Still trying to decipher this lesson: I arrive at San Francisco Airport and ask the taxi driver to take me to the Airport Marriott. With great confidence he deposits me at the wrong hotel. Turns out San Fransisco has more than one Airport Marriott. I am wondering if I should have somehow known this, especially as my stomach (seat of instinct, right?) had “known” I was at the wrong hotel…but who listens to “seats of instincts” anyway?

I am in San Mateo for the NAMA Conference 2010. NAMA is the National Ayurvedic Medical Association. Arriving late at night (later now…), checking in finds me in a “handicap room”…so no bathtub and the water runs all over the floor when you shower…Ayurveda is from India…how appropriate, I feel like I am back in an Indian bathroom…

The next morning is NAMA’s Standards Committee’s Town Hall Forum. I am on the Committee representing CAAM, the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. It is part of the Mandate of this Committee to create sensible categories of Ayurvedic Practitioners so as to curb and bring legitimacy to a sort of Wild West mentality that allows any one to practice  what is actually a very powerful and serious medical science, at least 5000 years old. 

The Standards Committee

And its deceiving simplicity carries a powerful punch in the wrong hands.

Fortunately a handful of reputable schools have sprouted across the country and now the Committee, on a mandate from NAMA, is seeking to further develop categories of recognized practitioners. To practice Ayurveda as a wellness art, a healing modality or a medical science. This is a novel approach that recognizes Ayurveda as a multi-layered Goddess of Health and Life who appears equally capable in the hands of the family physician (usually a role carried out by a grandmother), a forest dweller/tribal shaman or a college trained doctor. Today we might call them Wellness Practitioners, Clinical Specialists and Integrated Doctors of Medicine. It is after all a Science that meets you life to life…

Town Hall Forum

The Meeting goes amazingly well as practitioners and teachers from different schools bring in fresh waves of ideas, inspirations, cautions and recommendations to enliven work we have been doing studiously for over a year. A fresh breeze…

Thursday morning sees the trickle of attendees grow into a sizable flood and the Welcome Dinner that evening is a full Ballroom swarming like ancient druid convocations as old friends meet in bearhugs and new friendships are formed with people we have only known so far by name and reputation!

On the Podium sit Ayurveda legends, Dr.Lad, Dr.Svoboda and Dr. Frawley, along with Yogini Shambhavi. Although each one speaks a poetic, reverential or mystical  language appropriate to their reputations, the underlying love and commitment to this Goddess, Ayurveda, is undeniable as they pass the baton back and forth in the Opening Addresses.

Friday morning the Conference begins in full swing. I take yoga with Lynn Weinberger, whom I have only known by reputation so far and another friendship is formed. Although I had planned to attend Claudia Welch’s intriguing presentation on “Grey Matter Of The Heart/Heart Of Grey Matter” I have been swayed by Dr. Svoboda’s juiciness and pranic wisdom the night before and end up in a packed room listening to him as he entrances us all again and again with his brilliance, his quirky wittiness and his original thinking.

Hanuman Chaleesa!

Lunch time is spent wandering the Vendors Hall, overspending at Nataraj Books and yet feeling I am leaving empty handed. And lo & behold! coming across the Hanuman Chaleesa as a red wall hanging en-scribed in gold thread! Guru Ravi Kaur and her sister have no difficulty getting me to open my pocketbook once again and graciously agree to “frame” it with my rudrakshas! 
Jai Hanuman! Meeting old friends such as Banyan Botanicals and making new ones such as R U Ved and Ancient Organics helps the two hours seem too short.

After lunch I sit in on Dr. Ram Manohar’s timely and prescient talk in “Designing Clinical Trials To Validate Individualized Therapeutic Interventions In Ayurveda.” Dr. Ram Manohar is the Director of Research at the legendary Arya Vaidya Pharmacy and his talk is as thorough, precise and thought provoking as the title.

