Tuesday, January 30, 2007

What about practice?

I forgot to talk about practice while writing about all these other new experiences I am having. I actually had fallen out of love with practice for a while and then it began coming back again. I discovered that the yoga teacher here has begun teaching ashtanga so I started to participate in her morning classes after dynamic meditation. Okay, it was slower and gentler than what we are all used to but it suited well with me at the moment, I was really bored of practicing alone, was craving the group energy. But then she left, so no more yoga classes. However, this helped me to regain the habit of going to Buddha Grove after meditation and do my practice. The weather became warm again, no more frozen toes so it is perfect. Also, I love practicing while they are doing Gurdjief movements because I love the music they play, it is the piano playing this very simple tune, very lovely, reminding me of childhood… Another thing which came along with the yoga teacher quitting is people began coming to me and telling me that I should teach. Actually, just this morning a woman came and asked me what is it that I do in the mornings. Then she told me that it looks beautiful and asked me if I could teach her!

Saturday, January 27, 2007

From Alchemy of Breath to Death Celebration

I have been very neglecting my blog… but not because of having nothing interesting to write… In the middle of the month, I did a breath group called “Alchemy of Breath”. It was quite unexpected, surprising, beautiful, painful…. With breath one goes from the physical body to emotional body and then all these informations, feelings, experiences we had in our lives come up. Some of them we do not remember but our body stores them all, amazing... Yes, there is definitely alchemy to breath… It was a five day group. We did all sorts of fun exercises before the breath sessions to prepare our body, to open our body to breath such as bio-energy exercises, dancing etc… I had so much energy during those 5 days. In spite of waking up at 5:30 am to go to dynamic meditation and then doing all these vigorous exercises and breath sessions and then Kundalini meditation, I would be dancing like mad during evening meetings. It was explosive energy! After the group I had a great sense of opening but of course it does not last as it is initially… but great to experience it.
Then ,last week we had Death Celebration! I had no clue what it was and my sister hold me from my hand and took me to the auditorium. There was live music and people were dancing, more people than I have seen in many meditations! Then I realized they were dancing in a circle and so I realized that the dead person was in the middle! I was shocked, frozen and my sister was holding my hand to make me feel that it is all right. After a while I began dancing as well. Then the body is taken outside, drums being played, people clapping, dancing, celebrating and we took the body by the river. The whole street was full of sanyasins in maroon robes. By the river the drums were mad playing and people were dancing. An old
Indian man came, wanting to pass by the crowd, he turned to me and said with a smile “ She is my wife” and then he went by the body. They covered the body with woods and light the fire. So we all danced to the burning of the body. It was a beautiful way of sending someone away… After the celebration, one has to take a shower and also wash all the close they were wearing during the burning, so we did accordingly. This morning there was another dead celebration as well for another old Indian lady who passed away last night. I only went to the dancing in the auditorium part because I had an appointment. These experiences all feel tranformative… I think I will extend my stay here, instead of leaving on February 10….

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

New Year in Pune...

So we entered the New Year in Pune. Actually, it was lovely. I was in the Osho resort, dancing in the New Year’s party all night long. I really enjoyed myself; I was very relaxed… Few days later, I and my sister went to Goa for five days. We stayed in Kandolim. It was all right but too mellow for us. Yes, the beach and the ocean can be very relaxing but also we are kind of spoiled by the beaches in Turkey so it was not as special for us as for other people… I guess if stayed in Arombole instead, it could be more fun, ohh well... The good thing was that we met my sister’s mentors there and they are lovely people. We had the privilege to spend quality time with them! Once they arrive to the Osho resort, there will not be such many opportunities since many people will be trying to hang out with them, so that was good… Also missing Pune, I mean not the pollution but the resort was good, I came back with a high spirit.
As for the practice, I could not practice while in Goa because our room was small, not really much space for practice and I did not enjoy practicing in the beach, facing dog shit etc. on the sand while at Chaturanga… but yesterday I began practice by the pool, here in the resort. I miss practicing so it feels good but I also miss practicing with other people… ohh well there is more time until that… On the other hand, I am thinking of doing a breath group called “Alchemy of breath”, it might be interesting…