Yoga ~ Anne Nowell

Upon writing this, I realize it is February and I have neglected to wish you all a Happy 2011! Since we are into the second month of this new year, I would hope that your year is shaping up to be full of good health, success, and happiness.  As my blogging efforts are irregular, many thanks to all of you who are reading and commenting on my travel log!

For the past 10 weeks I have been immersed in the discipline of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram in Grass Valley, CA. One of my friends has compared it to military basic training and that is not a bad analogy. Rising at 5am to share one bathroom with 8 other females, attending up to 6 hours of practices (asana, lectures, meditation) daily, and contributing to the work force of the ashram in daily duties has been full time to say the least. Similar to basic training, it has been tremendously beneficial in deepening my own relationship to personal practice. As I move onto the next leg of my journeying I feel blessed and renewed for the return to life in the “real” world.

In the following photos I have captured aspects of the devotional art and practices that play a big role in Hindu ritual. Puja is a worship service to help deepen one’s emotional connection to the Divine. When the senses (eyes, ears, nose) are engaged in worship the effect is of a heightened experience. The somewhat personal nature of these rituals limits the opportunity to take photos, as photography feels like a distraction (flashes are so rude!). If you live in a metropolis there is likely a Hindu temple where you can experience a puja service. There is also the opportunity to arrange a weekend retreat at the Ashram here in Grass Valley.  Check out their programs at www.sivanandayogafarm.org

Be sure to click back and forth on the photos to get the full view.

Namaste

As we move to tie up the loose ends of 2010 and to celebrate the holidays and the coming year, I wish that all of you may find a moment for yourselves to reflect on the beauty and joys of life. That we are free to enjoy  holidays and each other is a wonderful blessing.  Friends, Family, Community, and the Planet are good reasons for the season!

I have spent the past weeks at the Sivananda Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, CA. Grass Valley is some 75 miles northeast of Sacramento in the rolling foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Yoga Farm is an “ashram” , a word which translates from Sanskrit as House of God. In the photos you will see the daily schedule which is full with practice and study as well as work. Thus far my work includes feeding the animals, laundry duty, and assisting in the kitchen.

The master Sivananda was a Hindu teacher who sent his student, Swami Vishnudevananda to the States in 1959. Swami Vishnu was the first asana teacher to arrive in the West. Most early western yoga practice was influenced by Vishnudevananda. As he was a Hindu monk, those classes had a decidedly religious flavor. My first Yoga Teacher Training Course was here at the Yoga Farm in 1980 with Swami Vishnu. After 30 years I have come full circle through the mainstreaming of yoga as fitness, to return to my interest in yoga as an aid in the explanation of life.  This obviously is a personal decision. The use of yoga for fitness and therapy is entirely appropriate. The day to day living in a community dedicated to furthering spiritual development is a 24/7 growth experience for me. I am tremendously grateful for this opportunity.

Here are a few pictures to give you the flavor of the Ashram.  As it has been steadily raining since I arrived, I will plead weather as a determining factor in the sharing of photos. Click back and forth for the full images. To be continued in 2011!!

Happy Happy Holidays!  Love and Blessings in the New Year.

Wow!  Can you believe it is Thanksgiving week??  After 20 months of traveling I am thankful for the many blessings in my life that have enabled me the time and opportunity for a nomadic lifestyle. Observing life in other countries and in other parts of our great country has allowed me to consider modes of living that are very different from my own  (but certainly no less valid). With better understanding of the “other”, there may be the  possibility of increased communication between seemingly dissimilar points of view.

I have completed my seasonal work in Wyoming and would like to share some of the photos that I will take away as memories. This Wild West country is truly a wonderland of rugged natural beauty and freedom from the crowding of civilization. May everyone of you consider the blessings that make your life the fabulous and unique journey that it is!

Thanks for sharing my journey! Happy Thanksgiving!!

