Varanasi Continued

The view is incredibly beautiful along the Holy River and the colorful Ghats.Some Ghats are used to burn dead bodies in public. Varanasi offers Moksha for the people who come here to die and be cremated. Liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The leftover bones and ashes are given back to the sacred waters of the Ganges!The Ganges is used for all of life, literately! Indians drink out of it, wash themselves, use it as toilets, to wash clothes, cows are taking their bath too and standing in the water for hours, bones and ashes are thrown in their. Monkeys, dogs, coats, are among other animals who find the water cooling too. The Ganges is also used for transporting goods from one Ghat to another. fishing boats are there ealy in the morning and so are the tourists. As I walked one day I saw a crows eating off a dead cow who was laying in the water. At night when Puja, prayer of the Ganges or also called Gangarie, is celebrated one can get tiny little flower arrangements to put in the River and make offering or send prayers to loved ones. Often my walks along the River where disturbed by touts and this was very overwhelming at times. I learned fast to not give them any attention and just walk on! Lots of children always beg for money or chocolate. I am actually sorry I did not bring chocolate on the other hand it would melt away in this heat! Varanasi is indeed a town of many colors, it is magical spiritual, crazy, corrupt, chaotic and most of all inpatient! One day I also visited Sarnath a small town close to Varanasi. It is there that Buddha gave his first speech after he got enlightened! There are a few temples  are lining up along the streets where visitors are allowed to pray and bring offerings or make a donation.
Today in the evening I will board the train to go to Bodhgaya. It is a five hour train ride to Gaya and then either with bus or cab to Bodhgaya!

With lots of love 
Sonja

Varanasi

I arrived in Varanasi mid day on March17. I learned it is better to get a prepaid taxi at the airport and let the people at the stand know where to go, rather then just get a cab of the street. The non prepaid cab drivers will not drive you to the desired destination or Hotel, rather tell you that this Hotel is not good and bring you to a Hotel or Guesthouse where they will make profit. for my first outing that afternoon i took a guide from the hotel. Together we took a Rickshaw and went to see a silk factory. Varanasi is famous for its beautiful silk fabrics! this was very interesting and the owner told me how they create the patterns, how long it takes to thread the loom and how many hours it takes to weave a bedspread. After this i took a Rickshaw to drop me of close to the Ghats. I walked through tiny little ally ways and finally found the Ganges where the Ghats are. It is so confusing to walk from the main street to the Ghats and it took me three days to not get lost anymore. There are about 80 Ghats are lined up along the Ganges river bank. Some where built in the early 1500 and others have been renovated in the 1900. Most houses and temples are high up on the riverbank and one can find Guesthouses with roof top Restaurants!
to be continued!

Rishikesh!

>I arrived by train in Haridwar, a town on the bottom of a mountain 6 ours away north east from Delhi. There I took a cab,together with two woman from Israel to visit Rishikesh. They got unloaded at a very expensive hotel, the only one in town, and the cab driver brought me to the bridge to walk over to the village. He gave me a tip for a nice guesthouse. Unfortunately this was full so I started walking with all my luggage and found another guesthouse where I left again and found the tour guide whom I got to know just an hour before. He took me on his motorbike and found me another place. Shiva Guesthouse was also a dump but I had no chance then to stay there because everything seemed to be full. In the bathroom I found two buckets and a toilet. There is never any paper, so I am glad I brought my own with me. Nearby is a tiny restaurant where I eat every day, and it is delicious! Rishikesh is a small town on the Ganges, where this beautiful river is about a little less then a mile wide. It has a lot of Ashrahms here where people find yoga classes, meditation, and pranayama! I visited the abandoned Ashram from the Beatles and saw the little hut where John wrote "Revolution 9"! It must have been very beautiful there at that time. Unfortunately nobody seems to take care of this place and it is in very bad shape! The first night here in Rishikesh I attended the Gangarie which is the prayer of the Ganges. Children and youth who are dressed in beautiful yellow clothes are chanting and singing and there are a lot of tourists who sit listen or meditate. The energy is amazing together with the scenery. For the first time I found love for this country and their people. I smiled with joy! Meanwhile I know my way around this town and I found a wonderful yoga class today. Just in case you all wonder why I don't stay in a Ashram! The minimum required stay is two weeks. Yesterday I moved out of the Shiva and found a nicer room just up the street.Clean and it has actually a shower and then I found a store to bye toilet paper! Today we had a fire in the hotel! The room next to mine is completely burned out and my room was full of smoke, so that I did not want to enter or be there for hours. I decided then to go and take a bath in the Ganges! I went with Norbert and Carol who staying in the same guesthouse. It was freezing cold but I did it. Tomorrow morning I will take the train back to Delhi and so wish I could stay a little longer here in Rishikesh. I made new friends, learned to drink fresh sugarcane juice on along the side of the road (from Edgar a nice Swiss man), found a good yoga class, I had a nice room and good food!
Namaste to all of you and I will talk to you again from Varanasi!
Love Sonja






So sorry about the unfinished post from Delhi but I had no power anymore that night!
Love Sonja
P.s. Thank you all for your comments!

