“To be in India is to experience India. It’s not that you have to go find it. It’s all right there,” she says.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, and Julia Roberts were on the Oprah show to promote the upcoming movie. Do you agree with the director, Ryan?

“I think it’s more than a book. I think it’s a movement, and I think it’s so personal to so many people,” he says. “It was to me. I was a fan, like Julia was, before it came into our lives.”

Liz also shares, “One of the great teachings that I learned in India is that silence is the only true religion.” So what about all the noise from the “EPL marketing machine” as Yoga Dork calls it?

In “Are you experienced?”, Sirensongs quips that the book will release a torrent of tourists unprepared for the experience.

With the release of the Eat Pray Love (or is it Eat Love Pray?) major motion picture (“The amazing adventure of a middle-class white woman who talked her publisher into bankrolling a scripted adventure”), India-tripping is set to become a middle-class fad for the first time since the days of the 70s Overland Chapatti Express. Except this time, instead of tie-dyed trippies, it will be mani-pedi suburban women seeking “adventure.”

She compiles a humorous list of ignorant questions that first-time travellers pose. Yet while her tone seems derogatory towards the potential newcomers, I would prefer to see it as an opportunity for many different kinds of women to be exposed to  India where they might never have even thought about it before.

I followed some of the conversations on the EPL Facebook page, and of course there were plenty of disagreements between the conservative Christians and others. And plenty of misinterpretations about yoga, Buddhism, meditation.

Nonetheless, if the book opens some women up to India,  so much the better. It would take courage for anyone to come and visit, with or without mani-pedi.

Not all of Jaipur looks like this...

Recently, I keep starting out my posts with numbers. Perhaps it helps me to establish the landmarks, to measure my success on this uncharted path. For me, these three years are the longest ever time that I’ve been settled in one place since I graduated from high school in 1999. I’m discounting the four years of college because I moved a lot from year to year.

True, I haven’t been in Jaipur for three years straight, either. I have left for at least 2 months every year to visit family, and last year I was hardly home since I spent almost half the time at the ashram or travelling. It’s probably the only way I could’ve survived.

Nonetheless, three years with my stuff in the same apartment, with or without me. Three years of having Jaipur as home base, ready for me when I return. Three year of having pigeons as my closest neighbors.

It was in April 2007 that we came here. I want to be able to say something very insightful about my experience here, a neatly packaged byte of wisdom. But in my stupor of disbelief that I’ve made it here this long, I’m struggling to make much out of it.

Actually, perhaps the real motivating force behind writing this post, behind even the realization itself that I have been here for that long, is that we are most probably leaving Jaipur. I hesitate to give more details because that deserves its own post. But the impending departure certainly has made me recognize how settled I’ve become here, and dare I say it? Attached.

To be honest, I can’t think of things off the top of my head that I particularly like about this place, but to do Jaipur some justice, I will put some effort in and make a list:

1. Central Park
2. seeing Nahargarh Fort from my window

Ok, the list idea is pointless. It’s sounding horribly negative, which has nothing to do with Jaipur in itself–it’s more to do with my own perspective and judgements.

While now I can say that I’m in a positive frame of mind, much of my time here has not been spent in that way. Furthermore, I can say that I’ve come to terms with my previous negativity, and have reached more of a state of acceptance of life, of being here, all the pros and cons included. It’s been a sacrifice, but has held certain advantages. They’ve pretty much cancelled each other out.

Pros include low cost of living, nice apartment, being close to in-laws, being close to Delhi. Cons: difficulty in going out (weather & logistics combined), weather, lack of social circle, weather, being close to in-laws, weather…

Dear Jaipur, you’re too hot and I can’t think properly. You’ve made life difficult for me, but I forgive you.

I don’t understand anything about this country or my husband, and am constantly asking him “Why?”  Seems like Simon Sinek is into it, too. Why don’t you try, Start with why?

This kind of curiosity is innate in us all, unless we stifle it with belief systems, or dull it with distractions of all sorts. Otherwise, soul-searching is something that begins from childhood and can only deepen in time.

via Ravi. Check out his post, What am I doing with my life…??

I wanted to share my most inspiring incident which happened in my life 3 years ago. Thanks to my dear friend Becky, her enthusiasm to share has kindled this joy of sharing. I also happen to write this note with certain involvement as I am seriously thinking about my own life decisions like should I be in academic career or not etc.