For a fuller view of the photos click back and forth.
Namaste

Autumn is here.  Happy Birthday month to you Libras and Scorpios!  As the leaves turn to gold and red, I have been secretly praying that global warming will save me from rumored harsh Wyoming weather. Luckily I have been relocated from an elevation of 8,400 feet down to 7,300 feet, and have been blessed with a living space that has electricity, running water, and a toilet. Ahhh, being thankful for the small things!

Here are some of my photographed memories of Yellowstone National Park.  I have always wanted to visit Yellowstone and due to its geographic isolation have never taken the opportunity. When the current job situation arose, the proximity to Yellowstone was a deciding factor in my coming to Wyoming. My wish is that many of you will have the opportunity to travel to Yellowstone and experience the awesome natural wonders it protects. I do recommend that if you make those plans try NOT to arrive during the summer months when traffic through the Park equates to gridlocked rush hour traffic. Buffaloes parked on the road (as you can see) are a serious road block! Still it is nice to know that many persons are traveling to experience the glories of  Nature’s bounty.

As this blog tends to “resize” the photos, please click the back and forth arrows for a better view. I hope to hear from some of you with your thoughts and memories of Yellowstone Park.  Happy Autumn!

The days of Summer are whizzing by!  I hear that summer has not yet fully arrived for some and for others that it has been a “real” heat wave. At 8,400 feet in the Wyoming wilderness, it is turning towards Autumn (already). My cabin has a wood stove and thankfully there is a good supply of fuel. Getting up at 5am in the cold is bracing for sure!

In these photos I have captured some of the local scenery and animal friends. I have developed a serious appreciation for the photographic talent necessary to get a really good “Animal in Nature” shot.  Rarely do they co-operate!  Recently I have taken to leaving bits of food for a visiting fox. If  luck is with me, I will have a photo of it soon.

Sending love and blessings to you all! I hope your Labor Day and the end of summer will be happy and fruitful.

Wyoming is a beautiful and vast frontier. After living in metropolis areas for most of my life, it is different to be in a place where the nearest town is 36 miles away. That town is Pinedale, Wyoming which has a population of 1,400. Eighty miles to the west there is the ski resort of Jackson. To the east, it is 100 miles to the next town of Rock Springs. Yes, it is in the middle of the vast frontier!

In this post you can get a taste of the offerings of Pinedale. Surely it is a modern version of a Wild West town. Since I am only able to visit Pinedale on my days off from the Ranch, I feel certain it will satisfy my needs for civilization until my return to a larger city.

I hope your summer is fabulous! Possibly you can take the time to get to some vast open space for your own blessings from Nature. I send you all best wishes  and a hearty “Ye-Hay”!

Please click back and forth for a better view.

Here we are in July 2010. That means half way through the year! Where does the time go??

I have been lucky in securing a job on a Ranch in Wyoming. This is a part of the country I had never visited and therefore a deciding factor in my accepting the job. The DC Bar Guest Ranch is situated in the Bridger Wilderness of western Wyoming, 30 miles from the nearest town, and 80 miles from Jackson Hole. The Wilderness is in a huge valley at 8,500 feet altitude, surrounded on three sides by mountains; vast, desolate, and beautiful!

The Ranch offers various services to its clientele. There is a school to train persons to be Wilderness Guides enabling them to take guests on overnight camping trips in the mountains. For Ranch guests there is an on-site pond stocked with trout, horse back riding, and canoe trips down the nearby Green River. For more information on the Ranch visit their website www.bwo.com

My job title is that of housekeeper, consisting mainly of preparing cabins for arriving guests. As in any job of this nature there is the necessity to be flexible in duties which can also include meal prep, kitchen clean up, and grounds work. The hours allow for me to arise early and get in my yoga and meditation practices before breakfast. By day’s end there may be time for catch up with computer and Facebook, but often I find myself wanting to sit in the solitude and breathe. Air quality at its finest!

