Rishikesh!

Its day two in rishikesh and i am feeling beat! A light soar throat and low energy. Fortunately my attempts to gorge myself with juice are working and I will kick this today. The air is very cold at night and hot during the day. Its hard to get out of bed and step into a cold marble floor. I want to shower, but I’ll wait until after breakfast when it warms up a bit.
I’m wandering about town and finding my way into the German bakery in Ram jhulia. They have fruit, muesli and curd one of my favorite things in the world. I’m also taking 2 slices of brown bread and some chai. I feel this meal is healing my tired shell. The Mela has purified me and this sickness is coming out from some sort of chakra and karma cleanse. Its common to get sick when you do a diet change, fast or purge. Why would it be any different for spiritual one?
I’m looking for a good Asana class, but it seems there are none that resonate with me here. So I’m leaning on meditation and dharma to guide me with my activities here.
As i investigate the streets…I see Shivananda Music school Table lessons. I enter and ask how much for a lesson. 200R. SO I begin my first ever lesson. I’m telling you as soon as my hand touched that drum there were sparks. I couldn’t keep my hands off it. I really love love love it! I sat for an hour with the teacher and at the end of the lesson her showed me how to make the drum sound “booduhi booduih” I was so excited! I always wanted to do that since like forever! I’m buying one but not here. I was told to get one in Benares or Delhi. YEAH! not sure when i’ll have time to play, but I’m sure I can find some time.
This morning at breakfast there were two Italians sitting at the table. After my chai started to kick in I asked what they were up to. It was funny because the first question was are you from Spain and yesterday the people at breakfast were from spain and I asked them if they were from Italy. So I told them and we had a laugh. Now after a few words they told me how they were traveling around India and here in Rishikesh they found their Guru Prem Baba. THey explain to me that for so long they were traveling on an external journey only and after taking Prems baba’s blessings that their journey went inwards. In fact they changed their travel plans to stay at the ashram for the rest of their trip. I just looked and them and smiled and we all had a silent exchange of love, heart energy. SO beautiful for them and I was so happy for them. And they will have this journey now for the rest of their lives!
Speaking of journey…many people have asked me if this journey was one that I would use to find myself. In my head I hear the game show buzzer ARRNNNBZZZZ! Wrong answer. Of course not I tell them I am coming to deepen my practice and do some work. And that is JUST WHAT I Am DOING! :)
This afternoon I am meeting with Swamii Botchinanadaji a western swamii from the Sivanada Lineage. I have a little time to kill so I am just walking and observing. One beggar man I cam across was very persistent and I gave him some time. I told myself I would not do this unless I felt safe and as if it was the right thing to do. There are a lot of beggars here. The energy around them is very powerful and a bit scary. I noticed that the stronger the energy even if its good will attract its polar opposites.  In my meditation path they told me in the beginning that I should not get involved with many sexual encounters or drinking or other tarring activities because they could lead into very big problems. I did not understand that until later. When putting forth effort and positive energy like this its amazing how things are attracted to you. I have been trying to balance out this situation for years now. anyhow…I sat next to this guy and he showed me his leg minus the foot with a bloody bandage. And asked for money. So I gave 25 R. Well that didn't satisfy him seeing that I’m a foreigner. So he showed me the other foot. OH GOD!. With out any expression I watched as he flipped his toes back and forth as for they were only hanging on by a thread. I was truly disgusted to the core. I gave him a few more R’s and left. The
only thing I could think was what kind of karma has this person had that lead him to this. I could see he was only following him path in this body. I have no bad feelings or good about his situation it just is.