China is great (like the Wall)!

China is great (like the Wall)! Don't know where to start...I am learning Chinese, visiting the Great Wall (aka Asian Incline - my legs are killing me!), inhaling smog, eating yummy (bizarre) food, and using squat toilets. Indeed life is grand (and grander without squat toilets)!

Words can't describe China, it's just well, China. I left Beijing this morning with population of 17 million people. 17 million - the entire state of Colorado has around 5 million. I have a difficult time fathoming that many people, until I see the smog and sit in traffic. Now I'm in a "small" city (meaning fewer than 10 million people) outside of Shanghai. I just got back from a Buddhist pagoda. So far the sightseeing highlights include a pearl factory, Summer Palace of one of Ming Dynasty emperors, and a tour of a 2,000-year old neighborhood.

I love it so far - the people are adorable! I even made an older Chinese man laugh (which can be difficult I've heard) with my Chinese. My tour guide continues to apologize for his "Chinglish," but he speaks it well! Off to dinner and a silk factory! Love you longtime!

Today I'm grateful for tofu, clean Colorado air, and cute Chinese kids!

Wow, Tao

Two (rhyming) words for you - wow, Tao (pronounced "dow," want to ensure you sound intelligent). In honor of my continuing study of the sacred texts of various religions I continue with the Tao to get me excited for my trip to China (I leave today). I love it. It's mysterious, simple, and beautifully written.

Tao can be translated as the way or the path. The book explains it is indefinable and instead has to be experienced to understand it. It's a force of the universe and Taoists goals are to align themselves with the Tao. Reading the book forces the reader to use a part of the brain based on just being and not just logical thinking (something I believe a lot of us have a difficult time doing). It "refers to a power which envelops, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the Universe. It embodies the harmony of opposites (i.e. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female.)"

I love the concept called "wu wei," which means allowing nature to take its course. Other favorite passages include:
-The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
-If you want to know me, look inside your heart.
-If you want to accord with the Tao, do your job, then let go.

The founder of Taoism is believed by many to be Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE), a contemporary of Confucius. Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism make up the three main religions practiced in China. None of these religions believe in an outside deity, which they believe can't be represented as one specific thing. These traditions have intrigued for quite a while because they focus on inner meditation and outside observation.

My first insight into Chinese philosophy was when my mom quoted, "He who live in glass house must dress in basement." (I don't know which is more alarming to me, that someone would have a glass house or that this is how she convinced me to close my windows when I get dressed.)

Today I'm grateful for my trip to China, green smoothies, Chelsea Handler.

Mean, green smoothie drinking machine!

People keep asking me how I've changed since the experience at the ashram. Apparently I'm still just as nerdy and from the outside look exactly the same (besides the beam of white light coming from my forehead of course). It's more of a transformation - nothing has really changed (wow, now I really sound like Landmark).

My transformation was purely based on my priorities and a new way of looking at life and myself. I identify with myself very differently than I did before. My days aren't comprised of to do lists (okay for the most part, old habits die hard), but rather optional activities I can do if I find time between meditating, doing yoga, working and just being present.

If I had to pick something visually that has changed it would be my diet, particularly the green smoothies I make almost every morning. I get excited to put fresh ginger, kale, spinach, mint, and banana into a blender to chug. (Just when I thought my days of chugging were over!?) I feel and look great (if I may say so myself) thanks to these mean, green smoothies! It was the Greens for Life book that significantly impacted my diet. I'm not ready to go completely raw, but I am ready to focus on eating a ton more leafy greens and enjoy it!

Today I'm grateful for blenders, kale, and ginger (can you tell I'm enjoying a smoothie right now).

Can't help falling in love with you, fall

"Ode to Fall" (lyrics by Elvis Presley, adapted by Becky Farrar)

Shall I stay?

Could it be the wind?

For I can't help falling in love with you.

Like the rivers flow, surely we will see;

Fall time, oh it goes;

Some things are meant to be;

Take my land, take my whole life too.

For I can't help, falling in love with you.

Today I'm grateful for Colorado fall days, warm weather, and soymilk hot chocolates.

Overstimulation is an understatement

My second day back in the quote and unquote "real world" (don't know why I typed that, quotation marks are available in written word) and saying I'm overstimulated would be a brash understatement (see photo on left for demonstration). When my cell phone rang for the first time yesterday in a month I couldn't remember what to do. If that isn't scary enough when I drive I appear to be in such a peaceful state I can't get myself to go above 40 mph. How did I ever handle Las Vegas a month ago??

