Living in a forest on a mountain in Uttarakhand, forest bathing, and spiritual practices to help to cope with Covid lockdown in India.
....I visit the ancient temple town of Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh to explore the ghats, bathe in the sacred Narmada river, see the Ahilyabhai Fort and Palace, and some of the best hand-loomed textiles in India. And meet yogis.
....Shambala Guesthouse becomes my sanctuary as the world becomes more confusing. I take solace in friends and animals, contemplate the impermanence of life and register my moral compass towards a Covid truth.
....Living in a 400-year old Portuguese house during monsoon in Assagao, feeding stray dogs as yoga seva, falling in love with Rajita, and strategies to cope with Covid lockdown in Goa.
...Leaving London, studying at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute in Pune, cancelling the Goa TTC as Covid-19 becomes a global pandemic, sunsets and strategies to cope with lockdown in India.
...My pilgrimage to Shakti Peeths in the tantric heartland of West Bengal meeting Baul minstrels and a jungle yogi on the way.
....Come to Bhutan and see the Cham Dance, a sacred masked dance to liberate all who watch from delusion and to pay homage to the sublime.
...The unique part of the Nepal TTC is the Philosophy on the Road module where students visit sacred sites, centuries of Buddhist viharas and Hindu temples, hang prayers flags, have darshan with a priest and visit the cremation grounds at Pashupati.
....How could we not be happy when the days were filled with yoga and meditation, hanging prayer flags at a 4,000m pass, wandering through ancient rhododendron forests to a cliff monastery, full moon glamping at a dakini cave, and the magical descent to Taksang (or the infamous Tiger's Nest), where Padmasambhava flew on the back of a pregnant tigress?
...Heather Elton sketches the main historical events of the charismatic tantric master, legendary slayer of demons, creator of terma texts and hidden lands.