Delhi the next days.

I did write a new blog about Delhi and some how it did not get posted. As I have to learn patients with everything here I guess you will have too! I went to see national monuments like the Indian Gate, the Red Fort, Humyans Tomb and the Lodi Garden.It is very interesting to see their history, but not all monuments are well preserved. I guess that is the Indian mentality! I am surprised or maybe amazed how dirty everything is here. kaput also drove me to old Delhi. There I took a rikshaw ride along with the crazy traffic. The man who drove this bike had to work very hard and it is not easy for them to paddle along with all those cars. Old Delhi exist with hundreds of stores and again all man are vendors. I learned meanwhile why there are so many men are in the stores! It is a hierarchy, one of them is just sitting there and overseeing the business, because it is his, then the next down is taking the money, the next is writing the bill and another is packing your goods. Yet another is making sure that one byes something. They crabbed me to go into a store to bye a blouse and I sai I don't want some thing, " just looking madam just you looking" ok a gave in. I did not like anything so I wanted to but he run after me with that blouse, went down with the prize, and shouted at me just 200 rp. Behind him was the man who had the bag to pack the blouse. all this happened two or three stores away from there store. Finally I gave them the money and got away as fast as I could, just so that I could be bothered by the next one.

Flight to India

My flight to New Delhi was long but with no surprises! Everything went smooth and I had two seats for myself to stretch my legs. Always more than enough to eat or drink. I arrived in New Delhi at 2am early Wednesday morning. The taxi ride was an adventure and really crazy. There seams to be no rules at all on those streets. Everybody ignores the white marked lanes and out of two lanes the cars form four. At one point my taxi driver squeezed himself between two trucks as they got closer to each other. We just made it with me in the backseat holding my breath! There is no police on the roads, nobody to check speed or cars crossing over three lanes. Also I believe all the cars have defected turning signals!
Today was a short day for me because I slept until 11am, then I got a cab to go to one of the oldest markets in town. Kahn Market, where I found some Indian clothes to wear to be appropriately dressed. Men are staring at all the tourists woman and there are hundreds of men sitting or standing everywhere I went today. In each little tiny store,even woman's clothing stores,I could see four to five men. All of them have a cell phone wherever they are. The woman are very nice and helpful. It was a bit difficult for me to find my cabdriver Kapur again, because all the little roads on the market look the same. One can easily get lost.
The embassy is like a fort with beautiful green grass, trees and flowers. The only green i saw today. It is a true sanctuary! The school is amazing and it looks similar to Stuart school in Richmond! They have about one thousand seven hundred students from all over the world here! Just outside of the walls are the slumps starting and I can see them when I stand on the balcony! Two completely different worlds next to each other.

Countdown to my journey to India

 " The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware"

~Henry Miller~

The Map drawn by Stephanie

I learned very early on in my life, that if I want something I have to work for it and keep my focus and faith. Going to India was a dream or rather a wish for thirty years. A good friend of mine traveled to India. This sparked a flame, as she came home and told me all her stories and adventures. Thirty years is a long time to dream and keep your focus though I got sidetracked many times. I had to learn many life lessons and most of all to believe in myself and the divine. Life is a big exercise and the messages which are presented are divine gifts. It is those challenges and the opportunities they present that help us to grow! After being married and having two beautiful children who have both gone on to fulfill their destiny, the opportunity came for me to go on my adventure and fulfill my dream.

The Countdown from Mimi

As I prepared for this journey many emotions were flooding through me, like joy and excitement, uncertainty, happiness, sadness, love and fear! I let it all in and then allowed myself to become still and have faith. I read intensely, learned from the internet, studied and continued to gain knowledge about the amazing country of India. The countdown to step on this journey has almost ended and there is only 1 day left before I leave. The backpack is packed, today I have taught my last class and said goodbye to my family and friends.

A big thank you to my husband, children, friends, yogis and yoginies, teachers, for all of your support, cards, gifts, posters, balloons, hugs, kisses and endless tips and advises! You are all wonderful. I will miss you all and send you always love and light!

Jennifer made an Indian flag!