At 4:30PM I find my way to Alakananda Ma’s “Shakti as Healer: Awakening The Threefold Mother” How appropriate because you feel you are in the Presence of one who embodies the Goddess in all Her manifestations. As Ma puts it: The Threefold Mother has the ability to make us to see wholeness in our healing by revealing our deepest fears and having the ability to slay them. True Medicine.

Dinner again is stimulating company and mingling with friends. Then Dr. Parla Jayagopala, Dr. Mark Vinick and I offer pulse reading on behalf of CAAM. Our compatriot Narender Pati s quite successful in seeing our mission through: getting people to sign up for CAAM membership.

Reading Mr. Kepner's pulse...

Saturday morning, to a little breeze but a packed garden, I teach the Tadasana Sequence from Srivatsa Ramaswami’s Vinyasa Krama Yoga. Somehow I am able to get the sequence, the surya namaskars and a vishesha closing sequence followed by pranayama into 48 minutes of practice! Jai Shri Anantaya Nagarajaya Patanjalim!

Savasana...

Right after, I rush off to Dr. Shrestha’s presentation on Postpartum Care. I love the sentiment behind her concept: God made Mother because he could not be everywhere at any time. Mother takes care of everyone but forgets to take care of herself. Logically we may find many flaws in this argument, including that God is God because it is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Ominscient but on an emotional level, this truism tunes the strings of my heart-instrument.

In the afternoon the always stimulating and extremely knowledgeable Dr. Suhas presents on the Nakshatras. The phases (or wives) of the Moon. I confess that jyotish has always been a challenge for me and I am yet to feel comfortable in reading a chart but the nakshatras have always fascinated me and Suhas Ji does a wonderful job of bringing them to life. I find echoed a sentiment I believe strongly in his words: Herbs are Celestial Beings here on Earth to help and support us. As the closest Celestial Being, the Moon imparts her energy to the herbs for our nourishment and healing and the nakshatras influence those energies.

Now intrigued even more by jyotish, I attend Dennis Flaherty’s evening lecture on The Nodes Of The Moon, referring to the Invisible planets Rahu and Ketu. The head and the tail of the Demon. Mr. Flaherty turns out to be a brilliant speaker and I feel I am getting even closer to understanding this technologically complex and vast astrological science. At the very least I get an understanding of the power of the two shadow planets and their effect on consciousness’ descent into darkness and ascent into light!

Later that evening, I finally hook up with another dear friend, teacher and guru, David Crow. David is the founder of Floracopeia and the inspiration behind the The Healing Garden (Venice High School’s highly acclaimed herbal project) He is on a mission to build a Global Garden Community and his vision is shared by many as they plant community gardens that could be the source of our future sustenance and survival in the face of out of control machinations by GMO based mutative food conglomerates.

David Crow & Jai Dev

Dinner that night concludes with a flute performance, a tribute to Kumar Batra by his niece and inspirational words by Dr. Svoboda who, once again, I hear profess that he is going to stop teaching at the end of this year and enter his “forest dweller” life cycle. Dr. Lad immediately beseeches him not to do so yet as we have great need for his guidance in the coming cycle of transformation. I find it a wonderful Omen when I get home to find that Dr. Svoboda is going to teach one more workshop at the Ayurvedic Institute at the end of this year….on nimittajanana: Omens, natch…. :) I plan to sign up way in advance and encourage you to do so also…even if Dr. Lad’s words somehow change his decision, Dr. Svoboda is always a catalyst for our own growth and transformation.

Sunday, the last day, I wake up too tired to take the yoga session and feel it deeply as I was looking forward to experiencing another well know teacher, Matra Majundar. I am sure I will get another chance one day soon and look forward to it.

Then on to the only Practicum I am signed up for: The Dance Of Shiva: Using The Senses as the Gateway for True Healing. Thomas Mueller requests my participation for the demonstration of abhyanga and so I get to revel in one of my favorite pastimes: getting an Ayurvedic oil massage! Jai Shri Lakshmi Ma! Later, we al practice on each other but with no oils. It is a wonderful workshop and I learn a new mudra and a new vinyasa: Shiva’s dance as it came to Mr. Mueller and I must say, I thoroughly enjoy it!

