Bhagsunath.

The decision to leave Delhi and give up on finding a volunteer position was both tough and easy to make. Easy because it was so hot, noisy and polluted who would not leave if given the choice. Difficult to leave Delhi because somehow I feel I had failed in not finding an NGO (non government organization) to volunteer at, which sounds crazy since there is so much suffering in Delhi.  You would think that surely I could find something.  So call it bad timing, no good connections for an in, no karma for that to happen, not enough advanced planning or not knowing the cultural differences on how to get things achieved. I have discovered that to get anything done in India you have to be constantly harassing people, a few e-mails, phone calls or even showing up on people doors steps does not work the same way as it does in the West.  The one positive thing that did come up in Delhi was connecting with WISCOMP and hopefully I will be working with them at the end of this year. I hope this will come to pass. Also I met with Kashmiri friends who have ideas for creating a women’s network and income generation program. I am very happy about now and enthusiastic about planning this work for summer, as it is following up in a practical way with all the research I did there in 2010.  To be able to start something that can assist women in this conflict ridden area would be    great, I hope I have the karma for this to be a positive experience.

Anyway I called it quits in Delhi about 6 days ago and came back up to the mountains, which my lungs have thanked me greatly for ever since. So I am now in Bhagsunatha, a pilgrimage place for worshipers of Zhiva. It is a small village perched on a hillside with a huge snow mountain range just behind it. There is a small waterfall and a bathing pool with icy cold water which pilgrims bless themselves with. I decided to undergo a course of Ayervedic medicine treatments here, called Panchakarma. Ayervedic is tradition India herbal medicine used to not only heal ailments but also purify or cleanse the body of toxins. Various treatments, such as drinking weird medicinal cocktails, various massages and milk baths, rid the body of excess mucus, remove toxins from the organs as well as blood and muscles, reduce fat, improve circulation and help improve joints. For all my years in India I had always heard of this but never tried it and after the Delhi experience it seemed like the perfect thing to do. Plus just having the metabolism slow down a lot lately I though what better time to take some time out and have a middle age clean up and revitalization; a human oil and filter change. However, today is day 5 and I feel far from revitalized. While this all sounds great the process is tough going. This week I am fasting and have been drinking medicine and gee, which I believe is clarified butter. This removes mucus from the body, lungs and brain, yes apparently there is mucus on the brain too. So at 7.30am I have my morning cocktail and in the afternoon ‘4 hand’ massage. No, it is not some weird 4 armed Indian deity giving massages but two really great young lassies with very, very strong hands. To say they pummel me is an understatement. Side effects of this lovely process have included, muscle pain, uncontrollable vomiting, headache and exhaustion. The very thought of doing a yoga pose makes me want to upchuck. Anyway one more day of drinking this cocktail then on the 7^th day I get to vomit gee and excess mucus for the morning. Wahoo!! The doctor tells me this is the worse part of the program and I believe him.

http://www.sibyayurveda.com/

Dr Siby is from Kerala which is famous for Aeyervadic and is following in his grandfather and fathers footsteps. He must be in his forties and exudes kindness and tranquility. His staff is also very kind, friendly and the whole place is just very relaxing. I have also been very lucky to find a great place to stay. Today in between treatments sipping ginger hot water and trying not to upchuck, sat and just appreciated the beauty of this place listening to the birds chirp, the lady on the balcony next door hum a tune as she washed her morning dishes, the sound of a builder chiseling stone on the construction site below, a women digging in her garden, children laughing as they played and the pilgrims chattering at the pool in the distance. Not one mechanical sound, no cars and no blaring music; it was fantastic ad so refreshing just to be; be in the now.