Day 11 (Aug 31)

I love the fire ceremony. I think it brings me the same effects of meditation. I like how the sound of the conch brings me to most present moment, the gifts of flowers, ghee, milk and honey, the sound of crackling as the herbs burn, and how the fire continues to dance even when my eyes are closed. Having started the morning beautifully though, I would like to report that my 2 day experiment is complete. My conclusion: No more carbs at night. No more. My hamstrings were extra tight this morning. I felt sluggish and my poses seemed to have the consistency of oatmeal (with chocolate chips). I did get some wonderful advice from Rachel this morning and I think I'm well on my way to jumping through and longer headstands.

Michelle and I decided to skip the sun, sand, and sea to save our shoulders from burning. I attended Sanskrit class and the chanting and lectures. During the break, I had two veggie brownies (Jack bought me one). I enjoyed the snack immensely! After the class, I went for a swim in the pool. It started to rain but the water was so warm. After a good swim, I stayed in the steam room and then had another dip in the pool, showered and went off to our evening chants with Jack. It was beautiful - Om Hrim Sri Laksmi Bhyo Namaha... The mantra was for removing mists and the harmony came to me rather easily and then Jack fused it with a Irish poem of the same purpose and it was very beautiful.

He then spoke about tantra and how Krishna gave dark chocolate as the answer to one of the questions on how happiness could be attained. I could not agree more. And of course, right before we chanted our last chant, we were given dark chocolate. So yes, Lokaah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu.

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By the way, for dinner, I only had three tablespoons of lentil soup. Let's see if I feel better during asana practice tomorrow morning....
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Snippets (I was too engrossed to take down too many notes. I just like to let the words sink in):
The spinal column is where our consciousness sits.
Dreams are our memory's discharge.
What we need to do is be aware that we are functionally moving and witnessing at the same time.
If we keep this lesson, you can go on with our life without being tainted by life - you can be happy wherever you are.
On asana, asana practice is strenuous because it coordinates the mind, the physical body and emotions.
The posture, when practiced properly, will make you at ease in the posture (15 minutes in the asana to feel the curative benefits of the pose...)