Dance of Shiva Workshop

After lunch is bittersweet in saying adios! to all…and a final Panel: The NAMA Board. And what a wonderful synergy there is here! From Devi Mueller who inherited the mantle of President and played director, poster preparer, trouble shooter and general Goddess Ayurveda herself! There are others I know so well and some I have just met and feel already like old friends. Dr. Marc Halpern strikes a chord when he talks about the work we are doing coming from a place, a sense, a commitment to dharma and what an influence he has been on the teaching of Ayurveda here in the US!

Being done with airplanes, taxis and hotels, I get a ride back to LA with another dear friend and colleague, Dr. SBG…we make it back to LA very comfortably and full with the energy of so many positive vibrational Beings gathered in one place to, once again, seek a pathway for healing the maladies of all living beings, everywhere. Isn’t this what the rshis of old did in that Himalayan cave in the mists of a distant past….now it is alive again for me and I realize that in that Airport Marriott some of the greatest rshis of our times had gathered once again to synthesize a new future for Ayurveda here in the West because Ayurveda goes where ever she is needed and oh, is she needed here now! Jai Ayurveda!

Om Shanti!

NOV/DEC IN ALB, SALT LAKE, NASHVILLE, NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY!

Nov 6-9: Studies with Robert Svoboda at the Ayurvedic Institute: Tantra For Daily Living.

Nov 9-21: Two weeks of consultations, workshops, treatments and panchakarma in Salt Lake City (Flow Yoga SLC)

Nov 26-Dec 5: Teachings in LA, Ojai & Napa. Private teachings: Call if you are in any of these places and wish to join in:
(310)  358-9555

Dec 5-15: 10 days of teacher trainings, workshops, consultations in Nashville, Tennessee (Sanctuary For Yoga)

Dec 15-25: Private teachings in New York. Call if you are in NY and wish to join in:
(310)  435-4197

Dec 19: Yoga On The Run, New Jersey: Sold Out
The Inner Galaxy: Exploration of the Yogic Body: Entering the kosha, nadi, marma and chakra systems.

OCTOBER IS DIWALI MONTH!

Bringing In Diwali!
Sarod Maestro Pandit Vikash Maharaj,  the tabla prodigy, Prabhash Maharaj and yours truly began welcoming in Diwali a full two weeks in advance. On the full Harvest Moon. At Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Center in Dana Point. To a festive crowd, we dimmed the lights to emulate the dark moon of Diwali and told the story of Shri Rama returning to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, an epic battle with Ravana and the rescuing of Sita Devi. How they were received by his younger brother, Bharata and the joyous people of Ayodhya. As the story revealed the light of their return, candles (diyas) were lit,  just as then, till the room was bright with color and exuberance. Into this we chanted a puja to Sri Lakshmi for abundance and joy in the year to come.

After the Lakshmi Puja,chanted by all, Pandit Ji and Appu thrilled with Raga Chandkauns, followed by their own composition, a haunting Raga called Ganga and kept going to a spellbound audience!

Lest we give the impression that the Maharaj’s only play the most sublime and divine music, let it also be known that they are fully dedicated social activists for causes close to their hearts. Under the umbrella of Panchnaad, they also bring awareness to the collaboration of musical forms with jazz and other artists, the Holy Water Project , and other supported Projects .

Click here for LA Yoga Interview with Pandit Vikash Maharaj and Prabhash: Sacred Musicians from Benaras

We will next be performing “live” on KPFK with Yatrika Shah on Global Village on Wednesday Oct 14th at 11AM! Listen in or go the archives after!

THEN DIWALI!
On the New Moon (transition from Ashwin to Kartika) DIWALI celebrated!
Saturday October 17th, 2009: 6:30pm – 10pm @ Liberation Yoga
Los Angeles, CA
323-964-5222

AND THEN!

