I'll see. But I have friends up north so it wouldn't be so bad.

I am looking for different healers around India, found 2 doctors and though expensive they maybe what I'm looking for. If you've heard of Siddha Vaidya, then you know what I'm talking about, it's older than Ayurveda and it cures the disease where as Ayurveda is good for before and after the disease is cured.

Oh, diseases can be headaches, back aches, eye problems, fibroids, joint problems, anything really and they know of thousands of diseases just for the brain that we are born with. They work from the core outward. But I'd have to some how get money for that treatment. But I'm still researching it to make sure it's the best possibility of healing.

I am really hoping to get my wrist healed so I can continue doing healing with people once I'm home. Get my eyes back to seeing properly, some fibroids shunk and if I can find anyone that works post traumatic stress then that would be helpful as well so I can feel like myself again. If you know anything about healing these things I value any suggestions!

Oh, I haven't forgotten about photos, I'd love to send some but I haven't found a way to attach them yet, I've tried numberous times and it hasn't worked. So please be patient, we have to be with India, as it works it's own way and in it's own time.

So I send you hugs and love. I hope to be at the beach sometime in the next week to relax from ashram life and plan my next healing adventure for my heart, mind, spirit and body!

May you always have enough to keep you strong, giving, loving, happy and full of life. Know that now is a choice, you choose happy or sad, depressed or thrilled, how would you like to spend your day, moment, year, life? Remember you are giving up a day of your life for this day, how would you like to spend it?

Many hugs and kisses to you. I miss and love you, Heather