So far, it has been pretty easy for me to just eat gentle foods that complement my dosha constitution. Rice, potatoes, vegetables, nuts and seeds, fruit. For the past three days, there have been so many choices without feeling like I’m lacking or doing without. Tomorrow however begins 5 days of pure kitchari consumption. No sugars, no enhancements,…
Last night at the Kirtan in Santa Cruz, I was invited to participate in a 9 day cleanse along with three other fellow Mount Madonna lady friends. Without really discussing much about the details, I jumped at the chance of having the support group for such a ritual. I’ve done cleanses before, but always on my own….
Last night an incredible evening of joyous kirtan music (spiritual songs) took place at the Pacific Cultural Center (PCC) in Santa Cruz. The PCC is affiliated with Mount Madonna in that both non-profit organizations belong under the Hanuman Fellowship. The students of Baba Hari Dass established the Fellowship as a vehicle for the teachings of…
Wow, what an incredibly long past week this have been. A 9 day silent meditation retreat with Adyashanti was held in the main conference center and throughout the grounds of Mount Madonna. In this retreat, 250 people remained silent for the duration of their stay. For those of us volunteering with the YSC program, it meant really crazy busy…
I’m really not sure what’s up with my body. 🙁 I usually never get sick, and if I do, it’s usually fleeting and somewhat restrained. Five weeks ago, I started to get the flu, and it hit me HARD for 3.5 solid straight weeks. The first week, neither slaDE nor myself got much sleep with my…
Today is our precious day off from our hectic volunteer schedules here at Mount Madonna. Getting up at 5:30am for our daily yoga, meditation and pranayama session has been difficult at times and really challenging, especially as we both have diligently practiced Dinacharya each morning prior to our 2 hour morning yoga class. This morning…
The rain has finally come. Two months of no rain had cultivated a sense of worry regarding the water table levels . Conservation of the precious H2O here on the mountain has been a fervent plea expressed through the weekly web newsletter and with educational signs postered everywhere water is used (whether it be in the bathrooms,…
I’m not certain when it happened but I have always loved to sew. Perhaps I developed the love in high school home economics? Not really certain, but what I do know is that, if I ever have access to a sewing machine (not very often with travelling so much), I find a project or two…
Today was a day filled with wonder, weariness and a certain emotional level of self-discovery and challenge. A family member went in for a surgical procedure that had my senses wound up and on the brink of tears and worry. I was wishing that I could have physically been there to support them through their process….
Coming to California for a three month yoga retreat, residing on the hilltops well above Santa Cruz at Mount Madonna in the midst of the Redwoods, was a no-brainer once I put aside my hopes and fears for winter 2011. I was totally expecting to find myself lapping up the yoga asana lifestyle and community…