DR. VASANT LAD: Journey Into The Chakras!
(I will be guest teaching the Ayur*yoga Sessions)

Saturday, October 24 – 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Sunday, October 25 – 10:00AM – 4:00PM

A word on Diwali:

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is the most popular of all the festivals from South Asia, and is additionally celebrated by, amongst others, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs.
It extends over five days. Because of the lights, fireworks, and sweets involved, it’s a great favourite with children.
The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance, although the actual legends that go with the festival are different in different parts of India.

The Times of India sums up the meaning of Diwali:
Regardless of the mythological explanation one prefers, what the festival of lights really stands for today is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill, and a religiously sanctioned celebration of the simple – and some not so simple – joys of life.

STORIES FROM THE ROAD….

The last few months have been weaved from the single thread of journeying. Since all life experiences are reflections of internal shifts, the underlying event has been one of unraveling these threads; of traveling through an inner landscape. There is no point undertaking a journey unless we are prepared to enter the unknown. And there is no joy if the landscape does not evoke feelings of awe and beauty. Every river has its placid pools and its rapids. There are shallows and swift currents, eddies and swirls. My father used to say, some of us stand by the banks of the rivers of our lives and some of us dive in. I was pushed in. Being unprepared, I found the water cold and scary at first and then wild and exhilarating. I have gone through periods of depression, of anxiety, of fear, of grief and of anger in judgment of the Divine’s plan. In the end I am learning to surrender to the river. The sacred Ganga descended to the Earth because she was called, because she was needed, but she continues to flow in the Divine Realms even as she weaves her physical path from the Himalayas to the waiting Indian Ocean. I surrender to her majesty.

Here are some stories from the road:
Varanasi, Ganga and Mahadeva…
My friend and I arrive in Varanasi by dusty train and an overnight journey of click-clacking monotony. The first thing I notice when we alight is the exuberance of colors neatly compressed into boxes of minutiae. Varanasi is a miniature painting bursting at the seams. You can feel the power of its energy, so compressed into detailed and picturesque homes, shops, packed streets bursting with tiny cars, rickshaws, scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, cows, dogs and people, oh so many people! Underlying it all are the smells; of samosas, fried sweets and human and animal lives experienced in broad daylight and bright fluorescent nightlights. The cacophony of sounds seems natural to this landscape.
We stay with an amazing family of musicians who had befriended me in Los Angeles and captured my heart. Now I find them expanding into (more) brothers and the proverbial Indian Mata Ji. The house is known as a gharana. A holder of space for celestial music and you can feel its ancient vibrations coat the walls in song.

After visiting the Buddha’s Sarnath, I reach the Ganges. She takes her time seducing me, and then the stories she reveals!                                                                                                                                                                                                             This is what she said about her coming to this planet:
In the Surya Dynasty, in the house of the Ikshvakus, there arose a great calamity. 60,000 sons dead, turned to ashes by the wrath of a scorned Maharishi. A single stepbrother trying to atone for their sins of arrogance and then passing on this legacy to his son. It is the grandson, Bhagiratha, a true scion of the noble race who sees that his dynasty is crumbling. The unatoned sins are permeating the consciousness of his people and a glorious reign is fast becoming a caricature of itself.  The issue no longer is that of holding the pieces together. It is imperative to reach into the roots and pull them out of the subconscious fetid ground of the Mind. Bhagiratha hands the reins of power over to his son and leaves for the Himalayas. Here, in the icy cold mountainous regions he stands on one leg, determined in his tapasya for a thousand years! It takes this long to coax the Creator, Brahma to appear and offer his Boon. What Bhagiratha asks for is simple. Let the sins of his ancestors be washed away in sacred water. Let their spirits rest once and for all. Let the dynasty continue as the paragon of virtue it needs to be. Brahma is touched but the path is not simple. The haughty Ganga has to be coaxed down to Earth and when she comes, she will come as a deluge! Only one Being can arrest this fall and soften her impact. It is Shiva, the great Mahadeva. So it is back on one leg for Bhagiratha and as Shiva the Feared is compassionate above all, it takes only a hundred years of penance before the austere Blue God appears and, with a faint smile, acquiesces.
As predicted by the Creator, when he calls her she howls down towards the earth in a deluge that would, if not arrested, drown the whole world! At her approach, all life, even the rocks and arrogant mountains cringe. Bhagiratha has his moment of wondering what he has unleashed, especially as Shiva is nowhere in sight. She is humble as she tells me this. And I am spellbound too when she whispers: “And then there he was…this single blue man/god standing silent by the side of Bhagiratha and in my rage and triumph over this brother in law of mine, I hurled myself with full fury of my unrequited love into his jata (matted hair) and was instantly captured…and absorbed!” It is obvious the love he exudes as he tames her spirit and then gently, at Bhagiratha’s behest, allows her to trickle down, chastened, onto the fertile grounds of the Himalayas.