Taking inspiration from Katherine’s last post and a host of signs pointing me in this direction, I would like to discuss how technology has been influencing the way I see and interact with the world. I’ll start with the example of how I ended up on this site: I got a Google Alert that she had posted on the book Midnights with the Mystic. I commented and re-tweeted. Then she visited my blog, invited me to guest post.

Despite not knowing each other, I do feel a connection. When I read her response, I became so thrilled, started clapping, laughing, dancing. My husband looked at me as if I’d gone mad. Just reading her words had elicited powerful emotions in me.

It turns out, a lot of dialogue nowadays is happening around the very real connections people are experiencing through virtual means. The internet and social media research is just reminding us of things we already knew: that we are affected by others, and vice versa. That being involved with others, helping others, feels good because they are a part of us.

“How deeply you touch another life is how rich your life is.”–Sadhguru

The above is a trailer about the book “Dreaming in Hindi” by Katherine Russel Rich. I recommend reading the excerpt:

One time in India, I appeared half-naked in a temple, just up and flashed the worshippers. This was not something I’d been planning to do; I surprised myself on the Lord God Shiva’s birthday. Surprised the celebrants, too, I’d say. They hadn’t been expecting it, either.

My mom, a breast cancer survivor, had sent me Rich’s  article from the NYT on how she has  survived and thrived with breast cancer for 17 Years. She also happens to be from the Main Line, where I grew up.

I didn’t come to India expressly to learn the language(s), but I have picked up some Hindi from immersion. Although I wanted to know Hindi for convenience, somehow I would always make excuses about not having enough time to practice from the book I had bought. Considering how I had loved learning French and Spanish, my discomfort at the thought of learning Hindi was out of character.

Somewhere I had some I resistance–probably stemming from the various in-laws and family acquaintances who I’d met at the beginning and who’d insisted that I must learn, and who keep inquiring if I’ve learned. As if settling here wasn’t enough–I must also shed my language and adopt a new one.

Life was already overwhelming enough; I simply couldn’t take on one more thing that would invade my head. And confuse my identity even more.

A large focus of “Dreaming in Hindi” is on the effects of learning a second language on the brain. It is fascinating to think about the implications of living here on my identity (in terms of language, culture, spirituality etc). In terms of my experience, though, it’s unnerving & exhilarating!

The experience I had in India with language was so profoundly transformative that when I got back, I spent several years investigating neurolinguistics to try and find explanations for what I went through. The book, in a way, is a double immersion, because it also plunges you into the science of language, a field that’s really pretty fascinating.

Learning a second language really does alter you. You’re agreed to take in a whole other world in. When you do, your old world can’t be the same.

According to Rich, even though learning a new language is confusing, it helped her to discover a stronger, more true sense of self.

The experience of going into a far language strips you down, and in the long run, when you emerge out of that tunnel, find yourself back home, an extraordinary thing will have occured: a stronger core self has formed. You become who you should have been, or at least that’s what I found. But the process, which is profound, can be terribly disorienting.

In India, nothing about me translated. Because I got so deep into the langauge, I could tell how much I didn’t compute over there. Women were veiled and living behind closed gates. They didn’t work. They were grandmothers by 45. And here I was, divorced–that made no sense; with a career—a what?; a home owner in some misty distant land—you own a home and you are not married? But who gave this thing to you? It was even strange that I was speaking Hindi. My teacher said, “The first time I saw a Westerner speaking Hindi, it was like seeing a chicken barking,” and I was a barking chicken. The only thing I found would translate about me was goodness. I was teaching in a deaf school and people could see the goodness in that. They’d say, “See? We think Americans are bad, but they’re not all. Some of them help deaf boys..” It was alien for me, coming from New York, to be praised for goodness. That quality ended up getting amplified and since I’ve returned, I find it still is.

The last thing I ever thought would occur when I took that first Hindi lesson was that I’d end up kinder, sweeter, and calmer. But heck, anything can happen when you take a leap of faith. And I’m glad that’s what did.

between self and thought

lies the sweetest expanse

of life and nothingness.

Light and pure,

soothing and sure.

The cascading breath

carries me there,

to the space beyond time,

reason and rhyme.

No battles, no crises,

no wrong or right:

a place of seeing

without sight.

(written after my Isha yoga practice this morning)

Christakis and James Fowler, associate professor at University of California-San Diego in the Department of Political Science, are coauthors of the recent book Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives. They have shown that cooperative behavior is contagious, and that it spreads downstream from a single individual in a cascade of influence that involves dozens more individuals, reaching at least “three degrees of separation.” Their research shows that the initiating influence can involve a variety of behaviors, emotions and ideas, including kindness, happiness, and generosity.