Paula hang up balloons!



Sticky notes by Marck and sweet Caroline!



De



Barbara made a good luck charm poster!



Debbie and Tim stuck Flamingos in the yard!







The Mandala journey from Beverly!



Mandala Workshop "Healing the Heart"

My true religion, my simple faith is in love and compassion.

There is no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma.

Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is

compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity,

no matter who or what they are - these are ultimately all we need.”    

                  ~His Holiness Dalai Lama~

Opening the heart to a higher consciousness was the mission we set for the Mandala Workshop “Healing the Heart”. In silence and meditation we found a way deep inside to connect and see what is holding us back, to set us free. In this meditation and contemplation we were able to let go of some old pain, practice forgiveness and open up our hearts to a higher self, to love and compassion. In stillness, we found the healing. The energy the

women radiated was very powerful and
healing started to take place.

As we walk on our path there are many obstacles, which keep us back, prevent us from developing, or hinder us from becoming better human beings. There may be denial, fear, sadness, anger, hatred, jealousy, blame, judgment and frustration with which we have to deal. It clouds our minds and breeds more feelings of aggression. It feels like a turning wheel and at times it seems there is no way out. There can be so much poison in our minds that we might get sick or even terminally ill. The slightest anger affects our physical bodies as does every thought we think. How do we react when somebody brings blame or hatred towards us? Are we reacting towards that the same way? Or do we acknowledge their frustration and then respond in a kind and gentle way? Or do we just ignore the fact that they are angry? Mindfulness can put us in touch with the toxicity of the anger towards ourselves and others. With this mindfulness we are able to experience infinite joy and boundless freedom, which means we don’t have to react the same way. We are able to feel the joy in our hearts even while suffering.

Silence and meditation is necessary to see our true self, to accept who we are and to let go of fears, anger and sadness. It helps us to better focus, strengthens our concentration and keeps our attention on one single thing or object. In silence we find peace, harmony and a deep freedom. It connects us to our higher self, to our love and light and opens us up to our spirituality on the path to oneness. It is a return to our being, to the deepest roots, to the light, it is a return to God.

So there are no obstacles on our path, it is only the path, our journey back home.

With lots of love Sonja

Mandala Retreat in St. Louis, Garondelet

In the world of religion and philosophy the practice of silenc plays

a most vital part. It creates an atmosphere and enables the seeker

to find access to an inner sanctuary entirely hidden from the restless and turbulent material world.” – Swami Paramanada

I am overwhelmed by the love, kindness and gentleness I received from all the participants and the team at the St.Louis Mandala Facilitation Retreat. As I reflect, bits and pieces stand out and my heart glows with gladness from this great gift.

I gained renewed spiritual growth on my path to oneness. It is as if my sail gained wind and I was pushed forward in the direction of renewal without noticing the speed with which I grew. I let myself be pushed along this course with an open mind and wind in my face.

The retreat was held at the convent Carondelet. I did not know what to expect, I thought it would be a building enclosed by a stonewall, just as convents in Switzerland are. It is a, beautiful majestic building. It is made out of bricks and one can see many windows from the outside walls. Upon my arrival at Carondelet I had to pause for just a moment, take a deep breath, observe and take it all in. The beauty, charm and construction were impressive. The convent was initially built in 1836 and was added on as the convent grew, until it became what it is now, with a beautiful backyard and a spectacular courtyard. The courtyard provides a safe haven for meditation, prayer and contemplation. Carondelet was the perfect mystical and spiritual location for the retreat. I felt welcome from all the members and the sisters!



Sand Mandala



The retreat was based on Christian Mystics and I was motivated to learn about them all. As I prepared and studied the Mystics, I created Mandalas and attained knowledge about Hildegard von Bingen, Francis de Sales, Meister Eckhart, Bede Griffiths, Anthony de Mello, Therese von Lisieux, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, Catherine of Sienna, Teresa of Avila. Lisa Lazio, our leader, taught us something remarkable about their lives every day. I felt the connection we all have to each other and the Mystics. Together in silence and in stillness we created Mandalas. I was able to stay in touch with my center and growth happened in a very subtle way. I allowed myself to focus on God and spreading the love, joy and light to everyone around me. I kept myself in the present with all the things that bring me simple joy and ensured myself that I am in charge of my mind. I eradicated negativity, stress, worries and emotional pain.

The participants were very open to receive the yoga classes in the morning and it was a good start for a long day to bring balance to everybody’s center. There was a transformation from wonder to joy and trust as we were breathing and moving together. Unity was created not only in our minds and bodies but as a group of Mandala friends.

Namaste Sonja