For the past week since coming home, I have cocooned. I have slept long hours and meditated to absorb, digest and process all that had transpired while being in the Motherland, India. A direct flight from Delhi to Toronto necessitate the passing of two night-times while in the air. I arrived home in the Dreamtime.

While In the Dreamtime, I have begun to unravel the many ways in which I was given - a challenge, a gift, an experience, or a transmission of some kind, that deepened my awareness for awareness itself, while traveling in India. This may sound corny.

This deepening of awareness for awareness itself, is rich in subtlety and will surely unfurl  with greater depth in the days to come. When I left India 20 years ago the concept of time and space intrigued me most about India. This trip, I realized the notions of time and space are experienced very differently in India, not only due to the sheer number of people there are, to the way in which they perceive and respond to experiences are very different. One must pay extra close attention to everything. India is also full with people who devote at least some part of their day to their spiritual practice. Through this kind of attentive attention and devotion an otherworldly awareness arises, through which the magic of Mother India expresses herself.

In the South of India, there were many occasions to participate in a puja to purify. In Gokarna, Karnataka I visited a Ganesha temple- one of many temples in Gokarna, a curious, colorful and mysterious village steeped in the Arabian sea. The women at the temple sold leaves of saffron, yellow and pink fragrant flowers to offer Ganesha. I entered the stone chamber and made an offering, rung the massive bell, prostrating and chanting OM Gane Gana Paytae Namaha (to remove ignorance and harmful spirits)doing as they did. The incense wafted up into the cavern above. The ethereal s were heady.

From Gokarna i took a side trip to Hampi an ancient village that dates back to the 15th century. It was the second largest community in the world at the time. The architectural rock caverns and temples were outstanding. I had engaged King Cobra, a rickshaw driver to see the sights. He took me to eat at a local restaurant for a delicious thali dish at some point.

The city of Delhi is the gateway to the North. People say to avoid Delhi as the pollution and the noise are horrendous. I found Delhi vibrant and interesting. I stayed with a couple who i lodged with the last time i visited India. Nestled into the heart of the city and close to the airport the Master Guest House is well worth the extra cost one may spend in a big Indian city.

From this segway, I visited the regions of Tibetan Buddhism in the foothills and the Himalayas. I spent ten days in Tso Pema, the home of many Tibetan Buddhists and the main village to pay homage to the great teacher, Padmasambhava the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. I also visited the Thosamling Buddhist Nunnery in lower Dharamsala, home to a number of Western Tibetan nuns and the home of many young Tibetan girls from Ladakh, who spend the winter at the Nunnery.

Finally, after 21 years I returned to the mountain village of McLeod Ganj, where His Holiness the Dalai Lama has resided since he fled his homeland in 1959. The mountain air and the vibration of McLeod Ganj is welcoming, even after all the growth of the area, McLeod sustains its magic! I spent a few days volunteering at the Learning in Tibet center teaching English. This was a delight. There was also a beautiful day of trekking up to the mountain range you see in the photo. Bliss.

While being amongst the Tibetans I reconnected with my refuge as a Tibetan Buddhist and through daily mantra and meditation and with my friend Hans from Germany who so kindly shared so much with me, I discovered that the particular lineage I had chosen to take my refuge with originally, is indeed of the greatest interest. One of the reasons for going to India was to get back to my daily meditation practice that i had for years. I have reinstated my daily meditation practice. Phat!

And so I return renewed, albeit a bit discombobulated, to serve you all, on your path to whole health and wholeness with greater peace and equanimity. May the merits of this journey, through my devotional practices as well as with the chi-gong, yoga and meditation practices that I have sustained and the teachings that I have received while being in India, benefit all sentient beings. OM.

I invite you to visit the Dharani Healing Arts Website for more information and to read the India travel blogs or to take a course or book an appointment, for an Herbal or Nutritional Consultation, or a series of ION Foot Baths and Reflexology or a MIndBodyBeing Therapy session.