Seen from this perspective, it isn’t the electronic gizmos and doodads that have caused an obsession with networking in our kids; rather, the gadgets may simply make it possible for them to live out their underlying genetic predispositions for cooperation and empathy.

The ultimate incentive for kids’ interconnected, empathic way of relating to one another may be that it, well, feels good.

Very interesting to consider–helping others is selfish.

Steve Culbertson, president of Youth Service America, a volunteer resource center in Washington, D.C., said, “It gets under your skin. The real big secret to service to others is the majority of the benefits accrue to you. It just becomes who you are. It’s not something you pick or choose; it’s just part of your nature and makeup.”

It may be no accident that the most plugged-in generation in history is also the most volunteer-prone. The empathic urge may underlie both areas of behavior. In fact, electronic connectivity and volunteerism have proved to be inseparable.

Tapping into the internet allows us to recognize being part of the same whole and take actions which aid ourselves and others…?

From Five Directions, Technology and Mindfulness:

One big theme of the conference: Happiness is good business. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, is the lead singer of this movement, but he’s not the only one. I was impressed to hear how not only Zappos but Twitter, Google, Facebook, Whole Foods, and Samovar (a group of tea houses in San Francisco) place the physical and emotional wellbeing of their employees as a top priority, and are going about it in creative ways.

From Beth Kanter, Wisdom 2.0: Living Consciously In A Connected World:

We’re all struggling with balance of technology and a purposeful life.  We need to reflect inward and examine our motivations, patterns, and use of technology – understanding when we’re mindful and not.  Then we need to integrate ways of finding the right balance.  That balance is not a simple on and off switch – it is understanding how to integrate focused and receptive attentions into our online and offline lives.  And, there is also the issue of organization culture – how is your organization honoring a balanced use of technology and incorporating that into your working style.

I have been doing tons of research on how non-profits can use social media, thanks largely to Beth Kanter’s wealth of resources on the subject, with the aim of seeing what Isha Foundation can do with these tools. The workshop was an opportunity to apply what I’ve already learned, and of course see it in a new light. Gaurav put things in quite a different perspective, for example by highlighting the theoretical underpinnings of the tools (whereas I’ve been focusing more on the practical uses and tactics).

He started with the question: “What are social technologies and why are they important?” and showed how they are changing people. For example, the focus is shifting from content to people, and people themselves are shifting from consumers to creators.

However, I would like to ask: if technologies are changing people, why are we not any more joyful or loving? Surely if we could engineer ourselves the way we would want to be, we would choose bliss over blogging. If the tools enable us to be more “connected”, why can we not experience this connectedness on a deeper level? If anything, social media has tended to exaggerate our individuality (to the point where we feel the need to broadcast our every thought and action). So, how is this change beneficial?

As an inner technology, Isha Yoga creates the transformation from the inside out. Without fancy gadgets, it enables an individual to experience life in a more enhanced way–feeling more in tune with others, with one’s surroundings, with life! Having experienced this myself, it was only natural that I looked to social media as a way to express and share my joy with those in my network.

The workshop report will be available on the Foundation’s site soon. Gaurav’s post on Everything You Need To Know About Social Media Marketing In Seven Short Steps is a good summary, as is this article/interview on Why and how nonprofits should use social media. Slides are below:

Scientists are especially intrigued by the similarities between hallucinogenic experiences and the life-changing revelations reported throughout history by religious mystics and those who meditate.

The subjects’ reports mirrored so closely the accounts of religious mystical experiences, Dr. Griffiths said, that it seems likely the human brain is wired to undergo these “unitive” experiences, perhaps because of some evolutionary advantage.

Rick Doblin, the executive director of Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies says:

“Thanks to changes over the last 40 years in the social acceptance of the hospice movement and yoga and meditation, our culture is much more receptive now, and we’re showing that these drugs can provide benefits that current treatments can’t.”

Another sad example of the over-medication mentality in the US. Rather than follow the natural logic of his statement–that yoga and meditation have proven benefits for well-being–Doblin promotes psychedelics. If current treatments aren’t properly addressing the mental problems, that means people should turn to other kinds of drugs instead of yoga or mediation?

We should be more interested in researching how non-pharmaceutical methods work. Oh right, but where’s the money in that…?