I feel like the peacefulness in the eye of a storm, but am not sure it's serving me well right now. Particularly in the clothing department. When I met my mom for lunch yesterday (which was Monday, at least I understand the days of the week still) I showed up wearing sweatpants, Birkenstocks with socks (yes, awful I know) and a peacoat. Ugh and more ugh, thank goodness I pulled my mind together to get dressed for meeting my sister for dinner or I wouldn't have heard the end of it.

My body doesn't seem to be adjusting well to the foods I used to eat, although healthy not as healthy as food blessed by yogis everyday. On a positive note, my meditation practice has become much stronger and I crave it instead of it being something to check off my to-do list.

My name is Becky and I'm an overstimulator, but excited to be here. =)

Today I'm grateful for my Eckhardt Tolle CDs, Garden of the Gods, and organic blueberry muffins.

Hari Om Yogaville!

I head home tomorrow from Yogaville with mixed emotions. When I return please I request you call me by my new spiritual name "Saraswati" after the goddess of wisdom. I arrive back to Colorado on Sunday, October 12 and plan to dedicate my life from this moment forward to my pursuit of spiritual enlightenment and wisdom.

Just kidding, wanted to make you a tad nervous about any new hippie tendencies (don't worry I still have plenty to spread around)!

I've had quite a learning experience here and value this opportunity. I encourage anyone to spend time at an ashram. Even if you're not into Hindu or Yogic traditions this ashram really celebrates the wonderfulness of any and all spiritual practices. If you're not into spiritual practices, well...come enjoy the food and good company.

Perfect cleanse of body and soul - nutritious foods, lots of quiet, and yoga. Great test of any practice (spiritual or otherwise) is to see what happens without the structure and rely on my own self-discipline. I'm excited to come back to Colorado and don't know if Yogaville is in my future or not (depends mostly on if they change the name). ;)

Highlights of my stay at the ashram:
-Becoming so handy with a kitchen knife (she says with an evil grin)
-Flexibility (in spirit and body)
-Checking my email less frequently
-Meeting NNB (New Nutty Buddy) Sam
-Wearing pajama-like clothing everyday
-Saying the Sanskrit term "Hari Om" as if it's as common as the word "and"
-Small talk that includes discussing tuning forks, cosmic tents, and food combining
-Befriending spiders

What I look forward to most about being back:
-Seeing my family and friends
-Hugging my dog
-Eating ice cream
-Doing "normal" things such as going to a movie or eating out
-Making more to-do lists
-Eating fish

Today I'm grateful for yogurt with cinnamon, changing leaves, and my beach-scene flipflops.

Navaratri = Nine Nights

As I'm typing this a group of adorable children are chanting and walking through the ashram blessing it will holy water. Yes, another day in the life of a wannabe Yogi in an ashram in the middle of nowhere.

The celebration (can't get enough of them) completes the Hindu Navaratri (Nine Nights). Every three nights the Hindu tradition honors God in female form. Each night the ashram has a puja or offering ceremony to that particular goddess (Durga, Lakshmi, and Sarawasiti - pardon my spelling, I'm too distracted by the chanting to look it up). I enjoy the chanting and singing, but most of all the prasad (something sweet) after the ceremony. Even more entertaining to me is that the male form of God only has a one night in his honor.

Honoring the feminine traits in all of us, the nights are about each part of a Divine Mother who creates obstacles, then shows us the way is not about desire, finally brings us to wisdom. Durga rides a lion and is the "Destroyer/Warrior/just plain tough" and sticks her tongue out as a sign of her toughness. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and my most inspired form is Saraswati - goddess of wisdom and the arts (apparently I'm a reincarnate of her - or so I tell myself). ;) My favorite by far has been the motherly advice every few nights on what to focus on. They've been real doozies - my last one was "To use the lessons learned here to transform my spirituality through practice in life." Um yes, thank you. ;)

Although I would enjoy the ceremonies a bit more if we could stop singing the names of the goddesses after the 4,576th time instead of 7,988th time. No matter, as long as I get my prasad I consider it a wonderful Nine Nights.

Today I'm grateful for homemade banana bread, chocolate, and my journal.