Kashi, as Varanasi was once called, hums with vibrancy that is both exciting as well as reassuring. Of his many homes, this is the one where Shiva practices his Tantra with Parvati. And so it is here that the magnanimous Ganga comes after visiting Rishikesh, Allahabad and Kanpur. It is here that in Pradakshina she turns from south to north, paying respects to Mahadeva and his Shakti before continuing her journey south to the waiting ocean. Jai Mata Ganga!

Alb, NM: Animal Speak…
Albuquerque is where I try and go every summer to sit at the feet of Dr.Vasant Lad, my teacher and mentor. It is often at his feet that my understanding of life itself is deeply nourished and enriched.  This time, my very dear friend Deb offers me room in her home. It is a stunning home, reflecting the largeness of her and her husband’s hearts. The back garden is lush with herbs, plants, a pond and many trees. In the house live two cats. There is a golden cat with five fingers, like a human hand! This cat is in the backyard when Deb calls me to come quickly. Across the fence are a doe and her child! It is indeed a beautiful moment when I lock eyes with the doe and she sees only the great awe I have for her reflected in them. I watch the little one dance away, pausing every few steps to look back at her mother. Her mother who has now locked eyes with the golden cat. The cat is perched on the top of the wall separating the backyard from the ravine. She swishes her tail from side to side and gazes back intently at the deer. This goes on for a few seconds and it is obvious they are communicating. Then the deer, impatient, walks towards the cat and her bobbing head never leaves sight of the cat and I wonder what is going on. It does not look like either is threatening or threatened by the other. Yet the communication is very intense. Suddenly the tabby jumps back down and races into the house! The deer stays, coming ever closer; gazing over the wall till she is satisfied the cat is gone in. Then she turns to seek out her own child. I am not sure what has just happened but shrug and turn back into the house myself. Suddenly, Deb calls out: “There is a coyote in the backyard!” It all makes amazing sense. Animal Speak. Animals speak in love tongue languages.

The Solar Eclipse: SLC, Utah:
I am in Salt Lake City on July 21 when the full solar eclipse is witnessed in many parts of the Eastern World. It is a beautiful evening to go down to the river and then sit and watch the sun from where we are. And see what it does here. It is said that prayers offered at this time are magnified a thousand times.

My friend in Salt Lake, Iron Cloud, takes me to Little Cottonwood Canyon. We hike into the woods on a less traveled path and seek the river. Through the trees we can see the descending sun. It is still early but a good time to sit. The sound of the river makes me pensive and slowly the wisdom of nature allows me to let the day go. And then so much more is released and a great sense of peace arises. After awhile I feel the need to chant. For some years now I have chanted my own puja. It brings me great comfort now in its unorthodoxy. It sort of grew from my studies with Dr. Lad. He always begins his lectures with prayers to Ganesha, Saraswati and the Param Sakshat Guru. One day I added in a prayer to the Buddha, a call really, one that has echoed down the ages. The Hanuman Puja followed like the bees follow honey and then it grew to include a prayer to Krishna as Acchutananta Govinda, the great healer. It only seemed fitting then to pray to the Devis for the boons they bring: wisdom, abundance and health. Finally there is the prayer to the navagraha (nine planets) for guidance in our lives. Often, as now, comes the Hanuman Chaleesa and Lakshmi Puja for completion. The pujas flows sweetly by the river and then it is time to go look for the eclipsing sun from a better vantage point.

