There's something to be said about removing yourself from man-made electromagnetic radiation. I'm talking about getting away from cell phones, radios, televisions, computers and all electronic gadgetry.
You could even go one step further and stop reading the newspapers for a week.
Last December I spent a week in Sayulita, Mexico at the Haramara Retreat Center with 20 other yogi's and did just that. The result changed my life. Once all the distractions were removed I was left with myself and my surroundings. The plants, the animals, the ocean the sky. I practiced asanas twice a day and the remainder of the day became a blissful and wakeful meditation. I realized that this was my life - now - and I could chose the quality of living I wanted for myself.
Kate and I will be returning to Sayulita in 2010 for two weeks - April 10-17, 2010 and November 27-December 4, 2010.
We have space for 18 other people each week. We'd love to share this life-changing experience with those adventurous souls who can book the time. Here's the website for Haramara http://www.haramararetreat.com/
Namaste -
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, August 6, 2007
Air Pollution
This is going to be a different entry from the others.
Bangalore is polluted - very polluted. The air is barely breathable. I'm not exagerrating. Imagine driving up a mountain road and you get stuck behind a diesel truck and you can't escape the fumes. It's like that every day here everywhere you go - most days it's worse - much worse. You see the gray smoke and blue exhaust and when you're stopped at traffic light with the windows rolled up you wonder if you're going to succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning and just pass out. I would put all my money on the fact that less that 50% of the motor vehicles in Bangalore would pass a California Emission test. In fact, you know when California has those "spare the air" days - and they tell the elderly and children to stay inside because it's a bit smoggy out? That would be an unbelievably clear day in Bangalore.
The reason I'm writing about this is that I've succumbed to the health hazards of the air again. I've tried to deny that it affects me - but here I am again - choked up, coughing and feeling like I smoked two packs of Marlboro's before lunch (and I used to smoke cigarettes prior to 1987 so I know what that feels like).
A human respiratory tract can only take so much and I think mine's telling me in it's own special way..."HOMEY DON'T LIKE BREATHING THIS AIR!"
When I leave the hotel room - or my office - and go outside, I have to wrap a cloth or shirt around my nose and mouth in a make-shift surgical mask so I don't gag on the fumes. My lungs can't handle the tightness that comes from breathing the air and my throat has been coughed raw by trying to expel the diesel waste products from my chest. I have no energy and it makes me mad and scared at the same time. It makes me mad because I can't believe how fricken STUPID an entire culture would be to the health hazards of this crap! And it makes me scared because I feel like I'm going to choke to death here. It's horrible.
Mind you all I've been coming back and forth here for the better part of two years. But little by little I'm seeing that this has a cummulative effect that can't be denied. I don't think its psycho-somatic on my part. Nor do I think I'm a hypocondriac. I've always prided myself on being a pretty darn healthy guy. I think if I could bottle this air up and bring it back to Califorina, you would barely be able to shine a light though it.
So - what does one do?
Meditate
Get still
Let it go
Practice Equanimity
Practice Inversions (like Sarvangasana) to get the junk out of my lungs
Stay inside as much as possible
Slow down
Get rest -
- and try to make it 20 more days so I can get home on the 27th of August and smell that clean, fresh, vibrant, sea-charged air of the San Francisco Bay.
You guys don't know how lucky we are to live where we do!
Namaste -
Jim
Bangalore is polluted - very polluted. The air is barely breathable. I'm not exagerrating. Imagine driving up a mountain road and you get stuck behind a diesel truck and you can't escape the fumes. It's like that every day here everywhere you go - most days it's worse - much worse. You see the gray smoke and blue exhaust and when you're stopped at traffic light with the windows rolled up you wonder if you're going to succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning and just pass out. I would put all my money on the fact that less that 50% of the motor vehicles in Bangalore would pass a California Emission test. In fact, you know when California has those "spare the air" days - and they tell the elderly and children to stay inside because it's a bit smoggy out? That would be an unbelievably clear day in Bangalore.
The reason I'm writing about this is that I've succumbed to the health hazards of the air again. I've tried to deny that it affects me - but here I am again - choked up, coughing and feeling like I smoked two packs of Marlboro's before lunch (and I used to smoke cigarettes prior to 1987 so I know what that feels like).
A human respiratory tract can only take so much and I think mine's telling me in it's own special way..."HOMEY DON'T LIKE BREATHING THIS AIR!"
When I leave the hotel room - or my office - and go outside, I have to wrap a cloth or shirt around my nose and mouth in a make-shift surgical mask so I don't gag on the fumes. My lungs can't handle the tightness that comes from breathing the air and my throat has been coughed raw by trying to expel the diesel waste products from my chest. I have no energy and it makes me mad and scared at the same time. It makes me mad because I can't believe how fricken STUPID an entire culture would be to the health hazards of this crap! And it makes me scared because I feel like I'm going to choke to death here. It's horrible.
Mind you all I've been coming back and forth here for the better part of two years. But little by little I'm seeing that this has a cummulative effect that can't be denied. I don't think its psycho-somatic on my part. Nor do I think I'm a hypocondriac. I've always prided myself on being a pretty darn healthy guy. I think if I could bottle this air up and bring it back to Califorina, you would barely be able to shine a light though it.
So - what does one do?
Meditate
Get still
Let it go
Practice Equanimity
Practice Inversions (like Sarvangasana) to get the junk out of my lungs
Stay inside as much as possible
Slow down
Get rest -
- and try to make it 20 more days so I can get home on the 27th of August and smell that clean, fresh, vibrant, sea-charged air of the San Francisco Bay.
You guys don't know how lucky we are to live where we do!
Namaste -
Jim
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