My intention is to post more info and photos from the Ranch and of my travels throughout Wyoming. Yellowstone National Park is a 3 hour drive from the Ranch and I will definitely visit there, although not during tourist season . I welcome your comments and would love to hear from you all! What is your summer news?

Blessings for a safe and happy July 4th celebration!

What is that Bette Midler 80’s song “Friends” ?  “I don’t care if I’m hungry or freezing cold, I got to get me some friends”.  I have been so very fortunate in my life thus far to have established friendships with many beautiful people. If you are reading this, then most likely you are one of them!

I have returned to the United States from India. These two countries are so different, it is as if they are on separate planets. Imagine walking out of the theater after your favorite movie ( a bit stunned?). That is what returning to the US has been like for me. With the help of many of my friends I am pausing in southern California to plan the next steps. Where to work? Where to continue my studies? Where can I  be of service?

I make this post to offer special thanks to the persons pictured here. The love and support of these “American yogis” is making my transition to the next step possible.  If I could tally the value of my friendships I would be very wealthy indeed. Eat your heart out, Donald Trump!

Please, let us stay in touch as our personal journeys unfold.  I would hope that my travels will bring me close to all of you.  In the interim, the Internet  can help us stay connected.

Love and Blessings!

Sabbatical implies a time of rest and reflection; an opportunity to focus on projects or studies that are difficult to undertake during one’s regular work schedule. My sabbatical in India has come and gone in a flash! I am deeply grateful for this time allotted to study and immersion into Indian culture, whose ancient traditions continue to thrive within its modern lifestyle.

I have attempted in this blog journal to share with you a small part of my experience. As I am “technology” challenged, many stories have been left untold. In this final blog from India, these are photos that could easily have been made into individual posts. When next we meet in the States, I would hope to share many more of the “untold” stories. Till then, thanks for being a part of my journey!

May All Beings Be Happy (that includes us)!

For a larger view, click back and forth on the photos.

Time passes quickly and my time in India will soon be complete.  I have spent the past month working as a volunteer in the Adyar Library. The work has been rewarding but the hours have made it more difficult to get out to an Internet cafe for blogging. Thanks to you all who have followed the reports of my travels. I would hope to see many of you upon my return to the US!  In this post I have made some social observations.  Feel free to comment.

In America, a country that is 224 years young, there is little understanding of  a caste system. Most Americans acknowledge the idea of a population divided into the wealthy, the upper middle class, the lower middle class, and poverty level & homeless persons. In countries with a more extensive history, there are various ways of classifying that country’s population. Certainly many European countries that have evolved under a system involving a Royal Class have developed a population division system not unlike that of the Indian castes.

The word Dalit in India refers to the people formerly known as “untouchables”. Gandhi, much like Martin Luther King, was one Indian leader who was prominent in working to dispel the prejudices rooted in class distinction, especially against the Dalit. In the 24 year time span in which I have traveled in India I have observed the substantial growth of the Indian economy, and from that a movement of the “untouchable” population into what could be called lower middle class. Presently, most Dalit persons have changes of clothes and shoes. Many have bicycles and bus fare. Not all, however, can afford to send their children to school.

The Theosophical Society in Chennai is involved with various philanthropic endeavors from education to animal welfare. In the vicinity of the Adyar grounds there are two schools supported by the Society. The Olcott School is a first through ninth grade facility for the children of Dalit families. These children most likely would not get an education otherwise. As well, the TS Social Welfare Center provides a pre-school and daycare facility for people who cannot afford to provide care for their children. The Social Welfare Center also trains young women in the skills of tailoring and weaving, both viable occupations in India.

In this post I have photographed functions in which these two institutions participated. I do not propose to have an inkling of understanding of the Indian social system. From my limited perspective, it is heart warming to imagine the development of these children who might otherwise never receive schooling. I suspect with education and the accompanying opportunities, there will be increased growth of these Dalit children towards greater self respect and self sufficiency.

Your comments are invited and appreciated.    Namaste

Please click back and forth on the photos for a complete view.