...enlightenment... or something like it.

While talking to my brother today about how difficult adjusting back to life in the US will be, he commented on me being spiritually enlightened. I'm not, and far from. While wishing my friend and yoga training partner Steph a happy birthday today she joked about this being the year of spiritual enlightenment.

So maybe with these both in the back of my mind I was thinking many things along my hike today. I took a "scenic route" and ended up lost in rice paddies. Visited a beautiful stupa and mingled with cows grazing. Indeed lots of time to think and a beautiful place for it. And like out of some Indian epic story, one of the secrets of enlightenment came to me. Are you ready for it?

Enlightenment, is.

That's it. No more, no less. Well, lots more but not really. Enlightenment, is. And I'm far from "it" but maybe this little "blue sky "piece of the puzzle is more important than the corner piece that so obviously connects the easy to find big nubbed pieces. Or maybe I'm just a little cukkoo.

Those were some thoughts I had while walking from the lodge to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten. It was one of the most beautiful and inspiring chortens I had ever been to (and I've been to a lot).  On the way to the chorten I got lost in some rice paddies and found myself trespassing in someone's yard, and was nearly forced to hop a barbed wire fence before I noticed a small bamboo gate that I could move a piece aside to crawl through. Eventually I made it to the top and found myself just sitting, thinking and breathing while I overlooked the beautiful valley. The way down and back was much easier and I found I was contemplating so much, but also not really thinking at all. Sort of tired and ready to go back to take a nap. Punakha is a very beautiful place.

Oh and the guy with my sunglasses.. a farmer who walked by and really wanted to wear my glasses so I let him and then snapped a photo. 

PoTD - Bitterheart

I saw this bumper sticker on the back of a truck the other day while waiting for a roadblock to clear and found it so to the point. Thought I'd share it with y'all.  Stay off the sweets :)

A walk around Punakha

I went for a walk around the Punakha lodge last week and I just "developed" my digital film. It was a small but beautiful loop around the area. Along the way I discovered a freshly skinned cow, some cactus, cows blocking the path, and I ambled down the local stream. The last picture is taken in the courtyard in front of the farmhouse at the lodge. I spend mornings and lunch here and love basking in the sun's warmth while soaking up the positive energy that this area offers.

The Fauna comes to me

I was practicing yoga alone the other day in the yoga room at the Paro lodge when I heard a commotion outside. I looked out the window and saw an ox and cow grazing on the land behind the spa. I knew that they shouldn't have been there by the hotel standards but I didn't want to call security to disturb them. No guests were around and they looked so peaceful. So I just watched them eat and listened to them "moooo" for a while. Eventually they moved past the spa area and into very common areas so I was forced to call the management to have them sent on their way. It may sound so simple and maybe silly, but watching wild animals live is always so inspiring to me. I turn into a little kid and "ooh" and "ahh" at every cow, horse, chicken, mule... etc that I see along the way.  In the US we are disconnected completely from the natural wildlife, save for maybe pigeons. 

Later that day when I was teaching the staff class for yoga, I kept gushing about these cows. The staff, used to having wildlife walk into their villages and maybe even their houses, thought I was nuts. I kept going on and on about this beautiful black ox with the most gorgeous horns and how it was perfect with my yoga. Then out of nowhere these three pretty birds all lined up on a branch outside the window. One of the staff noticed it and pointed them out. they were all next to each other at first and the staff commented on how you never see three sitting directly wing to wing with each other on one branch. Again I was having this amazing connection with how wonderful nature is. Unfortunately I only had my old iphone which is slow and doesn't have the best camera, so the picture is a little blurry and also I couldn't snap it in time with the birds next to each other.

Part of yoga is about connecting with ourselves and our natural surroundings. We're one with ourselves, with nature, with the universe.  To be able to practice yoga in surroundings that are so connected with nature is truly a blessing. We make these safe and welcomed studios in big cities to help us feel more connected with ourselves and less connected with the busyness and disconnectedness of the cities and that is wonderful and I'm so grateful for all the studios that I've been fortunate enough to practice in.  But to look outside and see ox grazing, birds chirping, horses plowing fields, cows pooping and to be so close to it, to nature... well it brings me back to a place I've never been but where I always belong (if that makes sense).  

But now I find myself writing on my computer on a beautiful sunny day in the beautiful valley of Punakha with birds chirping all around. And I can't help but think, "What the fuck am i doing staring into this machine... I should go for a nature walk or hike." So off I go to explore the beautifulness that is this region of Bhutan. To explore the beautifulness that is the life I live.

Hiking up behind the Punakha lodge

There is a temple up on top of the hill behind the lodge in Punakha. I heard that the walk was nice but a little steep, however the views from the top were very beautiful of the valley.  I decided to go up for a walk alone, without guide. Why would I need a guide, it's a straight line (or so I was told).  Well, it was beautiful and it was nice, but it was not a straight line. And the altitude played havoc on my lungs, as I had to stop frequently to catch my breath.  At one point I called a friend and asked "Where the fuck is this temple?" and "is it worth it for me to keep going up and around" (straight line my ass!)   But I kept going and made it to the top, and was very happy that I did.  The temple on top is simple and quaint, but that is one thing that makes it so nice.  It's authentic and not too done up, like other tourist site.s  They were making butter candles for puja the next day so I made one for them as well (you can see it below on the wood in front of the other candles).  Before I left, this old lady yelled at me to come back and then she gave me a handful of sweet potatoes. I politely declined, but she wouldn't hear of it so in the end I took a few and they were delicious.  On the way down I noticed there was a great view of the Punakha Dzong in the distance through the valley.  

It was a great hike and well worth it. I did miss the trail once and slipped off the side, pulling a muscle in my leg as I fell, but with every high sometimes comes a slip or two.