Well, it's hot in Texas. There's no doubt about that. The people in both places are truly welcoming and friendly. And cows are important (in rather different ways, admittedly...). This spring, I immersed myself in the study of the local Texas medicinal herbs. While my training in Ayurveda gave me a beautifully comprehensive system to understand the effects of … Continue reading How Texas is like India
Category: India
Homecoming – or Going
This morning as I watched the sun rise over New Mexico, I marveled anew at the wonder of this globe. We spin on our little axis through space, pulled in endless scheduled circles around a ball of fire amongst countless other rotating spheres passing in their own exact orbits. The celestial bodies that I gazed … Continue reading Homecoming – or Going
Pooram & Prayers
When our week in Fort Kochi was up, Emily and I reluctantly took the ferry back across the waterway to the train station and bid our sweet community goodbye. We had begun to feel like regulars in town, with people recognizing us on the street after seeing us in a store. We had found the … Continue reading Pooram & Prayers
Returning
After three and a half weeks away, I returned to Vaidyagrama on Tuesday night. As I had hoped, it felt like a sweet homecoming. Returning as a patient now with all of our classes and travel completed, I have a very different mindset, focused on rest, integration and rejuvenation. I can feel my mind and … Continue reading Returning
How (and Why) to Make Buttermilk (and Yogurt and Butter!)
Contrary to popular belief, buttermilk is NOT what you will find in the local Food Giant or Publix grocery store in the “buttermilk” carton. Oh no. It is an amazing health-promoting, smooth, tasty beverage made from fresh milk. In Sanskrit, it is called takra, and it has many healing properties. Gently sour and astringent, it … Continue reading How (and Why) to Make Buttermilk (and Yogurt and Butter!)
The Way Things Work Around Here
I surprised a snake this morning as I was walking back to my room. The sun had just risen, and there was a hazy quality to the air. As I stepped onto a rock, there was a sudden swish about two feet away from me, and a three-foot-long dark colored snake (the only description my … Continue reading The Way Things Work Around Here
Rishikesh – A Partial Report…
We have had an amazing voyage. We left Rishikesh last Wednesday with our minds full of new ideas, our bodies well exercised, our eyes imprinted with new visions, and our bags bursting with souvenirs - and dirty laundry. It's taken me a full week to get caught up enough in my daily life here to … Continue reading Rishikesh – A Partial Report…
The Land of the Yogis
We’re going to Rishikesh! We just found out yesterday, and we fly out tomorrow – for ten enormous days. We are beset with laundry and packing pandemonium, interspersed with incredulous laughter and open-mouthed amazement at our good fortune. Some fairy godmother must be in charge around here. I mentioned in a recent post that Vaidyagrama’s … Continue reading The Land of the Yogis
The Grown Ups' Table
This past weekend, I chose to stay put while my classmates returned to Isha, a temple and meditation center that we all went to last weekend. I enjoyed myself thoroughly the first time we were there, but I didn't want to leave Vaidyagrama again, at least not for awhile. In so many ways, this place … Continue reading The Grown Ups' Table
Medical Camp Day
Every last Sunday of the month, Vaidyagrama hosts a “medical camp” in one of the nearby villages, offering free herbal medications and medical advice. This past weekend, we got to come along to help and to pick up what we could by observing since we certainly wouldn’t understand what was being said. We arrived around … Continue reading Medical Camp Day
Ivy Ingram, MA, AP 