As we hike back I feel the joy we all seek, the one that is serendipitous. It is softer and more comforting than the common variety we call happiness and the distinction is quite clear now. This one is not dependent on anything happening. It just is there and it is complete and at moments like this it becomes quite apparent that it is always there, waiting for us when we are done with our daily dramas.
We drive to the side of the quiet highway and climb up past this herb that just vibrates with life. It tastes bitter, pungent and slightly sweet. I can feel its power course through my veins and wonder if it is not a liver or blood tonic.

With the herb in my blood I settle down to watch the sun and something amazing happens! The center of this great Orb begins to soften and the orange becomes more fluid! I can actually look straight at it without squinting and wonder if this is what the ancient yogis referred to as the “sun that heals our sight”.

From around this orange glow arise the red flames that it casts off and the meaning of the Gayatri Mantra becomes quite apparent. We see only our own vivid vibrations and not the Source they arise from! Iron Cloud and I begin to chant the Gayatri 108 times. Each intonation is alive with meaning for me and I know the sun is encouraging me in my prayers even as it asks if I am ready for this.

I do not know what this is but I know it will be powerful and it will shake my world. I say I am ready with each word I chant and again I do not know where this journey will take me only that I cannot stop now. As the Buddha would say, once you enter the stream there is no going back. I hear now the sound of the Aditya Hridayam (The Heart Of The Sun) and realize what a powerful weapon for peace it is. I know that this Path I have chosen has as its center the great longing for peace that comes when we replace all other longings. I am ready.

A Sangha of Birds, as told by Iron Cloud; SLC, Utah:
On a particular day, a couple of crows came and perched on a tree in a neighborhood. They started to “caw”. In a little bit, more crows joined them and added their dissonant voices. Not much later, birds of other common species began to arrive and take up stations around the perimeter, filling the trees.

At a certain point, the birds became all quiet. At this time it was noticed that a venerable old owl had seated himself on a log on the ground. Then he began to call in his bird tongue. He spoke melodiously for a while. When he was done, he left. Slowly the birds too began to leave. The sermon on the log was over. Finally the crows also departed.
In a related story the LA Times just ran this:
www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-birds8-2009aug08,0,272489.story
Om Shanti Om!

2009 was a year of great transformations…of shifts in energy…of almost constant, exhilarating travels…both internal and external…please see: Fall 2009 Rock’n’Ayurveda Tour & Stories From The Road as well as Love Spreads Like Magic, a tribute to my father,  for more…
As we enter March; having come home to roost for a little while…as it unfolded, Jan and Feb manifested that intention…March now begins by continuing the trend…and the continuing growth is now at at an ever faster pace even while time itself seems to slow down to give each moment its own flavor and the “Svatantra” workshops begin to take on an evolving life of their own…then starting April, the road beckons again…and down the road, among other potentials is a couple of retreats in India coming up in Sept/Oct 2010…preceded by yearly pilgrimages to my other “new” homes…Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Nashville, New Jersey…the roost and travel bugs both bite this year!!!! I feel the Blessings of Shri Ma…

March 13/14: Ayurveda Immersion for
Loyola Marymount University’s Yoga Therapy Rx Level II Program:
Yoga Therapy Rx

March 21: Svatantra: Alchemy Of Consciousness:
Private Event: Contact Jutta Hecht to inquire or sign up:
juttamariah@gmail.com/ 760.580.2524

March 27: Introduction To Vinyasa Krama: The Teachings of The Master
Living Yoga Center, Temecula

April 10: Ayurveda For Daily Living & Simple Home Remedies: Studio Seaside, Corona Del Mar

April 11: Ayurveda For Daily Living & Simple Home Remedies: Sheri’s Studio, Torrance (Private Event)

April 15-18: NAMA Conference, San Mateo, CA:
Will be leading the Saturday morning Yoga.

April 24/25: Friends Of Ayurveda Presents Dr. Vasant Lad:
Marma: An Ancient Healing Technique Utilizing Key Energy Points
I am once again honored to lead the Ayur*yoga sessions.