In a little over two months, I will be on my way to India. I have been preparing by reading as many travel blogs and info threads on India as I possibly can. I came across this website that has the most beautiful photos taken by a photojournalist that was traveling through. I hope I come back with a wardrobe and enlightened soul that is as colorful as this picture.
I have been reading alot about whether or not a tourist should engage in the native clothing traditions while traveling in India. I am in love with the idea- and I think Princess Diana in this Salwar Kameez pant suit just reaffirmed it. Beautiful!
I love Yama-
There are 8 limbs of yoga which you must master in order to reach true consciousness. This post talks about Yama. I think it is my favorite-Check out how you can master it!
1. YAMA: the first limb of The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
Yama is social behavior, how you treat other people and your environment. Apply the golden rule. There are 5 yamas.
- Nonviolence (ahimsa). Do not harm any creature in thought or deed. Including insects. Compassion for all creatures. Refrain from gossip and practice patience, kindness, and tolerance.
- Truth & Honesty (satya). Do not lie or cheat. Refrain from deception. Live with integrity, sincerity, and clarity. Seek your dharma, your purpose.
- Non-stealing (asteya). Do not steal material objects or intangibles such as attention or credit.
- Non-lust (brahmacharya). Avoid meaningless sexual encounters. See divinity in all. Moderation in our actions.
- Non-possessiveness; non-greediness (aparigraha). Identify, deconstruct, and cleanse yourself from greed and hoarding. Make your life simple.
When I think of my own soul, I picture a room. Sometimes the room looks a little bit like this one. All of the facets of who I am- my past, in colored jars and textured glass containers, tucked in shelves and stacked on top of one another balancing on the edge of a shelf; my future draped like silk from one corner to another,gently curling and flapping in the breeze that floats in through the open door. Faded images of happiness and sadness, hopes and dreams,images of who I have once been; teetering next to one another in golden frames on the walls of my soul. All of who I am, is meticulously placed where it is meant to be. Protected here, in this room of my soul.
Enter your room today, dust off your soul and spend time in there. It is so easy to forget your very being- the deep fabrics of what make you who you are. Your experiences, whether positive or negative do not have to be baggage. Yes, they will stay with you, but allow them to become the very treasures of your soul.
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful; We must carry it within us or we shall never find it.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Source: Image 3-http)
In a little over a week I will be leaving my little family in an effort to grow as a person. My trip to India is coming up quickly! One of the things Jake and I promised each other when we got married, was that we will always support each other in our personal journeys. We both recognize that if we don’t encourage each other to grow as individuals, we in turn won’t grow in our relationship. So much learning and growing is yet to come!… Although it is going to be hard being so far away from the things I love the most. So grateful for a life partner that gets me! Cheers to changes!
Pardon my lack of posting, I am preparing for my travels! THREE DAYS!
I hope to update with photos during my trip. I will return to the states in the middle of December with stories of my yoga certification, India, trains, shopping and who knows what else!
-R
Tarun Tahiliani Couture
Just spending a sunny sunday with my Chumpy. Having a great time spending time with my family before I fly out! Just two more days until I leave!
A little treat of some of the photos to come: Munnar, Kerala, India. The town of Munnar is about 5000 feet above sea level. The mountains here are adorned with the most beautiful tea fields in the world. Everywhere you turn, you have a panoramic view of the richest and brightest green bushes covering these mountains like velvet. We stayed in a small cottage tucked in the trees, and the bottom photo was taken on an early morning walk down the mountain. I have so much more to share with you, but here is a sneak peak!
For the next few posts I will be focusing on the women and children of India that I encountered during my stay there.
Meet Lakshmi-
Lakshmi is literally one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen. She and her family (3 generations) live on the grounds of the ashram where I took my Yoga Teacher Training. They all work to maintain it. I took this photograph of her while she was out in the field, crouched down, cutting the grass by hand with a blade as the wind twirled the end of her beautiful sari gently up into it’s breeze. Daily, Lakshmi woke with the sun, cut the grass, swept the paths and watered the plants, she did this with as much effort, energy and devotion as the day before. Her hands were patterned with wrinkles that told the saga of her life- where she has been, what she has done- the strength that she holds within.
It is easy to get stuck in a pattern of life. Take a moment to think of the routine things you do everyday. What tasks can you complete more fully? What could you complete more beautifully or gracefully? Sometimes it isn’t about what task is being done, but it is about the way in which it was completed.
To me, this photo represents grace, strength, beauty, resilience and courage. The true embodiment of a woman.
Goan Shopkeeper and Mama
I snapped this photo in the evening on our walk to dinner in Goa. The roads are lined with open air shops packed with thousands of pieces of hand sewn pants and shirts. Most of the shop keepers are women along this strip. This woman was sitting outside of her store with her baby. This woman’s energy was something you could feel as you approached her. She had a way of looking at you, that made you feel like she knew you, She was gentle and unfazed by her crying baby, she rhythmically bounced her with her knee as she posed for this photo. As human beings, sometimes we simply want to blend into the crowd. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves for fear that someone will notice the imperfections we see in ourselves. But isn’t it true that when we embrace ourselves, everyone else sees that beauty as well? I love how bold and strong this woman is. You could instantly feel her feminine energy when trying to communicate with her and you could instantly feel her strength. Although we couldn’t communicate with a verbal language. We knew each other as women. There was a mutual feminine understanding within each of us. The kind of understanding that all women would have with one another if they weren’t preoccupied with comparing themselves, or judging others.
Today, embrace yourself. Reward yourself. Adorn yourself. You are a unique being- accentuate that. If you are a woman, observe your thoughts towards other women. Are they kind and gentle? Or are they reflections of your own insecurities? Sit with this for a moment today, travel through these thoughts and become more in tune with your inner dialogue. This will tell you more about yourself than you could ever imagine.
With Love,
Ryann
Hotel Arya Niwas
I wanted to share one of my favorite hotels that we stayed in during our travels in India. Hotel Arya Niwas was a lovely hotel in The Pink City of India- Jaipur.
The streets of Jaipur were filled with people shifting and weaving between cars, rickshaws and motorbikes. The women floated through the streets as the tail end of their Saris twirled and danced in the breeze behind them. The sun was warm in Jaipur- it bounced from corner to corner in the glittering bangle shops and soaked into the tanned skin of the fruit salesmen.
Hotel Arya Niwas was nestled in the center of this market, tucked back slightly with a green courtyard that was dotted with tables and chairs for dining. Our room sat off to the corner on the 5th floor, with a window view that overlooked the street.
In the mornings, we would make our way down the pink halls and stairs to the cafe where we drank tea, fresh mango juice and snacked on paninis carefully constructed of hand made bread and fresh cheese. I scooped spoonfuls of fresh fruit into my oatmeal and let the sun peek in from the window and dust my cheeks.
It truly was blissful. I hope you enjoy these images from one of my favorite places.
-Ryann
